The Only X-Rated Movie To Ever Win an Oscar | Best Movies by Farr Best Movies by Farr HINT: Search by film title, actor, director, genre and more to find great movies. Sign Up For Our Newsletter Sign up to receive features as they are published, including up-to-date movie recommendations and notifications about what to watch. HINT: Search by film title, actor, director, genre and more to find great movies. Sign Up For Our Newsletter Sign up to receive features as they are published, including up-to-date movie recommendations and notifications about what to watch. The Only X-Rated Movie Posted on 02.20.14 by John Farr X-rated movies are forever associated with pornography now, but that wasn’t originally the case. In fact, an X-rated movie once won an Oscar. 1969’s “ Midnight Cowboy ” was rated “X” for its depictions of sex and strong language, but especially for the “degenerate” sex scene between Jon Voight and a young, meek Bob Balaban. The MPAA originally intended for the “X” rating to only mean that the movie’s content was unsuitable for children.

Pornographers quickly took over the rating, however, and most mainstream theaters refused to show X-rated movies because of the stigma, the sissies. Happily for “Cowboy,” the MPAA re-rated the film two years later, dropping it to its current “R” rating. Also See More Movies About Prostitution Nevertheless, the Association of Motion Pictures honored “Cowboy” under its 1969 rating, making it the only X-rated film to be nominated for, or to win, an Oscar. Speaking of Oscars, Jon Voight received a nomination for his portrayal of Joe Buck, but he wasn’t director John Schlesinger’s first choice for the part. At various times, big hitters like Warren Beatty and Michael Sarrazin, and relative unknowns like Kiel Martin and Stuart Cooper, were considered. Lee Majors was originally cast, but had to pull out when his television show, “The Big Valley,” was renewed. The Six Million Dollar Man as Joe Buck? Now that would have been interesting.

More Movies About Prostitution What's the Big Deal?: Midnight Cowboy (1969) - MTV mtv Eric Snider 11/10/2011 Yeah, yeah, Midnight Cowboy is the only X-rated film ever to win the Oscar for Best Picture. If nothing else, it stands as the answer to that particular trivia question. But is there anything else? Why is the story of a dimwitted Texan man-whore still mentioned all these years later? Let's put on our cowboy jacket with the hilarious fringes and investigate. The praise: Midnight Cowboy won the Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay. Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman were both nominated for Best Actor but lost to John Wayne for True Grit. There were additional nominations for Sylvia Miles for supporting actress and for the film's editor, Hugh A. Robertson. (Trivia: Robertson was the first African-American nominee in this category.) Midnight Cowboy came in at No. 36 on the American Film Institute's 1998 list of the best movies of all time, falling only slightly to No. 43 on the 2007 revised list.

It had also appeared on the New York Times' list of the 10 best movies of 1969. The context: When Midnight Cowboy premiered in May 1969, its two biggest stars were Dustin Hoffman and the X rating. Jon Voight was an unknown who'd never headlined a movie before. The director, John Schlesinger (1926-2003), had made a few films in his native England, including a hit called Darling (1965), but this was his first American project. Hoffman, on the other hand, was hot. His previous film, The Graduate (1967), had been an instant classic, and people were eager to see what he would follow it with. (That's probably why he got top billing in Midnight Cowboy, even though Voight's character is the protagonist and has more screen time.) The X rating was new and exciting, too. The Motion Picture Association of America had only introduced the rating system a few months earlier, in November 1968, and Midnight Cowboy was among the first pictures to get its most restrictive label. But "X-rated" didn't have any particular stigma associated with it yet.

All it meant was that the movie wasn't suitable for children, not necessarily that it was chock-full of sex and nudity. A lot of movies (particularly European ones) got X ratings those first few years without much fanfare; it's not at all analogous to the brouhaha that arises when something is rated NC-17 today. It wasn't until pornographers started slapping the letter on their movies as a selling point that "rated X" came to signify "dirty movie" in the average filmgoer's mind, thus ruining it for the legitimate unsuitable-for-children-but-not-pornographic movies. Many of the early X-rated films -- including Midnight Cowboy -- were reclassified as R when they were re-released later, as the MPAA acknowledged that the connotation of the X had changed. All of which is a roundabout way of saying that while Midnight Cowboy is now famous for being the only X-rated Best Picture winner in history, its rating wasn't particularly noteworthy at the time. The system was new; each classification was bound to be represented at the Oscars sooner or later.

What was notable about the film was its frank depiction of casual sex -- including allusions to homosexual liaisons -- and the grimy, realistic way it portrayed New York City. Mainstream American films at this time were becoming more open about sexuality, addressing subjects that had been unthinkable 10 years earlier. They were also turning more frequently to themes of youthful disillusionment and disappointment, catering to a growing audience of disaffected Baby Boomers eager to see characters who represented them. Most young adults were not contemplating careers in the sex industry, but plenty of them could relate to Joe Buck's frustration over his failed dreams and misunderstandings about adult life. The movie: Joe Buck (Jon Voight), a naive pretty-boy from rural Texas, takes the bus to New York City, where he plans to make a living as a "hustler," which is what he calls a "gigolo," which is what the rest of us call a "male prostitute." He doesn't know how to accomplish this, though, because he's kind of stupid. I mean, he knows how to have sex, he just doesn't have any business sense.

Along comes Enrico "Ratso" Rizzo (Dustin Hoffman), a sickly, verminous con man who becomes Joe's only friend and sort of his pimp. What it influenced: In his liner notes for the Criterion Laserdisc edition of the film, Michael Dare says Midnight Cowboy was the first movie to show New York City in the kind of realistic detail that locals would recognize: "Look at the scene where Ratso and Joe are almost hit by a cab while crossing the street, and it's almost impossible to imagine why the original audiences went bonkers just because Hoffman hits the hood of the cab and blurts 'I'm walking here!' By now we're used to street realism, and the incident seems ordinary, but then it was a revelation, a minuscule detail of city life that no one before had ever captured on film. And it's just one of thousands of similar very specific occurrences that add up to one of the most painfully realistic and humorous portraits of a city every conceived." I don't know if it's literally true that no previous film had captured that kind of Big Apple authenticity (and I guess "authenticity" is subjective), but Dare makes a good point.

