The latest (and greatest) Academy Awards debacle may beg the question: are they finally irrelevant? But the real question should be: were they ever relevant? You may ask what credibility does the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (the Academy) have remaining? But also ask how much credibility did it have to begin with?
To be sure, it is worthwhile to recognize and celebrate great art, which is essentially the mission of the Academy. However, it has largely failed to fulfill this mission. For various reasons (popularity, politics, bias, myopia, bad taste), the Academy has a very poor track record of selecting what the best film/director/screenplay/actor/actress is in any given year.
The precedent was established pretty much from the start. In 1931, what we now know as the Best Picture award was given to Cimarron, widely regarded as one of the worst Academy snubs. It should have gone to City Lights. According to the 2012 Sight & Sound “Top 100 Greatest Films of All Time” (the only critical list which really matters), City Lights is ranked as one of the greatest movies ever by critics and directors alike. Yet it did not even garner a nomination.
More than twice as many critics at the time somehow concluded that Cimarron is a better movie than City Lights. They were clearly wrong, as critics can occasionally be. So what’s the takeaway? The Academy should not be swayed too much by either critical or amateur opinion. The Academy members have taken it on themselves to declare to the world now and forever: this is the greatest art humanity is capable of producing in this year. They ought to live up to that responsibility.
And make no mistake, every generation of Academy members is to blame for being highly questionable stewards. Here are the (many) times the Academy definitely got it wrong:
1931 – City Lights (not even nominated) loses to Cimarron, Charlie Chaplin not nominated for Best Director.
1934 – King Kong (not even nominated) loses to Cavalcade, Merian Cooper not nominated for Best Director.
1937 – Modern Times (not even nominated) loses to The Great Ziegfeld, Charlie Chaplin not nominated for Best Director.
1938 – Make Way for Tomorrow (not even nominated) loses to The Life of Emile Zola. Upon winning the Best Director award for The Awful Truth, Leo McCarey (also director of Make Way for Tomorrow) said, “Thanks, but you gave it to me for the wrong picture.” Victor Moore and Beulah Bondi not nominated for Best Actor and Best Actress.
1942 – Citizen Kane loses to How Green Was My Valley, Orson Welles loses Best Director and Best Actor. Whoops! Herman J. Mankiewicz and Orson Welles do win Best Original Screenplay. The Lady Eve not nominated for Best Picture, Preston Sturges not nominated for Best Director.
1943 – The Magnificent Ambersons loses to Mrs. Miniver, Orson Welles not nominated for Best Director or for Best Adapted Screenplay.
1945 – Double Indemnity loses to Going My Way, Billy Wilder loses Best Director, Raymond Chandler and Billy Wilder lose Best Adapted Screenplay.
1949 – The Treasure of the Sierra Madre loses to Hamlet. John Huston does win Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay.
1953 – Singin’ in the Rain (not even nominated) loses to The Greatest Show on Earth, Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly not nominated for Best Director, Adolph Green and Betty Comden not nominated for Best Original Screenplay.
1956 – The Night of the Hunter (not even nominated) loses to Marty, Charles Laughton not nominated for Best Director, James Agee not nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay.
1957 – The Searchers (not even nominated) loses to Around the World in 80 Days, John Ford not nominated for Best Director, Frank S. Nugent not nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay, John Wayne not nominated for Best Actor. Ouch!
1959 – Vertigo (not even nominated) loses to Gigi, Alfred Hitchcock not nominated for Best Director, Alec Coppel and Samuel Taylor not nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay, James Stewart and Kim Novak not nominated for Best Actor and Best Actress. Touch of Evil not nominated for Best Picture, Orson Welles not nominated for Best Director or for Best Adapted Screenplay.
1963 – The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance not nominated for Best Picture, John Ford not nominated for Best Director, James Warner Bellah and Willis Goldbeck not nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay.
1964 – The Trial (not even nominated) loses to Tom Jones, Orson Welles not nominated for Best Director or for Best Adapted Screenplay.
1965 – Dr. Strangelove loses to My Fair Lady, Stanley Kubrick loses Best Director, Stanley Kubrick, Terry Southern, and Peter George lose Best Adapted Screenplay, Peter Sellers loses Best Actor.
1968 – The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (not even nominated) loses to In the Heat of the Night, Sergio Leone not nominated for Best Director. The Graduate (which was nominated) also loses Best Picture. Cool Hand Luke not nominated for Best Picture.
1969 – Like 1942, 1957, and 1959, this was another truly embarrassing/shameful year for the Academy. 2001: A Space Odyssey (not even nominated) loses to Oliver!, Stanley Kubrick loses Best Director, Stanley Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke lose Best Adapted Screenplay. Rosemary’s Baby not nominated for Best Picture, Roman Polanski not nominated for Best Director.
