The Oscars have a lot of faults. Sometimes it’s a popularity contest. There’s campaigning to create positive narratives for nominees. At times, there’s category fraud to help people win by avoiding a more challenging (but correct) group of nominees. Sometimes, however, our favorite nominees end up losing because they are nominated in a category that is especially loaded with talent in a particular year. These nominees may have won in 90% of other years the Oscars existed, but they just had unlucky timing.
With the Oscars, like any awards, it is unfortunate that achievements have to compete against one another. Someone has to win, and careers and legacies change forever. This post will look to rank the top 14 most competitive Oscar races.
I should say at the top, consideration was really only given to the major Oscar categories, with few exceptions. There may have been an unbelievable year of Costume Design, but I’m afraid I’m not qualified to make that determination. Acting, directing, picture, writing, and music are what drew the vast majority of consideration.
Methodologically, I borrowed a page from Shea Serrano, and I graded each nominee on a scale of 1 (worst) to 5 (best) in two categories: the nominee’s stature and the legacy of their achievement. For example, Marlon Brando’s nomination for The Godfather is a 10/10, 5 because he was an iconic movie star, and 5 because Don Vito is an iconic role. I added up the scores for the nominees in each category of a given year, and rank ordered them. To the list!
The most honored of honorable mentions: I tried to do this quantitatively to let the math do the work, but I was shocked that 1951 Best Actor, 2012 Best Supporting Actor, and 1974 Best Director did not make the cut. The 1951 Actor race features Humphrey Bogart winning his Oscar, Marlon Brando as Stanley Kowalski (an all-time performance that should’ve won), Montgomery Clift for A Place In the Sun (terrific actor, decently recognizable movie/role), Fredric March as Willy Loman (a 2x Oscar winner), and Arthur Kennedy for Bright Victory. A peak Brando performance, an all-time movie star like Bogart, a well-respected actor like Clift, and a twice previous winner in March seemed like a lock to make the final list.
In 2012, everyone nominated for Best Supporting Actor had already won an Oscar before. Christoph Waltz won the Oscar for Django Unchained, playing a similarly loquacious character to the one that earned him an Oscar three years earlier. Alan Arkin was nominated for that year’s Best Picture winner, Argo. Robert De Niro is a historically great actor, and Tommy Lee Jones was nominated for playing a historically important person in the year’s preeminent/obligatory biopic about an important historical figure. The fact that all the nominees had won an Oscar previously is a rare occurrence.
The 1974 Best Director race might be the biggest shocker of the three. The winner of the Oscar was Francis Ford Coppola for The Godfather: Part II, which is arguably the best movie ever made. Roman Polanski was nominated for Chinatown, which I’d argue is one of the five best movies ever made. A previous Oscar winner, Bob Fosse, was nominated for Lenny. Finally, two legendary directors, Francois Truffaut and John Cassavetes, were also nominated. I haven’t seen either movie that they were nominated for, but they’re both historically significant directors. Just seems crazy that these three didn’t end up on the final list.
14). 1977 Best Director – Score: 42/50
Woody Allen (winner) – Annie Hall; Steven Spielberg – Close Encounters of the Third Kind; George Lucas – Star Wars; Fred Zinnemann – Julia; Herbert Ross – The Turning Point
I’m not a big Star Wars fan, it just was never my thing. However, in retrospect, it seems crazy that George Lucas didn’t win. Pulled together on a shoestring budget, Star Wars was, and still is, a phenomenon that was the highest grossing movie franchise of all-time until the recent MCU takeover.
However, the winner of this Oscar, was no slouch. Woody Allen is one of the most nominated writer-directors of all-time, and this is arguably his best, or most recognized work.
Steven Spielberg, another historically great director, received his first nomination this year for Close Encounters of the Third Kind. I still haven’t seen this movie, and it may not even be in Spielberg’s top 5, but as with many early Spielberg movies, this was critically successful at the Oscars, and also a commercial hit, grossing over $300 million.
Fred Zinnemann is a highly acclaimed director, who was nominated for Julia, a Holocaust-drama. It is rare that Zinnemann would find himself in 4th place on a nomination list.
Finally, there’s Herbert Ross, nominated for The Turning Point. This movie holds a dubious critical honor as being one of only two movies to be nominated for 11 Oscars, only to win 0. Put another way, of all the movies that were shut out at the Oscars (nominated, but didn’t win any), The Turning Point achieved this with the most nominations. Not the best thing to be known for, but an impressive feat nonetheless.