Prior to this, people's idea of New York City came from its romanticized depictions in the movies, which actual New Yorkers scoffed at. It was that Hollywood version of New York that attracted Joe Buck, and he was in for a rude awakening. Now that the seedier side of the city has been portrayed so often in films, that brief altercation with the cab driver strikes everyone as a quintessential New York detail (and "I'm walkin' here!" has become a catchphrase). But in 1969, it would have only looked familiar to New Yorkers. In a similar vein, the image of Joe Buck walking down a busy Manhattan sidewalk, barely visible in the crowd except for his cowboy hat, has become iconic, and often duplicated or parodied. (See, for example, similar moments in Elf and Borat.) Not only is it a striking image, it also introduces us to the movie's central theme of New York (and thus real life) not being what Joe expected it to be. He thought he would stand out; in truth, no one notices him.

What to look for: If you're watching Midnight Cowboy because you heard it used to be rated X and want to see how dirty it is, you're in for a disappointment. It may have deserved that rating at the time, when "X" simply meant that it was unsuitable for kids, but the R rating it has now is more appropriate. It has a fair amount of nudity and some brief scenes of sexual activity. Scandal-seekers should lower their expectations. Viewers familiar with other '60s counterculture milestones like Easy Rider (which came out the same year), Jules and Jim (1962), Cool Hand Luke (1967), and Bonnie and Clyde (1967) will notice that Midnight Cowboy fits comfortably into that mold. It has a downbeat ending. It uses jarring snippets of flashbacks, plus scenes from Joe's and Ratso's imaginations as they consider what might happen in the future. Sex and drugs are portrayed as cool, everyday things for young people, while old-fashioned subjects like religion are denigrated. Never mind the X rating: it was the movie's ideas that were bold for their time.

What's the big deal: Just as the new rating system was a product of its time, needed to accommodate the movies' increasingly graphic portrayal of mature themes, Midnight Cowboy was a reflection of the era's counterculture movement. Young people had not seen characters they could relate to very often before -- people as dissatisfied and disillusioned as they were -- and so films like Midnight Cowboy were revelatory. The genre of movies about man-whores who befriend sweaty street criminals has never been the same. Related columns: 1969 Academy Awards® Winners and History Z (1969, Fr./Algeria) Actor: JOHN WAYNE in "True Grit", Richard Burton in "Anne of the Thousand Days", Dustin Hoffman in "Midnight Cowboy" , Peter O'Toole in "Goodbye, Mr.

Chips", Jon Voight in "Midnight Cowboy" Actress: MAGGIE SMITH in "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie", Genevieve Bujold in "Anne of the Thousand Days", Jane Fonda in "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?", Liza Minnelli in "The Sterile Cuckoo", Jean Simmons in "The Happy Ending" Supporting Actor: GIG YOUNG in "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?", Rupert Crosse in "The Reivers", Elliott Gould in "Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice", Jack Nicholson in "Easy Rider" , Anthony Quayle in "Anne of the Thousand Days" Supporting Actress: GOLDIE HAWN in "Cactus Flower", Catherine Burns in "Last Summer", Dyan Cannon in "Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice", Sylvia Miles in "Midnight Cowboy" , Susannah York in "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?" Director: JOHN SCHLESINGER for "Midnight Cowboy" , Costa-Gavras for "Z", George Roy Hill for "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" , Arthur Penn for "Alice's Restaurant", Sydney Pollack for "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?" Although unlikely, it

 was interesting that nominations and awards were won by various kinds of 'Westerns' this year: a musical western - Paint Your Wagon It was also noteworthy that two major competitors this year, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and Midnight Cowboy , were quintessential buddy films - although one reflected the dark side, while the other was light-hearted.

In the late 1960's, it was significant that the Academy Awards honored British film-maker John Schlesinger's seamy, hard-hitting film (with Nilsson singing "Everybody's Talkin'" on the enhanced music track) Midnight Cowboy as the Best Picture. It captured the graphic, lonely alienation of the hustler's world of New York's Times Square, and told a tale of a strange friendship between a would-be Texan stud (Jon Voight) and a sickly drifter (Dustin Hoffman). The film was daring, scandalous, and shocking with its X-certificate for language and sex (not signifying pornography but an adults-only subject with no one under 16 admitted). [This was remarkable since the previous year's Oscar winner for Best Picture was the light-hearted musical Oliver! (1968).] It was the first and only X-rated Best Picture winner in Academy history (although it was re-rated in the next decade with an R rating.) Both lead actors were nominated for Best Actor - and both lost to John Wayne for True Grit.

From its seven nominations, the film won three awards (Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Screenplay by Waldo Salt), but was unable to win any of its three acting nominations. [Waldo Salt won the film's third Oscar for his witty screenplay that was adapted from James Leo Herlihy's novel.] The other films in the same category covered a wide range of subjects: a historical drama/period piece by director Charles Jarrott about the affairs of amoral King Henry VIII (Richard Burton) who sets aside his wife for Anne Boleyn (Genevieve Bujold) - Anne of the Thousand Days (with ten nominations - more nominations than any other picture in 1969, but with only one win - Best Costume Design).

[The film was produced by Hal Wallis, his 19th Best Picture nomination - a record.] Sixties' historical pageants of this sort (after the success of Becket (1964), A Man for All Seasons (1966), and The Lion in Winter (1968)) were beginning to lose their popularity and impact the popular buddy film and revisionist Western about two legendary outlaws by director George Roy Hill, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid , (with seven nominations and four wins, the most of all Best Picture nominees) - William Goldman's Best Original Screenplay, Conrad Hall's Cinematography, Burt Bacharach's Best Original Score, and Hal David's Best Song "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head," a mix of entertaining music and comedic bank-robbing with two handsome male leads as the legendary outlaws the escapist musical and box-office failure - a re-creation of the popular Broadway show adapted from Thornton Wilder's play Matchmaker - with last year's Oscar-winner Barbra Streisand miscast in the un-nominated role of Dolly in director Gene Kelly's film, Hello, Dolly!

(with seven nominations and three wins - Best Art Direction/Set Decoration, Best Sound, and Best Musical Score) a tough political melodrama about the assassination of a 1960s Greek nationalist in director Costa-Gavras' French-Algerian co-produced thriller, Z (with five nominations and two wins - Best Film Editing and Best Foreign Language Film). [Z was the first film nominated as Best Foreign Language Film (1969) that also received a Best Picture nomination. It was also the second non-English language film to be nominated as Best Picture - the first was Jean Renoir's Grand Illusion (1938), over thirty years earlier.] The Best Director award went to British director John Schlesinger for Midnight Cowboy . Four years earlier, Schlesinger's Darling was also sexually permissive, with Julie Christie awarded Best Actress in the film as a hip model.