1974 – Badlands (not even nominated) loses to The Sting, Terrence Malick not nominated for Best Director or for Best Original Screenplay. Mean Streets not nominated for Best Picture, Martin Scorsese not nominated for Best Director, Martin Scorsese and Mardik Martin not nominated for Best Original Screenplay.
1975 – A Woman Under the Influence not nominated for Best Picture, Gena Rowlands loses Best Actress. Francis Ford Coppola not nominated for Best Director for The Conversation, Gene Hackman not nominated for Best Actor.
1980 – Apocalypse Now loses to Kramer vs. Kramer, Francis Ford Coppola loses Best Director, Francis Ford Coppola and John Milius lose Best Adapted Screenplay, Martin Sheen not nominated for Best Actor, Marlon Brando not nominated for Best Supporting Actor. Being There not nominated for Best Picture, Peter Sellers loses Best Actor.
1981 – Raging Bull loses to Ordinary People, Martin Scorsese loses Best Director, Paul Schrader not nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay. Robert De Niro does win Best Actor. The Shining not nominated for Best Picture, Stanley Kubrick not nominated for Best Director.
1983 – Blade Runner (not even nominated) loses to Gandhi, Ridley Scott not nominated for Best Director.
1986 – Brazil (not even nominated) loses to Out of Africa, Terry Gilliam not nominated for Best Director. Shoah (not even nominated) loses to Broken Rainbow for Best Documentary.
1987 – Blue Velvet (not even nominated) loses to Platoon, David Lynch loses Best Director.
1990 – Do the Right Thing (not even nominated) loses to Driving Miss Daisy, Spike Lee not nominated for Best Director and loses Best Original Screenplay. Crimes and Misdemeanors not nominated for Best Picture.
1991 – Goodfellas loses to Dances with Wolves, Martin Scorsese loses Best Director, Nicholas Pileggi and Martin Scorsese lose Best Adapted Screenplay.
1997 – Fargo loses to The English Patient, Joel Coen loses Best Director, William H. Macy loses Best Supporting Actor. Joel Coen and Ethan Coen do win Best Original Screenplay, Frances McDormand does win Best Actress.
1999 – The Thin Red Line loses to Shakespeare in Love, Terrence Malick loses Best Director.
2002 – Mulholland Dr. (not even nominated) loses to A Beautiful Mind, David Lynch loses Best Director.
2007 – Children of Men not nominated for Best Picture, Alfonso Cuarón not nominated for Best Director.
2012 – The Tree of Life loses to The Artist, Terrence Malick loses Best Director, Brad Pitt not nominated for Best Actor.
The following are not as egregious as the victors are great movies in their own right, but are still wrong (some winners and would-be winners are separated by a wide margin, others are close). And those which were not even nominated remain major slights:
1947 – Notorious (not even nominated) loses to The Best Years of Our Lives, Alfred Hitchcock not nominated for Best Director, Ben Hecht loses Best Original Screenplay, Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman not nominated for Best Actor and Best Actress. It’s a Wonderful Life (which was nominated) also loses Best Picture, Frank Capra also loses Best Director.
1951 – Sunset Blvd. loses to All About Eve, Billy Wilder loses Best Director. Charles Brackett, Billy Wilder, and D.M. Marshman Jr. do win Best Original Screenplay. The Third Man not nominated for Best Picture, Carol Reed also loses Best Director.
1952 – Strangers on a Train (not even nominated) loses to An American in Paris, Alfred Hitchcock not nominated for Best Director, Raymond Chandler, Whitfield Cook, and Czenzi Ormonde not nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay, Robert Walker not nominated for Best Supporting Actor.
1955 – Rear Window (not even nominated) loses to On the Waterfront, Alfred Hitchcock loses Best Director, John Michael Hayes loses Best Adapted Screenplay.
1958 – Paths of Glory (not even nominated) loses to The Bridge on the River Kwai, Stanley Kubrick not nominated for Best Director.
1960 – North by Northwest (not even nominated) loses to Ben-Hur, Alfred Hitchcock not nominated for Best Director, Ernest Lehman loses for Best Original Screenplay, Cary Grant not nominated for Best Actor. Rio Bravo not nominated for Best Picture, Howard Hawks not nominated for Best Director.
1961 – Psycho (not even nominated) loses to The Apartment, Alfred Hitchcock loses Best Director, Joseph Stefano not nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay, Anthony Perkins not nominated for Best Actor.