13). 1982 Best Actor: Score – 42/50
Ben Kingsley (winner) – Gandhi; Dustin Hoffman – Tootsie; Jack Lemmon – Missing; Paul Newman – The Verdict; Peter O’Toole – My Favorite Year
Ben Kingsley is a terrific, somewhat underrated actor. He wins his Oscar in a “historically important biopic” for portraying Gandhi. I don’t know whether or not he should’ve won, I certainly have a bit of a personal bias against people winning for portraying famous people in biopics, but there are probably worse performances that won, and as noted, I do think he’s a very good actor.
Paul Newman is one of the biggest movie stars of all-time, and he was nominated for The Verdict, which is probably one of his top 3 performances. It’s a legendary performance in a legendary career.
Similarly, Dustin Hoffman is a screen legend, nominated for Tootsie, which is probably one of the top 3 performances, or at least movies, in his highly acclaimed career.
The “other two” nominees happen to be Jack Lemmon and Peter O’Toole, two all-time actors, in roles that may not have made their personal top 3, but who nonetheless brought additional gravitas to this list of nominees.
12). 1951 Best Director: Score – 42/50
George Stevens (winner) – A Place in the Sun; Elia Kazan – A Streetcar Named Desire; John Huston – The African Queen; William Wyler – Detective Story; Vincente Minnelli – An American In Paris
One thing worth noting about this list is that it included 3 previous winners (Kazan, Huston, Wyler), while the other 2 nominees would also go on to win directing Oscars (Stevens – the winner here, and Minnelli in 1958). It’s hard to note historical significance since I haven’t seen most of these movies, but A Streetcar Named Desire is definitely the most famous, and lasting movie that was nominated here for directing. Fair or not, there’s an argument to be made that Elia Kazan should’ve won this award for directing a classic, with one of the most celebrated casts in movie history.
John Huston is not only a legend, but was a previous winner who directed arguably the biggest male and female movie stars of the time in The African Queen: Katherine Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart.
George Stevens won the first of his 2 directing Oscars, in the first of his 4 nominations in the 1950’s. Quite a decade for him. Additionally, there are many that thought A Place in the Sun, the movie he was nominated for, should’ve won Best Picture that year.
It could be argued that William Wyler is the most decorated director in Oscar history. He holds the most nominations (12), is tied for second place in wins (3). He also directed the most Best Picture winners (3), the most Best Picture nominees (13), and he has directed the most actors to Oscar-nominated performances (36). Wyler had already won an Oscar, and the movie, Detective Story, is not his most decorated, but it doesn’t take away from the fact that this list of nominees has a Hollywood legend in the 4th or 5th spot.
Vincente Minnelli was nominated for directing that year’s eventual Best Picture winner, An American in Paris. Even if the choice aged less gracefully, the director of the year’s Best Picture winner is a very impressive 5th option.
11). 1962 Best Actor: Score – 42/50
Gregory Peck (winner) – To Kill a Mockingbird; Peter O’Toole – Lawrence of Arabia; Burt Lancaster – Birdman of Alcatraz; Jack Lemmon – Days of Wine and Roses; Marcello Mastroianni – Divorce Italian Style
Gregory Peck was a highly regarded actor, and won for playing an iconic literary character. Many years later, the character was considered the #1 Movie Hero by the American Film Institute (AFI). So, although Atticus Finch isn’t a real person, this was an “important” role, with important themes, being played by a previously-nominated actor.
Peter O’Toole is a legendary actor and T.E. Lawrence is a legendary movie character/real historical figure. This was very early in O’Toole’s career, and though I don’t know if there’s a strong belief that he should’ve won this Oscar over Peck, when people look back at the fact that he never won a competitive Oscar, this is the role they usually point to as his most obvious shot at an award. Lawrence of Arabia was that year’s Best Picture winner, and speaking of the AFI, their #5 movie of all-time. So, the part was, and is, a high profile role.
Burt Lancaster had just won the award two years earlier, and was nominated for a biopic about a story of redemption. I don’t know if Lancaster is quite on the same level of Peck or O’Toole, but he was a critically acclaimed actor, particularly in the 60’s. Any time a previous winner is in the mix, it is a formidable nominee, since the Academy has chosen them before.
The aforementioned Jack Lemmon is an all-time great actor. At this point in time he had already won a Supporting Actor Oscar. I have never seen the movie for which he is nominated, Days of Wine and Roses, but it was deemed culturally and historically relevant by the National Film Registry.
To be frank, Mastroianni is an Italian actor, nominated for an Italian film that I have not seen. This list is buoyed by two all-time performances, and two other previous Oscar winners.