Other high-impact films with Best Director nominations included: Arthur Penn for Alice's Restaurant (the film's sole nomination), a 60's countercultural, hippie re-creation based upon folk singer Arlo Guthrie's song "Alice's Restaurant Massacre" Costa-Gavras for the political thriller Z, originally subtitled "The Anatomy of a Political Assassination" and based upon the 1963 real-life killing of a Greek liberal Sydney Pollack's They Shoot Horses, Don't They?

(with nine nominations, not including Best Picture, and one win - Best Supporting Actor), the Depression-Era tale based on Horace McCoy's novel, of the desperate, self-destructive contestants in the Aragon Ballroom six-day marathon dances of early 1930s Los Angeles - this film was conspicuously missing from the Best Picture nominees The two co-stars of the Best Picture winner Midnight Cowboy were fellow nominees for Best Actor: Jon Voight (with his first nomination) as uneducated, wanna-be hustler/stud but naive blonde Texas boy Joe Buck who, after being influenced by radio and TV commercials, wants to pimp himself in the big city Dustin Hoffman (with his second nomination) as grimy, tubercular, gimp-gaited, sickly street-savvy Bronx hustler Enrico 'Ratso' Rizzo The other two defeated Best Actor nominees were: Richard Burton (with his sixth of seven unsuccessful career nominations) was nominated for his role as boisterous King Henry VIII in Anne of the Thousand Days.

[The character role of King Henry VIII has been nominated more than any other literary or historical figure - previously, Charles Laughton for The Private Life of Henry VIII (1933), and Robert Shaw for A Man for All Seasons (1966).] Peter O'Toole (with his fourth of eight career nominations) was nominated for his playing of Arthur Chipping - the beloved schoolmaster in the title role of director Herbert Ross' directorial debut with the musical remake of the 1939 film classic, Goodbye, Mr. Chips (with two nominations and no wins), based upon James Hilton's novel about a kind English all-boys school teacher. Sixty-two year-old John Wayne's 'sentimental' win of the Best Actor Oscar in 1969 (as a different kind of cowboy from the one in the Best Picture of the year) has generally been considered as a belated, long-overdue 'career' Oscar award or 'sentimental favorite' award.

He was nominated (this was his second acting nomination, after being nominated as Best Actor for Sands of Iwo Jima (1949)) and finally won for his 139th film, Henry Hathaway's True Grit, in a self-parodying role as the one-eyed (eye-patched), mean-tempered, hard-drinking, old US marshal named Rooster Cogburn who helps a young girl (Kim Darby) and a Texas ranger avenge the murder of the girl's father. [The film was remade in 2010 with Jeff Bridges in the starring role.] [Six years later, Wayne reprised his character in the title role of the sequel Rooster Cogburn (1975). Wayne would eventually appear in 151 films in his career. And he had performed in some of the best films and roles ever created - without nominations and/or Oscars: The Ringo Kid in Captain Nathan Brittles in She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949) Sgt. John M.

Stryker in Sands of Iwo Jima (1949) Sean Thornton in The Searchers (1956) - this was the film for which he should have won an Oscar! Tom Doniphon in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962) But Wayne's only previous acting nomination was for his role in the war film The Sands of Iwo Jima (1949). The Alamo (1960), in which Wayne served as producer, director, and actor - as Davy Crockett - received a Best Film nomination.] British thespian Maggie Smith's Best Actress Award was won for the Ronald Neame-directed adaptation of Muriel Spark's novel/play, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie in which she portrayed the title role of a 1930s elitist, spinsterish, but inspirational, free-thinking, and eccentric teacher at the conservative Edinburgh school for girls.

[The win was her second nomination - her first was for her role in Othello (1965).] Smith's dark-horse win defeated two other favorites and first-time nominees: Jane Fonda (with her first nomination) as penniless, resolute, suicidal dance contestant and would-be actress Gloria Beatty in They Shoot Horses, Don't They?

Liza Minnelli (with her first nomination in her adult screen debut) as Pookie Adams, an eccentric, neurotic, aggressive college student, in director Alan Pakula's debut film, the romantic comedy The Sterile Cuckoo (with two nominations and no wins) Genevieve Bujold (with her sole nomination in her first major Hollywood film) as Anne Boleyn - the ill-fated Anne whose days were numbered in Anne of the Thousand Days Jean Simmons (with her second and last unsuccessful nomination, following her loss for Hamlet (1948)) as Mary Wilson - an unhappily-married, unfulfilled woman who seeks to find herself in director Richard Brooks' The Happy Ending (with two nominations and no wins) Gig Young (with his third career nomination - and sole Oscar win) won the Best Supporting Actor award for his role as "Yowsir"-yelling Rocky - the uncaring, dissipated, ruthless emcee/Master of ceremonies of the tragic dance marathons for desperate couples in They Shoot Horses, Don't They?

[Young had already been nominated twice before for Come Fill the Cup (1951) and Teacher's Pet (1958).] Other Best Supporting Actor nominees included: Anthony Quayle (with his sole career nomination) as Cardinal Wolsey in Anne of the Thousand Days newcomer Jack Nicholson (with his first nomination) as George Hanson in one of the best youth-oriented, low-budget, counter-cultural films of the late 1960s - a middle-class, alcoholic lawyer who joins Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda (as two motorcycling hippies) on a cross-country journey in co-writer/director Hopper's debut film, Easy Rider (with two nominations and no wins) Elliott Gould (with his sole nomination) as conservative Ted Henderson - one member of the swinging, spouse-swapping married couples in California in director Paul Mazursky's debut film Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (with four nominations and no wins) Rupert Crosse (with his sole nomination) as Ned McClaslin - a black servant (and Steve McQueen's sidekick) who rides in a stolen car from small-town Mississippi to Memphis in 1905 in the adapted William Faulkner tale directed by Mark Rydell - The

 Reivers (with two nominations and no wins).

