Best of the nominees

[wpqx]

Here is an interesting game, at least in my disturbed mind. Rather than say the Academy got it wrong, or the best film of a particular year was . . .
This time we are going to look at the films officially nominated for best picture in a given year, and make a pic as to what the best of that small select group was. The merits of this game are none, it is another random, useless list/ranking. But it can be fun and you might be surprised to find yourself debating the merits of some of these films you'd rather forget. Anyways don't be a spoiled sport and try to participate.

Now this isn't a what film deserves the Oscar, but rather what is the best film nominated. I will include the nominees for best Artistic Quality of Production from the very first year, just to help add some variety because I doubt many of you, even on this site have seen The Racket or Seventh Heaven. Now in all CAPS is the film that won the Academy Award. Bold is my pick.

BTW these nominees are pulled from http://www.filmsite.org so if you want to raise questions of innacuracy talk to them.

1927/28
"WINGS", "The Racket", "Seventh Heaven"
Unique and Artistic nominees , "Chang", "The Crowd"SUNRISE

1928/29 (unfortunately I've only seen one film from this bunch)

"Alibi", "Hollywood Revue", "In Old Arizona", "The Patriot"THE BROADWAY MELODY

1929/30
ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT
"The Big House", "Disraeli", "The Divorcee", "The Love Parade"

1930/31
"CIMARRON", "East Lynne", "The Front Page ", "Skippy", "Trader Horn"

1931/32
"GRAND HOTEL ", "Arrowsmith", "Bad Girl", "The Champ", "Five Star Final", "One Hour With You", "Shanghai Express", "The Smiling Lieutenant"

1932/33
"CAVALCADE", "A Farewell to Arms", "42nd Street ", "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"

1934
IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT , "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"

1935
"MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY", "Alice Adams", "The Broadway Melody of 1936", "Captain Blood", "David Copperfield", "The Informer", "Lives of a Bengal Lancer", "A Midsummer Night's Dream", "Les Miserables", "Naughty Marietta", "Ruggles of Red Gap", "Top Hat "

1936
"THE GREAT ZIEGFELD", "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"

1937
THE LIFE OF EMILE ZOLA, "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 "

1938
"YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU", "The Adventures of Robin Hood", "Alexander's Ragtime Band", "Boys Town", "The Citadel", "Four Daughters", "Grand Illusion ", "Jezebel", "Pygmalion", "Test Pilot"

1939
"GONE WITH THE WIND ", "Dark Victory", "Goodbye, Mr. Chips", "Love Affair", "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington", "Ninotchka", "Of Mice and Men", "Stagecoach", "The Wizard of Oz", "Wuthering Heights"

1940
"REBECCA", "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 "

1941
"HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY", "Blossoms in the Dust", "Citizen Kane ", "Here Comes Mr. Jordan", "Hold Back the Dawn", "The Little Foxes", "The Maltese Falcon", "One Foot in Heaven", "Sergeant York", "Suspicion"

1942
"MRS. MINIVER", "The Invaders", "Kings Row", "The Magnificent Ambersons", "The Pied Piper", "The Pride of the Yankees", "Random Harvest", "The Talk of the Town", "Wake Island", "Yankee Doodle Dandy "

1943
CASABLANCA, "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"

1944
"GOING MY WAY", "Double Indemnity ", "Gaslight", "Since You Went Away", "Wilson"

1945
"THE LOST WEEKEND", "Anchors Aweigh", "The Bells of St. Mary's", "Mildred Pierce ", "Spellbound"

1946
"THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES ", "Henry V", "It's A Wonderful Life", "The Razor's Edge", "The Yearling"

1947
"GENTLEMAN'S AGREEMENT", "The Bishop's Wife", "Crossfire", "Great Expectations ", "Miracle on 34th Street"

1948
"HAMLET", "Johnny Belinda", "The Red Shoes", "The Snake Pit", "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre "

1949
"ALL THE KING'S MEN", "Battleground", "The Heiress", "A Letter to Three Wives ", "Twelve O'Clock High"

to be continued . . .