10). 1941 Best Director: Score – 42/50
John Ford (winner) – How Green Was My Valley; Orson Welles – Citizen Kane; William Wyler – The Little Foxes; Howard Hawks – Sergeant York; Alexander Hall – Here Comes Mr. Jordan
The most notable entry in this group is arguably part of the worst Oscar decision ever made, which is the lack of recognition for Citizen Kane, and its director, Orson Welles. Run a quick Google search of the best movies ever, and Kane is likely to be in the top 5 on any “serious” critic’s list. Orson Welles was a mere 25 years old when he wrote, directed, produced, and starred in this juggernaut. This should’ve been the alpha dog of that group.
Add to that, John Ford wins one of his record 4 directing Oscars. Even if he shouldn’t have won this Oscar, he is one of the most notable directors of all-time, particularly for his contributions to the Western genre. Ford doesn’t take a backseat to anyone in an Oscar race.
I already wrote about William Wyler’s resume in one of the previous entries on this list, and again, The Little Foxes, his 1951 movie, may not have been his most notable movie. However, his inclusion in the list of nominees boosts its credibility.
Then we have historically important director, Howard Hawks, nominated for a classic piece of Americana, Sergeant York. I haven’t seen this movie, but for people of a certain generation, this biopic about one of the “most decorated soldiers of WWI” is one of the most classic American movies ever made. It’s also worth noting that this was the top-grossing movie of the year.
Finally, there’s Alexander Hall directing Here Comes Mr. Jordan; which is the original version of a movie premise that has been recycled multiple times since then. I don’t know much about the career of Mr. Hall, but the importance of this movie as an original archetype is noteworthy.
Maybe the craziest thing about this list of nominees is that it was such a competitive year that two legends missed out on nominations: Alfred Hitchcock (Suspicion) and John Huston (in his directing debut, The Maltese Falcon)!
9). 1975 Best Director: Score – 42/50
Milos Forman (winner) – One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest; Federico Fellini – Amarcord; Stanley Kubrick – Barry Lyndon; Sidney Lumet – Dog Day Afternoon; Robert Altman – Nashville
This category year is loaded, and I’m surprised it didn’t end up higher on the list. Milos Forman is the least legendary director on this list, and he won the first of his two Oscars for directing one of the most famous literary adaptations of all-time. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is a great movie, though there is an argument to be made someone else could’ve won.
One of the great Oscar travesties is that Stanley Kubrick never won a directing Oscar. I haven’t seen this nominated movie, Barry Lyndon, but it is a European period drama (Oscar catnip), and is often listed among the top 5 works in his legendary career. So, it is a signature film from a historically great director, in a genre that the Academy loves to reward. He had also been nominated before, so it isn’t like he was new in the American movie landscape. Stiff competition.
It is a similar story for the other 3 nominees. Sidney Lumet, a legendary director, both for his work with actors, and technical acumen, also never won a directing Oscar. 1975’s Dog Day Afternoon marked one of the top 5 movies of his illustrious career. He had also been nominated previously by 1975, so again, he wasn’t a new face who had to “earn his stripes”.
Federico Fellini is another historically significant director from Italy. I have not seen a single one of his movies. His nomination was for Amarcord, considered by some to be one of his top 5 movies.
Robert Altman is also a historically significant director, known mostly for his irreverent genre subversion. Like his co-nominees, his nominated movie, Nashville, is considered one of the top 5 movies of his great career.
So, there were four directing legends nominated, each for some of his best work, but the Academy rewarded a fifth, less-known director, for his great adaptation of a great novel, which also won Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Adapted Screenplay. Sixth man award? Steven Spielberg missed out on a nomination for directing Jaws, one of his top 5 career movies. Crazy category year, and somehow, it only ended up 9th!
8). 1976 Best Picture: Score – 42/50
Rocky (winner); All the President’s Men; Network; Taxi Driver; Bound for Glory
What a movie year (!), with four classics nominated for the big prize. We’ll start with the winner…
Rocky is one of the best sports movies ever, I had the franchise at #1 on my sports movie rankings. It is a very human underdog story about a “Regular Joe” prize fighter who gets a shot to fight the heavyweight champion of the world. The sequels are a lot of fun, but more popcorn-y. The original is actually a character drama with great music, training montages, and great acting. There are plenty who look back on this and say that Rocky shouldn’t have won Best Picture, and while that may be true, it holds up as a very enjoyable re-watch 40+ years later.
The movie I would’ve picked was Taxi Driver. One of the all-time great “mood” movies, director Martin Scorsese shows us a first-person character study of a 26 year-old veteran dealing with his anger, loneliness, and PTSD by driving a cab all hours through New York City. Travis Bickle’s (Robert De Niro) hatred for society, and what he thinks it has become, is palpable. Though I haven’t seen every movie on the topic, Bickle’s misanthropic solitude and longing represent the greatest depiction of loneliness I’ve ever seen in a movie. Add to that great cinematography on the streets of New York City, and an iconic mood-setting score from iconic composer, Bernard Hermann, and for me, it’s the greatest character study in movie history.