[Rupert Crosse was the first black actor to be given a Best Supporting Actor nomination. He was only the second black performer to receive an acting nomination in either category - the first was Sidney Poitier.] The Best Supporting Actress award was presented to Goldie Hawn (with her first nomination - and sole Oscar win) for her role as Toni Simmons - the infatuated mistress/girlfriend (of dentist Walter Matthau) in director Gene Saks' Cactus Flower (the film's sole nomination). [The role was Hawn's first major screen role (and second film) following star appearances as a giggly and dumb, body-painted, bikini-clad, go-go blonde on late 60's TV's Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In.

With her win, she became the first actress to win a Best Supporting Oscar while simultaneously starring in a TV-sitcom.] Her fellow Best Supporting Actress nominees included: Dyan Cannon (with her first of two unsuccessful career nominations) as Alice (Gould's wife) in Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice Sylvia Miles (with her first of two unsuccessful nominations for brief cameo roles) as Cass - a wily hooker who out-hustles $20 from Joe Buck for taxi cab fare in Midnight Cowboy Susannah York (with her sole nomination) as hopeful Jean Harlow-starlet Alice - another of the broken-down dance contestants in They Shoot Horses, Don't They?

Catherine Burns (with her sole nomination) as Rhoda - a slightly plump, homely teen who tragically comes of age during a summer vacation on the white sands of Fire Island, NY in director Frank Perry's dark film Last Summer (the film's sole nomination) Debonair leading man Cary Grant was presented with this year's Special Honorary Oscar award, for "his unique mastery of the art of screen acting with the respect and affection of his colleagues." Grant had only been nominated twice (and never won an Oscar) in his entire career, uncharacteristically for dramas, as Best Actor for Penny Serenade (1941) and for None But the Lonely Heart (1944), but he was best-known for his screwball comedies, including Topper (1937), The Awful Truth (1937) , Holiday (1938), North by Northwest (1959) , and for the romantic melodrama An Affair to Remember (1957).

Oscar Snubs and Omissions: Two westerns were entirely neglected by the Academy in 1969 for Best Picture and Best Director: Sam Peckinpah's The Wild Bunch (with only two nominations - Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Score) Sergio Leone's Once Upon a Time in the West (1968, It.) (with no nominations) Although Easy Rider received two nominations (that both lost), Best Adapted Screenplay (Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper, Terry Southern) and Best Supporting Actor (Jack Nicholson), it should also have been nominated for Best Picture for its influential role and landmark place in cinematic history. And Haskell Wexler's semi-documentary political film Medium Cool lacked nominations in all categories. Although Sydney Pollack's They Shoot Horses, Don't They? received a remarkable nine nominations, one of them wasn't Best Picture. It became the first (and only) film to receive the most nominations ever (9) without being nominated for Best Picture. Neither Paul Newman nor Robert Redford (in their first teaming together) received Best Actor nominations as the title characters in the box-office success, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid .

Shirley Knight and James Caan were both ignored for their performances in Francis Ford Coppola's The Rain People: Knight as Natalie Ravenna - an on-the-road pregnant housewife, and Caan as brain-damaged ex-football player 'Killer' Jimmie Kilgannon. And ex-model Ali McGraw was unnominated for her role as Jewish princess Brenda in Goodbye, Columbus (with only one nomination - Best Adapted Screenplay). Ranked: Every Oscar Best Picture Winner from Worst to Best - Nerve Nerve • Tweet Auditing the one category that contains both The Godfather and Crash. There have been eighty-two films to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards, ranging from 1928’s Wings to last year’s The Hurt Locker. Some have been worthy of the film industry’s highest honor; others, not so much. Below are all the winners, ranked from least deserving to most. 82. Crash (2005) One of the weakest years for movies in recent history also gives us the worst film to ever win Best Picture. When Brendan Fraser and Ludacris steal the show, you know there’s a problem.

Up Against: Brokeback Mountain, Capote, Good Night and Good Luck, Munich Should Have Lost to: Munich 81. Cimarron (1931) Very racist and very bad. The award should have gone to Skippy, the only Best Picture-nominee based on a comic book. Up Against: East Lynne, The Front Page, Skippy, Trader Horn Should Have Lost to: Skippy 80. Dances with Wolves (1990) A terrible film, especially when you put it right next to Goodfellas. In light of Waterworld, The Postman, et. al., Dances with Wolves now looks like the first in a long line of Kevin Costner vanity projects. It’s about as subtle as a buffalo. Up Against: Awakenings, Ghost, The Godfather Pt. III, Goodfellas Should Have Lost to: Goodfellas 79. Chicago (2002) The only good thing about Rob Marshall directing the next Pirates of the Caribbean film is that he won’t be able to screw up a classic musical. Only he could take the fun and sex out of Chicago.

Up Against: Gangs of New York, The Hours, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, The Pianist Should Have Lost to: The Pianist 78. Ordinary People (1980) I guess this ordinary film beating out Raging Bull and The Elephant Man is one of those you-had-to-be-there moments, because thirty years later, I don’t get it. Up Against: Coal Miner’s Daughter, The Elephant Man, Raging Bull, Tess Should Have Lost to: Raging Bull 77. Around the World in Eighty Days (1956) It’s a fun film — certainly better than the 2004 remake starring Jackie Chan — but fun doesn’t necessarily mean best. (If it did, Starship Troopers would have won Best Picture in 1997.) Up Against: Friendly Persuasion, Giant, The King and I, The Ten Commandments Should Have Lost to: The Ten Commandments 76. The Broadway Melody (1929) An awkward year for Hollywood.

None of the Best Picture nominees are very memorable (a full copy of The Patriot doesn’t even exist), largely because the movie industry was switching from silent to sound. As for why Broadway Melody won: well, something’s gotta take the prize. Up Against: Alibi, The Hollywood Revue of 1929, In Old Arizona, The Patriot Should Have Lost to: In Old Arizona 75. Going My Way (1944) Bing Crosby was unstoppable in the 1940s. He sold millions of records and his movies were big hits. But Going My Way isn’t one of his best; it’s too sweet to be anything more than heartwarming, and definitely not Oscar-worthy. Up Against: Double Indemnity, Gaslight, Since You Went Away, Wilson Should Have Lost to: Double Indemnity 74. Braveheart (1995) If the Academy could have one do-over, they’d probably choose Apollo 13 or Babe over Braveheart, due to star Mel Gibson’s recent, um, troubles. They should have gotten it right in the first place.