[wpqx]

1950
"ALL ABOUT EVE", "Born Yesterday", "Father of the Bride", "King Solomon's Mines", "Sunset Boulevard "

1951
"AN AMERICAN IN PARIS", "Decision Before Dawn", "A Place in the Sun", "Quo Vadis?", "A Streetcar Named Desire"

1952
"THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH", "High Noon", "Ivanhoe", "Moulin Rouge", "The Quiet Man"

1953
FROM HERE TO ETERNITY , "Julius Caesar", "The Robe", "Roman Holiday", "Shane"

1954
ON THE WATERFRONT, "The Caine Mutiny", "The Country Girl", "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers", "Three Coins in the Fountain"

1955
MARTY, "Love is a Many-Splendored Thing", "Mister Roberts", "Picnic", "The Rose Tattoo"

1956
"AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS", "Friendly Persuasion", "Giant", "The King and I", "The Ten Commandments "

1957
"THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI", "Peyton Place", "Sayonara", "12 Angry Men", "Witness for the Prosecution "

1958
"GIGI", "Auntie Mame", "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof", "The Defiant Ones ", "Separate Tables"

1959
BEN-HUR, "Anatomy of a Murder", "The Diary of Anne Frank", "The Nun's Story", "Room at the Top"

1960
"THE APARTMENT", "The Alamo", "Elmer Gantry", "Sons and Lovers", "The Sundowners"

1961
"WEST SIDE STORY", "Fanny", "The Guns of Navarone", "The Hustler", "Judgment at Nuremberg"

1962
LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, "The Longest Day", "The Music Man", "Mutiny on the Bounty", "To Kill a Mockingbird"

1963
"TOM JONES", "America, America", "Cleopatra", "How the West Was Won", "Lilies of the Field"

1964
"MY FAIR LADY", "Becket", "Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb", "Mary Poppins", "Zorba the Greek"

1965
"THE SOUND OF MUSIC", "Darling", "Dr. Zhivago", "Ship of Fools", "A Thousand Clowns"

1966
"A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS", "Alfie", "The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming", "The Sand Pebbles", "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"

1967
"IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT", "Bonnie And Clyde", "Doctor Dolittle", "The Graduate ", "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner"

1968
"OLIVER!", "Funny Girl", "The Lion in Winter", "Rachel, Rachel", "Romeo and Juliet"

1969
The Midnight Cowboy, "Anne of the Thousand Days", "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid", "Hello, Dolly!", "Z"

to be continued . . .

[wpqx]

1970
PATTON, "Airport", "Five Easy Pieces", "Love Story", "M*A*S*H"

1971
"THE FRENCH CONNECTION", "A Clockwork Orange", "Fiddler on the Roof", "The Last Picture Show", "Nicholas and Alexandra"

1972
THE GODFATHER, "Cabaret", "Deliverance", "The Emigrants", "Sounder"

1973
"THE STING", "American Graffiti", "Cries and Whispers", "The Exorcist", "A Touch of Class"

1974
"THE GODFATHER, PART II", "Chinatown", "The Conversation", "Lenny", "The Towering Inferno"

1975
"ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST", "Barry Lyndon", "Dog Day Afternoon", "Jaws", "Nashville"

1976
"ROCKY", "All the President's Men", "Bound for Glory", "Network", "Taxi Driver"

1977
"ANNIE HALL", "The Goodbye Girl", "Julia", "Star Wars", "The Turning Point"

1978
THE DEER HUNTER, "Coming Home", "Heaven Can Wait", "Midnight Express", "An Unmarried Woman"

1979
"KRAMER vs. KRAMER", "All That Jazz", "Apocalypse Now", "Breaking Away", "Norma Rae"

1980
ORDINARY PEOPLE, "Coal Miner's Daughter", "The Elephant Man", "Raging Bull", "Tess"

1981
"CHARIOTS OF FIRE", "Atlantic City", "On Golden Pond", "Raiders of the Lost Ark", "Reds"

1982
"GANDHI", "E.T. - The Extra-Terrestrial", "Missing", "Tootsie", "The Verdict"

1983
"TERMS OF ENDEARMENT", "The Big Chill", "The Dresser", "The Right Stuff", "Tender Mercies"

1984
"AMADEUS", "The Killing Fields", "A Passage to India", "Places in the Heart", "A Soldier's Story"

1985
"OUT OF AFRICA", "The Color Purple", "Kiss of the Spider Woman", "Prizzi's Honor", "Witness"

1986
PLATOON, "Children of a Lesser God", "Hannah and Her Sisters", "The Mission", "A Room with a View"

1987
THE LAST EMPEROR, "Broadcast News", "Fatal Attraction", "Hope and Glory", "Moonstruck"

1988
RAIN MAN, "The Accidental Tourist", "Dangerous Liaisons", "Mississippi Burning", "Working Girl"

1989
"DRIVING MISS DAISY", "Born on the Fourth of July", "Dead Poets Society", "Field of Dreams", "My Left Foot"

1990
DANCES WITH WOLVES, "Awakenings", "Ghost", "The Godfather, Part III", "GoodFellas"

1991
"THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS", "Beauty and the Beast", "Bugsy", "JFK", "The Prince of Tides"