1970 – Once Upon a Time in the West (not even nominated) loses to Midnight Cowboy, Sergio Leone not nominated for Best Director, Henry Fonda not nominated for Best Actor. The Wild Bunch not nominated for Best Picture, Sam Peckinpah not nominated for Best Director, Walon Green and Sam Peckinpah lose Best Original Screenplay. Dustin Hoffman loses Best Actor for Midnight Cowboy.
1972 – A Clockwork Orange loses to The French Connection, Stanley Kubrick loses Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay. McCabe & Mrs. Miller not nominated for Best Picture, Robert Altman not nominated for Best Director.
1976 – Barry Lyndon loses to One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Stanley Kubrick loses Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay. Steven Spielberg not nominated for Best Director for Jaws.
1977 – Taxi Driver loses to Rocky, Martin Scorsese not nominated for Best Director, Paul Schrader not nominated for Best Original Screenplay, Robert De Niro loses Best Actor.
1979 – Days of Heaven (not even nominated) loses to The Deer Hunter, Terrence Malick not nominated for Best Director or for Best Original Screenplay.
1995 – Pulp Fiction loses to Forrest Gump, Quentin Tarantino loses Best Director. Quentin Tarantino does win Best Original Screenplay. Hoop Dreams (not even nominated) loses to Maya Lin: A Strong Clear Vision for Best Documentary.
2008 – There Will Be Blood loses to No Country for Old Men, Paul Thomas Anderson loses Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay. Daniel Day-Lewis does win Best Actor. Zodiac not nominated for Best Picture.
If you’ve been keeping score, 11 of the very best American movies ever made (2001: A Space Odyssey, Citizen Kane, Vertigo, Apocalypse Now, Raging Bull, The Searchers, Barry Lyndon, Psycho, Taxi Driver, Sunset Blvd., Dr. Strangelove) not only did not win best picture, but four of them weren’t even nominated. The three greatest English-language directors of all-time (Stanley Kubrick, Alfred Hitchcock, Orson Welles) never won Best Director. Nice job, Academy!
Foreign films have not fared any better. Some of the greatest movies ever made in any language which were not even nominated for Best Foreign Language Film (listed by earliest to latest U.S. release date) include A Man Escaped, Pather Panchali, The Seventh Seal, Wild Strawberries, The 400 Blows, Pickpocket, L’Avventura, Breathless, La Dolce Vita, Viridiana, The Leopard, Contempt, Persona, Pierrot le Fou, The Conformist, Aguirre: the Wrath of God, Andrei Rublev, Mirror, Stalker, Ran, Close-Up, Sátántangó, and In the Mood for Love.
To be fair, here are the (relatively few) times the Academy definitely got it right:
1935 – It Happened One Night (Best Picture), Frank Capra (Best Director), Robert Riskin (Best Adapted Screenplay).
1944 – Casablanca (Best Picture), Michael Curtiz (Best Director), Julius J. Epstein, Philip G. Epstein, and Howard E. Koch (Best Adapted Screenplay). However, Ingrid Bergman not nominated for Best Actress.
1951 – Joseph L. Mankiewicz for All About Eve (Best Adapted Screenplay).
1952 – Rashomon (Best Foreign Language Film).
1955 – Marlon Brando for On the Waterfront (Best Actor).
1963 – Lawrence of Arabia (Best Picture), David Lean (Best Director). However, Peter O’Toole loses Best Actor.
1964 – 8½ (Best Foreign Language Film).
1973 – The Godfather (Best Picture), Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola (Best Adapted Screenplay), Marlon Brando (Best Actor). However, Francis Ford Coppola loses Best Director, Al Pacino loses Best Supporting Actor.
1975 – The Godfather Part II (Best Picture), Francis Ford Coppola (Best Director), Francis Ford Coppola and Mario Puzo (Best Adapted Screenplay), Robert De Niro (Best Supporting Actor). However, Al Pacino loses Best Actor. Robert Towne for Chinatown (Best Original Screenplay).
1976 – Jack Nicholson for One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (Best Actor).
1983 – Meryl Streep for Sophie’s Choice (Best Actress).
1993 – Unforgiven (Best Picture), Clint Eastwood (Best Director), Gene Hackman (Best Supporting Actor).
2012 – A Separation (Best Foreign Language Film).
In summary, if you want to know what the greatest movies ever made were, refer to the Sight & Sound list. It is by far the best there is. For strictly U.S. films, the BBC’s “The 100 greatest American films” is, ironically, far superior to the American Film Institute’s “AFI’s 100 Years…100 Movies.”
If instead you’re interested in watching a modestly entertaining program about the movie industry’s current output, by all means tune in to the Oscars. Just don’t make the mistake of thinking you’re witnessing the best of the best walk away victorious, or are even in the running. History has proven that the odds are very much against it.