Up Against: Apollo 13, Babe, Il Postino, Sense and Sensibility Should Have Lost to: Apollo 13 73. Cavalcade (1933) It was ambitious for its time, with a story that takes place over thirty-four years, so the Academy couldn’t help but give it an award. But it’s obvious that Cavalcade tried to do much, and ended up with too little in the quality department. Up Against: 42nd Street, A Farewell to Arms, I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang, Lady for a Day, Little Women, The Private Life of Henry VIII, She Done Him Wrong, Smilin’ Through, State Fair Should Have Lost to: 42nd Street 72. The Greatest Show on Earth (1952) The only reason Greatest beat the far superior High Noon was because of High Noon‘s producer/screenwriter, Carl Foreman, who was blacklisted at the time. Another proud moment in the history of the Oscars. Up Against: High Noon, Ivanhoe, Moulin Rouge, The Quiet Man Should Have Lost to: High Noon 71.

Shakespeare in Love (1998) It’s a shame that one of the very few lighthearted films to beat out its much weightier competitors was Shakespeare, winning over Saving Private Ryan and The Thin Red Line. It’s a cute movie, but that’s about it. Up Against: Elizabeth, Life Is Beautiful, Saving Private Ryan, The Thin Red Line Should Have Lost to: Saving Private Ryan 70. Chariots of Fire (1981) It’s a movie about running… and exactly as exciting as you’d think it’d be. Up Against: Atlantic City, On Golden Pond, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Reds Should Have Lost to: Raiders of the Lost Ark 69. Driving Miss Daisy (1989) 1989: the year the entire Academy felt guilty about racism. Up Against: Born on the Fourth of July, Dead Poets Society, Field of Dreams, My Left Foot Should Have Lost to: My Left Foot 68. The Great Ziegfeld (1936) Most musicals are way too long, but Ziegfeld is in a league of its own for overstaying a welcome.

The film’s over three-hours long, which still isn’t enough to make us care about Florenz Ziegfeld, a fascinating real-life personality. Up Against: Anthony Adverse, Dodsworth, Libeled Lady, Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, Romeo and Juliet, San Francisco, The Story of Louis Pasteur, A Tale of Two Cities, Three Smart Girls Should Have Lost to: A Tale of Two Cities 67. The English Patient (1996) During a screening of The English Patient, Seinfeld‘s Elaine Benes screams, “Quit telling your stupid story about the stupid desert, and just die already! Die!” I agree. Up Against: Fargo, Jerry Maguire, Secrets & Lies, Shine Should Have Lost to: Fargo 66. Gladiator (2000) The lesser of Russell Crowe’s back-to-back Best Picture winning films, Gladiator is surprisingly boring for a film about people trying to kill other people.

The best thing about it is The Sopranos episode where Ralphie starts screaming, “I have come to reclaim Rome for my people!” Up Against: Chocolat, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Erin Brockovich, Traffic Should Have Lost to: Traffic 65. Gigi (1958) All pomp and no plot, Gigi was only made into a musical to capitalize on the success of My Fair Lady, then a massive Broadway hit. Where My Fair Lady had interesting characters, catchy numbers, and a story arc, Gigi had none. Up Against: Auntie Mame, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, The Defiant Ones, Separate Tables Should Have Lost to: The Defiant Ones 64. Forrest Gump (1994) Too silly to be taken seriously. Any main character described as having “childlike innocence,” which is how producer Wendy Finerman described Forrest, does not deserve an Oscar — especially over Pulp Fiction. Up Against: Four Weddings and a Funeral, Pulp Fiction, Quiz Show, The Shawshank Redemption Should Have Lost to: Pulp Fiction 63.

Out of Africa (1985) As viewers learned in 2010 with The Tourist, two mega-famous movie stars coming together does not necessarily make a good movie. Out of Africa takes forever to get anywhere, and even when it eventually does, we’ve stopped caring. Up Against: The Color Purple, Kiss of the Spider Women, Prizzi’s Honor, Witness Should Have Lost to: Kiss of the Spider Woman 62. An American in Paris (1951) The Academy must have been distracted with how bright this movie was. I can’t fathom another reason why it beat A Streetcar Named Desire. Up Against: Decision Before Dawn, A Place in the Sun, Quo Vadis, A Streetcar Named Desire Should Have Lost to: A Streetcar Named Desire 61. Ben-Hur (1959) No one could chew a scene quite like Charlton Heston, and Ben-Hur is his finest overacting accomplishment. Up Against: Anatomy of a Murder, The Diary of Anne Frank, The Nun’s Story, Room at the Top Should Have Lost to: Anatomy of a Murder 60.

The Life of Emile Zola (1937) Yet another film from the 1930s whose pacing is tough to take in 2011. Up Against: The Awful Truth, Captains Courageous, Dead End, The Good Earth, In Old Chicago, Lost Horizon, One Hundred Men and a Girl, Stage Door, A Star Is Born Should Have Lost to: A Star Is Born 59. Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) In 1979, Kramer vs. Kramer felt revolutionary, in that it showed a divorce from the equal perspectives of both mother and father. In retrospect, Apocalypse Now, a movie about a war that had ended four years prior, feels fresher. Up Against: All That Jazz, Apocalypse Now, Breaking Away, Norma Rae Should Have Lost to: Apocalypse Now 58. Titanic (1997) It all seemed a lot more impressive in 1997. Maybe James Cameron can spruce up the special effects when Titanic‘s re-released in 2012? Up Against: As Good As It Gets, The Full Monty, Good Will Hunting, L.A.

Confidential Should Have Lost to: L.A. Confidential 57. Rain Man (1988) This would have been a much better film if Bill Murray had played Rain Man, with Dustin Hoffman taking on Tom Cruise’s role, as was originally suggested. Alas, it was not to be, and we instead we get a film that you might crying during, but instantly feel guilty about it. Up Against: The Accidental Tourist, Dangerous Liaisons, Mississippi Burning, Working Girl Should Have Lost to: Dangerous Liaisons 56. Tom Jones (1963) Albert Finney gives one of the funniest performances in any film nominated for Best Picture. But that’s like saying Bob Dylan’s one of the greatest musicians from Duluth, Minnesota; there aren’t many other options. How the West Was Won should have, well, won. Up Against: America, America, Cleopatra, How the West Was Won, Lilies of the Field Should Have Lost to: How the West Was Won 55. The Last Emperor (1987) While it’s not a bad film per se, The Last Emperor‘s Best Picture win is why people make fun of the Oscars.