1992
UNFORGIVEN, "The Crying Game", "A Few Good Men", "Howards End", "Scent of a Woman"

1993
SCHINDLER'S LIST, "The Fugitive", "In the Name of the Father", "The Piano", "The Remains of the Day"

1994
"FORREST GUMP", "Four Weddings and a Funeral", "Pulp Fiction", "Quiz Show", "The Shawshank Redemption"

1995
BRAVEHEART, "Apollo 13", "Babe", "Il Postino", "Sense and Sensibility"

1996
"THE ENGLISH PATIENT", "Fargo", "Jerry Maguire", "Secrets and Lies", "Shine"

1997
"TITANIC", "L A Confidential", "As Good As It Gets", "Good Will Hunting", "The Full Monty"

1998
"SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE", "Elizabeth", "Life is Beautiful", "Saving Private Ryan", "The Thin Red Line"

1999
AMERICAN BEAUTY, "The Cider House Rules", "The Green Mile", "The Insider", "The Sixth Sense"

2000
"GLADIATOR," "Chocolat," "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," "Erin Brockovich," "Traffic"

2001
"A BEAUTIFUL MIND," "Gosford Park," "In the Bedroom," "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring," "Moulin Rouge "

2002
"CHICAGO," "Gangs of New York," "The Hours," "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers," "The Pianist"

2003
THE LORD OF THE RINGS: RETURN OF THE KING, "Lost In Translation," "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World," "Mystic River," "Seabiscuit"

and that's all folks

so try it yourself, or just call me an idiotic ignoramus, either or.

[tabuno]

Some work you put into this "little" activity. The question is have you seen every movie nominated for an Best Picture that you listed so you can compare? I haven't. So I can't even begin to comment until 1961, a years after I was born. So let me start:

1961: I would stick with the Academy's decision of WEST SIDE STORY over The Hustler because West Side Story has the distinction of having been the first dance choreographer to direct a major motion picture and the universal theme of Romeo & Juliet was appropriate for the times. It was bigger than life and from a historical vantage point, this movie has withstood the test of time when compared to the Hustler. The music has continued to reverberate to this day. I admit that the Hustler was a great movie and the psychological interplay was one of the best - it was intimate while West Side Story was big and epic. For me, which movie comes down to preference - with mine having had more of a dance background in high school instead of billiards and pool. The next year 1962, Lawrence of Arabia which to you agreed with the Academy's pick competing against the more psychologically smaller intense drama of To Kill A Mockingbird - a similar level of comparison.

[tabuno]

1963 - My preference is for How the West was Won. Again epic, huge in fact, spanning generations - a great Cinerama, three screen experience. This was an explosive, giant production of an important era in American history that included some of the important actors and actresses of that time.

1964 - I agree with you on "Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb," an amazing blend of horror, action, comedy, political commentary.

1965 - I agree with you on "Dr. Zhivago," a again big screen, epic, but at the same time intimate, romantic, and tragic - an amazing score and brilliant breathtaking experience - one of the best movies that I've seen.

1966 - 1969. Haven't seen enough of the movies or strong enough feeling.

[tabuno]

1970 - "Love Story" would be my preference - I know sentimental and sickly sweet, but it's message has lasted "To love is not having to say you're sorry." A huge message of relationships, a tear jerker of all time. Instead of war, I just I'm more into love, though M*A*S*H spurred on the hit television series.

1971 - I agree with you on "A Clockwork Orange" - it was a powerful Kubrick drama of special technique and elemental flair that gives The French Connection a chase for its money everytime. Yet Kubrick's style and look is just so sharp and clear focussed.

1972 - Godfather what else?

1973 - Perhaps The Exorcist - the book was brilliant...of course the Academy could never begin to consider this genre for best picture - gasp.

1974 - Perhaps Chinatown - it had its own work of a classic.

1975 - Haven't see enough of these movies.

1976 - "All The President's Men" political statement.

1977 - I can't support Star Wars since Jaws (1975) has the same characteristics for me, they both have been patterned after the mass audience appeal for their huge attraction. Annie Hall or Goodby Girl instead.

1978 - No opinion. Didn't see The Deer Hunter.

1979 - Apocalypse Now has to be considered one of the greatest movie feats/efforts of all time.

[wpqx]

gratuitous bump in honor of the Oscars being on tonight

[JustaFied]

Quite an extensive list you've put together...I haven't seen many of the films listed...but I'll give it a shot anyway.

1951 - "Streetcar Named Desire" over "American in Paris" certainly, though I haven't seen "A Place in the Sun".

1967 - "The Graduate" is a classic, and is one of the best films of any year in that decade.

1970 - All three are deserving, but I'd pick "MASH" or "Five Easy Pieces" over "Patton".

1971 - Agreed, "Clockwork Orange". This film is mesmerizing, no matter how many times you see it.

1974 - God, I forgot Coppola had two films nominated for Best Picture in the same year. And "Chinatown" is quite possibly better than both of them.

1975 - That's five classics right there. Good year.

1976 - Gotta go with "Network". What was comical fiction then has become the sad reality today in the world of television news. This film was ahead of its time.

1987 - "Moonstruck". This was a bad decade, wasn't it? Where's "Ferris Bueller"?

1991 - "Silence of the Lambs". Sorry, but "JFK" is the biggest pile of conspiracy theory horseshit ever put on film. Two words, Oliver: responsible journalism.

1994 - "Pulp Fiction". This was the first time I remember being outraged at the Academy. I was in college at the time, and "Pulp Fiction" was the coolest thing any of us had ever seen.

1996 - "Fargo". I'll stand up for the Coen Brothers.

1998 - "The Thin Red Line". A beautiful, brilliant film that was way over the heads of the average moviegoers (including mine the first time I saw it).

2001-2003 - Give it to the LOTR trilogy every year for Christ's sake...

[tabuno]

To at least acknowledge the amount of work you put into your list, I wanted to attempt to respond to your preferences:

1980
"Elephant Man" would be my preference for best picture due to the difficult nature of John Hurt's labor of special make-up and the nature of the movie, the elegant dark way it was photographed.

1981
"Reds" was the classic historical epic film with something to say.

1982
"Ghandi" was a politically correct decision for the Academy but Dustin Hoffman's performance in "Tootsie" could easily have made this movie a best picture - it's one of the most funny and dazzling use of misdirection and humor - tops among comedies and acting performances (The AFI ranked this the second most funniest film of all time).

1983
"Terms of Endearment" and "The Right Stuff" both big movies that year.

1984
"The Killing Fields" the movie with the political message.

1985
"Kiss of the Spider Woman" a rather fascinating, difficult movie to pull off - very intimate, indepth look at two characters with great sensitivity and acting.

1986
"Platoon"

1987
"The Last Emperor"

1988
"The Rain Man"

1989
"Born on the Fourth of July" - a remarkable character for Tom Cruise; "Dead Poets Society" Robin Williams entry into serious acting.

1990
"Dances with Wolves"

1991
"JFK." "Silence of the Lambs" while a solid picture, it relied on a thriller, criminal element, good source material - but even "Manhunter" was even better (if one had to offer Oscars to Harris Thomas' movies).

1992
"The Crying Game." "The Forgiven" was over-rated and critics were drawn to the revisionist version of the Western - perhaps too long in coming. "The Crying Game" however is a stunning, strong character portrayed and clearly powerful movie that raises serious questions about relationships but perhaps political incorrect.

1993
"Schindler's List"

1994
"Pulp Fiction" for its originality and stylish production, again politically incorrect.

1995
"Apollo 13" I go with the mass audience, popularity on this one...it was a strong, long-lasting docudrama that will stand the test of time as an epic version of space exploration.

1996
"The English Patient" or "Fargo" Both movies have their charm - the "The English Patient" is a bittersweet love story, much like The Titanic to come afterwards, probably even better in some ways. "Fargo" has the originality, small movie character with wit and delightful small town characterization.

1997
"L.A. Confidential" "Titanic" was over rated and was overwhelmed by the popular mass outpower over the love story that struck a universal chord. Even "The Full Monty" had great merit for Best Picture.

1998
"Saving Private Ryan" - a gigantic leap in war movies.

1999
"American Beauty"

2000
"Traffic"

2001
"Moulin Rouge" - bringing back the musical in fine, innovative form after decades. "A Beautiful Mind" had the same twist as "The Crying Game" that didn't win best picture in 1992. However, I do admit it was a qualitative and quantitative step forward in the portrayal of mental illness. Both movies were magical in their own way.

2002
"The Hours" Nicole Kidman's performance was an excellent extension of her talent, but again not politically correct. "The Pianist" wasn't as good a movie as others have made it out to be...it was too stereotypical...too characteristic of the Academy's penchant for the dramatic. "Chicago" wasn't quit as dazzling nor as heart wrenching as "Moulin Rouge" - it was perhaps more of a make-up award from the year before.

2003
"Lost in Translation" I'm part of that faction of movie-lovers.

[wpqx]

Well another year upon us, so I might as well update the 2004

MILLION DOLLAR BABY, The Aviator, Ray, Finding Neverland, Sidways

Granted I loved Million Dollar Baby, but I'm just going against the grain, hate to admit the Academy made the right choice. I also feel sorry for Sideways, such a damn great movie, and a critical favorite, but I think this film got hosed on Oscar night. It all started with the Giamatti snub.