It was an historical epic that said very little of relevance to its own time. Up Against: Broadcast News, Fatal Attraction, Hope and Glory, Moonstruck Should Have Lost to: Broadcast News 54. The Lost Weekend (1945) One of only two films to win both Best Picture and top prize at the Cannes Film Festival (the other being Marty). The Lost Weekend was a powerful “message” movie for its time, but Billy Wilder made much better pictures; its major legacy is that it was the first film to use the “drunk walking by neon signs” motif. Up Against: Anchors Aweigh, The Bells of St. Mary’s, Mildred Pierce, Spellbound Should Have Lost to: N/A 53. Grand Hotel (1932) The first (and to this date, only) movie to have won Best Picture without a nomination in any other category, which is odd considering the film’s all-star cast of Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford, and John Barrymore. It’s been called the original Ocean’s Eleven, and yeah, that sounds about right.

Up Against: Arrowsmith, Bad Girl, The Champ, Five Star Final, One Hour with You, Shanghai Express, The Smiling Lieutenant Should Have Lost to: Shanghai Express 52. Terms of Endearment (1983) A good movie, but honestly not all that different from How Do You Know, which bombed in 2010. James L. Brooks would give anything for it to be the 1980s again. Be glad it’s not. Up Against: The Big Chill, The Dresser, The Right Stuff, Tender Mercies Should Have Lost to: The Big Chill 51. Mrs. Miniver (1942) Despite winning Best Picture, it’s a pretty anonymous film. When was the last time you ever heard someone say, “Let’s watch Mrs. Miniver!” One factoid of note: star Greer Garson’s speech ran so long (over five minutes) that the Academy added the forty-five-second limit shortly thereafter.

Up Against: 49th Parallel, Kings Row, The Magnificent Ambersons, The Pied Piper, The Pride of the Yankees, Random Harvest, Talk of the Town, Wake Island, Yankee Doodle Dandy Should Have Lost to: The Magnificent Ambersons 50. American Beauty (1999) In high school, you thought this was the deepest film ever. But American Beauty‘s cliched suburban anomie hasn’t aged very well. Alan Ball’s work improved with Six Feet Under and True Blood. Up Against: The Cider House Rules, The Green Mile, The Insider, The Sixth Sense Should Have Lost to: The Insider 49. Midnight Cowboy (1969) The best thing about Midnight Cowboy: the Muppets’ Rizzo, named after Dustin Hoffman’s street rat. Up Against: Anne of the Thousand Days, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Hello Dolly!, Z Should Have Lost to: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid 48.

How Green Was My Valley (1941) Right in the middle of list because while it’s a good movie, it somehow beat out maybe the world’s greatest movie, Citizen Kane, as well as the film-noir classic, The Maltese Falcon, both of which are far superior. Up Against: Blossoms in the Dust, Citizen Kane, Here Comes Mr. Jordan, Hold Back the Dawn, Little Foxes, The Maltese Falcon, One Foot in Heaven, Sergeant York, Suspicion Should Have Lost to: Citizen Kane 47. All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) This film’s anti-war message was so compelling that the Nazis banned it from being shown in Germany in the 1930s. If it hadn’t been any good, Hitler wouldn’t have bothered trying to censor it. Up Against: The Big House, Disraeli, The Divorcee, The Love Parade Should Have Lost to: N/A 46. Wings (1928) Remarkably, Wings holds up pretty well for an eighty-year-old film.

The scenes between the male and female leads tend to go on too long, sure, but the “dogfight” scenes more than make it up for it. Up Against: The Racket, Seventh Heaven Should Have Lost to: N/A 45. The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) A realistic portrait of what it was like for World War II soldiers to return home. Many films have tried to top it but few, if any, have. Up Against: Henry V, It’s a Wonderful Life, The Razor’s Edge, The Yearling Should Have Lost to: N/A 44. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) The Lord of the Rings series proved big-budget fantasy films could be popular with both critics and audiences alike, and Return of the King is the best of the trilogy. A win not only for Peter Jackson and Co., but also for nerds everywhere. Up Against: Lost in Translation, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, Mystic River, Seabiscuit Should Have Lost to: N/A 43.

A Beautiful Mind (2001) This film’s inaccurate presentation of John Nash’s life is tough to look past, but not as tough as knowing yet another Robert Altman film was denied an Oscar. Meanwhile, mental-health advocates were outraged by A Beautiful Mind‘s take on mental illness. Up Against: Gosford Park, In the Bedroom, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Moulin Rouge! Should Have Lost to: Gosford Park 42. Oliver! (1968) Wedged between culture-defining films In the Heat of the Night and Midnight Cowboy, Oliver! was a welcome throwback to the musicals of old. Despite the film’s G-rating, Oliver Reed’s Bill Sikes is rather terrifying. Up Against: Funny Girl, The Lion in Winter, Rachel, Rachel, Romeo and Juliet Should Have Lost to: N/A 41. Gentlemen’s Agreement (1947) The movie was very controversial when it was released, due to its plot about a journalist (Gregory Peck) going undercover as a Jew to research anti-Semitism. That’s probably why it won — it’s more “important” than great.

Up Against: The Bishop’s Wife, Crossfire, Great Expectations, Miracle on 34th Street Should Have Lost to: Great Expectations 40. Million Dollar Baby (2004) Major plot twists can often be distracting and unnecessary, but Million Dollar Baby‘s is pretty effective. Up Against: The Aviator, Finding Neverland, Ray, Sideways Should Have Lost to: N/A 39. Slumdog Millionaire (2008) Thanks to Danny Boyle’s unique directing style, Slumdog is a dazzling-looking film and nothing short of a modern-day fairy tale. Up Against: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Frost/Nixon, Milk, The Reader Should Have Lost to: N/A 38. The Departed (2006) Can you believe this was the first Martin Scorsese film to win Best Picture? That’s more or less the reason why the Academy chose The Departed, despite Marty having at least five superior films. It was also a weak year for film in general. Up Against: Babel, Letters from Iwo Jima, Little Miss Sunshine, The Queen Should Have Lost to: N/A 37.

A Man for All Seasons (1966) A little too sincere for its own good, Man is not very exciting at this point. Only Orson Welles as a Cardinal keeps you awake, and he dies halfway through the film. Up Against: Alfie, The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming, The Sand Pebbles, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Should Have Lost to: Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? 36. Marty (1955) Of Best Picture nominees named after their protagonists, Annie Hall and Gandhi might be better, but you’ve actually met people like Ernest Borgnine’s Marty. Up Against: Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing, Mister Roberts, Picnic, Rose Tattoo Should Have Lost to: N/A 35. Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) The only film in Oscar to win Best Picture and only Best Picture (it lost in the other seven categories it was nominated in). I’m not exactly sure what that means.

Up Against: Alice Adams, Broadway Melody of 1936, Captain Blood, David Copperfield, The Informer, The Lives of a Bengal Lancer, A Midsummer’s Night Dream, Les Misérables, Naughty Marietta, Ruggles of Red Gap, Top Hat Should Have Lost to: N/A 34. Hamlet (1948) Olivier’s Hamlet was the gold standard of Shakespeare films for a long time, although The Treasure of the Sierra Madre has aged a lot better. Up Against: Johnny Belinda, The Red Shoes, The Snake Pit, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre Should Have Lost to: The Treasure of the Sierra Madre 33. Amadeus (1984) Choosing entertainment over truth, this biopic of Mozart and Salieri is undeniably powerful — but it’s tough to look past all the historical inaccuracies. I’m also pretty sure that it’s the only Best Picture winner to inspire a Fall Out Boy song. Up Against: The Killing Fields, A Passage to India, Places in the Heart, A Soldier’s Story Should Have Lost to: N/A 32.

Unforgiven (1992) Clint Eastwood dedicated this movie to Sergio Leone, director of A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More, and The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly, all of which starred Eastwood. While Unforgiven isn’t as good as those, Leone still would have been proud. Up Against: The Crying Game, A Few Good Men, Howards End, Scent of a Woman Should Have Lost to: N/A 31. You Can’t Take It With You (1938) It’s a Frank Capra film, so you know it’s going to be uplifting. But unlike Mr. Deeds Goes to Town and It’s a Wonderful Life, and thanks to a just-right performance from Jimmy Stewart, it’s not too schmaltzy. Up Against: The Adventures of Robin Hood, Alexander’s Ragtime Band, Boys Town, The Citadel, Four Daughters, Grand Illusion, Jezebel, Pygmalion, Test Pilot Should Have Lost to: Grand Illusion 30 .

The Sound of Music (1965) Critic Pauline Kael was fired from her job at McCall’s magazine because of her review of The Sound of Music, in which she called the film a “sugar-coated lie people seem to want to eat.” She might actually have had a point. That said, it’s a beloved classic full of unforgettable songs. Up Against: Darling, Doctor Zhivago, Ship of Fools, A Thousand Clowns Should Have Lost to: Doctor Zhivago 29. No Country for Old Men (2007) No Country for Old Men is a very good movie, but is it better than There Will Be Blood? Think of it this way: people are still saying “I drink your milkshake!” No one’s quoting Anton Chigurh anymore. Up Against: Atonement, Juno, Michael Clayton, There Will Be Blood Should Have Lost to: There Will Be Blood 28. West Side Story (1961) Bernstein and Sondheim’s songs are so good (especially “Tonight” and “Gee, Officer Krupke”) that the uninspiring acting can be forgiven.

Up Against: Fanny, The Guns of Navarone, The Hustler, Judgment at Nuremberg Should Have Lost to: N/A 27. Gone with the Wind (1939) Nominated in thirteen out of seventeen then-existing categories, the first film to receive five awards at the Oscars, the highest grossing movie of all-time when adjusted for inflation… the list of Gone with the Wind‘s accomplishments goes on and on. Up Against: Dark Victory, Goodbye, Mr. Chips, Love Affair, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Ninotchka, Of Mice and Men, Stagecoach, The Wizard of Oz, Wuthering Heights Should Have Lost to: N/A 26. All the King’s Men (1949) This classic adaptation is nearly as good as Robert Penn Warren’s acclaimed novel, and leagues better than Sean Penn’s 2006 version. Up Against: Battleground, The Heiress, A Letter to Three Wives, Twelve O’Clock High Should Have Lost to: N/A 25. Gandhi (1982) When I picture Gandhi, I picture Ben Kingsley as Gandhi.

If that’s not a sign of a successful performance, I don’t know what is. Up Against: E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Missing, Tootsie, The Verdict Should Have Lost to: N/A So witty and cool that the film even made ragtime music briefly popular again. Up Against: American Graffiti, Cries and Whispers, The Exorcist, A Touch of Class Should Have Lost to: N/A 23. The Hurt Locker (2009) An incredibly tense portrayal of what it means to be a U.S. soldier in the Iraq War. And to think, people actually thought Avatar deserved to win! Up Against: Avatar, The Blind Side, District 9, An Education, Inglourious Basterds, Precious, A Serious Man, Up, Up in the Air Should Have Lost to: N/A 22. Platoon (1986) It’s kind of amazing that the egos of Oliver Stone and Charlie Sheen were able to co-exist, but to their credit, they made a great film, boosted by Stone’s personal experiences serving in Vietnam.

Up Against: Children of a Lesser God, Hannah and Her Sisters, The Mission, A Room with the View Should Have Lost to: N/A 21. From Here to Eternity (1953) The famous beach scene gets all the attention, but the real stars are Frank Sinatra, proving he was a real actor, and Ernest Borgnine as Fatso Judson. Up Against: Julius Caesar, The Robe, Roman Holiday, Shane Should Have Lost to: N/A 20. In the Heat of the Night (1967) An unflinching look at how racism affects a small town in Mississippi, Sidney Poitier offers up one of cinema’s greatest quotes: “They call me Mister Tibbs!” You can hear the anger in his voice just by reading the line. Up Against: Bonnie and Clyde, Doctor Dolittle, The Graduate, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner Should Have Lost to: N/A 19. It Happened One Night (1934) It’s the earliest Best Picture winner that people still watch on a regular basis. Clark Gable’s bare-chested performance supposedly did severe damage to the undershirt industry.

Up Against: The Barretts of Wimpole Street, Cleopatra, Flirtation Walk, The Gay Divorcee, Here Comes the Navy, The House of Rothschild, Imitation of Life, One Night of Love, The Thin Man, Viva Villa!, The White Parade Should Have Lost to: N/A 18. The Apartment (1960) The last black-and-white film to win Best Picture is even greater than the better-known Billy Wilder/Jack Lemmon collaboration Some Like It Hot. Up Against: The Alamo, Elmer Gantry, Suns and Lovers, The Sundowners Should Have Lost to: N/A 17. My Fair Lady (1964) While it’s a shame none of Stanley Kubrick’s films won Best Picture, the Academy at least gave the award to the greatest cinematic musical of all time. Up Against: Becket, Dr. Strangelove, or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, Mary Poppins, Zorba the Greek Should Have Lost to: Dr. Strangelove 16.

The Silence of the Lambs (1991) In terms of famous villains, between Darth Vader and Heath Ledger’s Joker, there was Hannibal Lecter, who continues to terrify because he seems so real. Up Against: Beauty and the Beast, Bugsy, JFK, The Price of Tides Should Have Lost to: N/A 15. Annie Hall (1977) With all due respect to the unintentional comedy of Dances with Wolves, Woody Allen’s masterpiece is the funniest film to win Best Picture. Up Against: The Goodbye Girl, Julia, Star Wars, The Turning Point Should Have Lost to: N/A 14. The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) Where most World War II films try to pack in as much content as possible, River Kwai focuses on a single project — building a bridge — and still becomes one of the genre’s finest movies. How? The talents of Alec Guinness and director David Lean. Up Against: Peyton Place, Sayonara, 12 Angry Men, Witness for the Prosecution Should Have Lost to: N/A 13.

Rebecca (1940) The strongest film in an incredibly strong year, Rebecca has two stars: actor Laurence Olivier and director Alfred Hitchcock. Although from very different backgrounds, both brought something unique to this film, making a unique gothic masterpiece. Up Against: All This, and Heaven Too, Foreign Correspondent, The Grapes of Wrath, The Great Dictator, Kitty Foyle, The Letter, The Long Voyage Home, Our Town, The Philadelphia Story Should Have Lost to: N/A 12. All About Eve (1950) Before it was fashionable to do so, All About Eve was mocking the entertainment business. Celebrities should think twice before hiring fans as their assistants. Up Against: Born Yesterday, Father of the Bride, King Solomon’s Mines, Sunset Boulevard Should Have Lost to: N/A 11. Rocky (1976) It’s a great movie, with a (surprisingly, in light of its cartoonish sequels) downbeat ’70s tone, and every boxing film since has tried to copy its formula, but I can’t help feel bitter that it beat Taxi Driver.

Up Against: All the President’s Men, Bound for Glory, Network, Taxi Driver Should Have Lost to: Taxi Driver 10. The French Connection (1971) Before starring in garbage like Runaway Jury and Welcome to Mooseport, Gene Hackman was a badass, and never did he break more rules or act more violent than in The French Connection, the first R-rated film to win Best Picture. Up Against: A Clockwork Orange, Fiddler on the Roof, The Last Picture Show, Nicholas and Alexandra Should Have Lost to: N/A 9. Patton (1970) Just because this was Richard Nixon’s favorite film doesn’t mean any less respect should be paid to George C. Scott’s performance as General Patton. One of the most commanding performances of all-time. Up Against: Airport, Five Easy Pieces, Love Story, MASH Should Have Lost to: N/A 8. Schindler’s List (1993) Although the idea of the Holocaust as Academy bait has become a joke (see: The Reader), remember a time when Holocaust films weren’t atrocious. Steven Spielberg somehow made a film about horrifying crimes that a) had mass appeal and b) wasn’t a travesty.

Up Against: The Fugitive, In the Name of the Father, The Piano, The Remains of the Day Should Have Lost to: N/A 7. The Deer Hunter (1978) If the whole film had taken place in Vietnam, it would have ranked even higher. The scenes in Pennsylvania knock it down. Still, the Russian-roulette scene is one of the tensest ever filmed, and the cast is almost unbeatable. Up Against: Coming Home, Heaven Can Wait, Midnight Express, An Unmarried Woman Should Have Lost to: N/A 6. Lawrence of Arabia (1962) The nearly four-hour running time might seem daunting, but it’s totally worth it. You’ll never think of Alec Guinness as Obi-Wan Kenobi again. Up Against: The Longest Day, The Music Man, Mutiny on the Bounty, To Kill a Mockingbird Should Have Lost to: N/A 5. On the Waterfront (1954) The first of two Marlon Brando films in the top five, proving once and for all that he was a pretty good actor (except in The Island of Dr. Moreau).

Up Against: The Canine Mutiny, The Country Girl, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Three Coins in the Fountain Should Have Lost to: N/A 4. One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest (1975) I’m not sure which is more impressive: how much better the movie is than the book, or how good Jack Nicholson is as Randall McMurphy. Up Against: Barry Lyndon, Dog Day Afternoon, Jaws, Nashville Should Have Lost to: N/A (hell of a year though, huh? 3. The Godfather (1972) If you disagree with this selection, you clearly either a) haven’t watched this movie, or b) haven’t watched any movies. Coppola’s epic remains a milestone in film history, transforming a trashy pulp novel into a masterpiece. Up Against: Cabaret, Deliverance, The Emigrants, Sounder Should Have Lost to: N/A 2. Casablanca (1943) Old-fashioned? No doubt. Sentimental? Sure. But try to watch Casablanca and not fall for it all over again. It’s absolutely the greatest old-school Hollywood crowd-pleaser ever.

Up Against: For Whom the Bell Tolls, Heaven Can Wait, The Human Comedy, In Which We Serve, Madame Curie, The More the Merrier, The Ox-Bow Incident, The Song of Bernadette, Watch on the Rhine Should Have Lost to: N/A 1. The Godfather: Part II (1974) How often is a sequel even close to as good as the original, let alone better? Especially when the original is already considered one of the greatest films ever made? Adding Robert De Niro to a cast that already included Al Pacino, Robert Duvall, and John Cazale, Francis Ford Coppola somehow managed to trump even his own considerable Part I for scope and resonance. Between Chinatown and Godfather II, was 1974 a great year for movies — or the greatest year for movies? Up Against: Chinatown, The Conversation, Lenny, The Towering Inferno Should Have Lost to: N/A

Question: What was the first X rated film to win the Oscar for best film
Answer: Midnight Cowboy