However, if Network took home the big prize, that would’ve been okay, too. It is another rare, for the time, setting, exploring the inner workings of a TV network. The acting is terrific, and was rewarded. Perhaps the most amazing aspect of this movie is how prescient it was. It basically created/predicted reality television. Think about that! Also, Howard Beale’s (Peter Finch) mad rantings on the network news feel a lot more like the specialized news channels we have now on Fox or MSNBC, where biased believers go to take in a slanted view of current affairs, and how the other side is trying to ruin their life. Network is terrific from an acting and film-making perspective, but the clairvoyant plot is what make this movie one of the best ever.
Then there’s All the President’s Men, a movie that tackled a very recent presidential scandal from the perspective of journalism. It is one of the best ever movies about newspapers and investigative journalism. Related to that, the perspective is unique compared to most other historical dramas, which would usually either show the scandal in the first person, or would convey the story from a third person omniscient perspective. This movie unfolds as the journalists figure out more information about a seemingly innocuous occurrence. Like it’s topic, it is methodical, process-oriented, and understated. It’s lack of flash compared to the other nominees probably hurt its chances of winning, but this movie is also a classic.
Finally, I must admit, I’ve never seen the last nominee, Bound For Glory, and I don’t know much about it. This is not a knock on it, but it seems to be the least-referenced movie of the five nominees, which is fair. Four classics in one group of nominees is unprecedented.
7). 1964 Best Actor: Score – 43/50
Rex Harrison (winner) – My Fair Lady; Richard Burton – Becket; Peter O’Toole – Becket; Anthony Quinn – Zorba the Greek; Peter Sellers – Dr. Strangelove
To be honest, this entry is hard to write because I not only haven’t seen any of the movies that each actor was nominated for, but I also haven’t seen much of any of their work. What I do know is that this list of nominees is comprised of highly regarded actors turning in some of their most famous work.
Peter Sellers was an excellent comedic actor, playing multiple characters in a Stanley Kubrick-directed satire of the Cold War arms race and paranoia. On paper, this is who I’d have awarded.
Rex Harrison won the award for his leading role in the musical that won Best Picture that year. The role itself is celebrated, as My Fair Lady is a play that is still very much in rotation today.
As noted, I never saw Becket, but it is a historical fiction about British royalty in the 12th century dealing with issues of church and state – the type of thing the Academy loves. Peter O’Toole and Richard Burton combined for 15 career Oscar nominations, and represent two of the most acclaimed actors of the last 50 years.
By the time of this nomination, Anthony Quinn had two Oscars for Supporting Actor. He rounds out this group of highly established and critically acclaimed actors, in some of their most memorable roles.
6). 1940 Best Actor: Score – 43/50
James Stewart (winner) – The Philadelphia Story; Charlie Chaplin – The Great Dictator; Henry Fonda – The Grapes of Wrath; Laurence Olivier – Rebecca; Raymond Massey – Abe Lincoln in Illinois
This group of nominees gets a slight edge over the last group of acting nominees because they’re a slightly more A-list group of actors, and they’re nominated for more quintessential roles in their respective careers. Though again, it’s a group of performances I’ve yet to see.
Charlie Chaplin’s turn as dictator Adenoid Hynkel, in The Great Dictator, was a satire of a dictator that was still in power (!), and the movie reportedly amused said dictator. The film represented the first time that the legendary silent film star talked on screen, a historically significant moment. It is also one of his more well-known movies, and represents his only Oscar nomination as an actor. He also wrote, directed, and produced this movie. That’s quite an achievement back then, and without having seen the rest of his catalog, I would argue he should’ve won for this movie.
James Stewart won the Oscar this year for Philadelphia Story, which may not have been his best performance, but was a popular drama that co-starred Katherine Hepburn and Cary Grant. This isn’t to say he shouldn’t have won for this, but if I had to choose a role, I would’ve awarded his Oscar for Vertigo. Seems kind of crazy looking back that Stewart, a beloved movie star, who had already won an Oscar, wasn’t even nominated for the classic Hitchcock movie. Nevertheless, James Stewart is an all-timer, and this list of nominees is boosted by his inclusion.
Laurence Olivier was a tremendous actor, and his nomination for Rebecca in 1940 was his second career nomination (10 for acting). He is more associated with his roles in Shakespeare adaptations, but Rebecca was a Hitchcock movie. It was earlier on, so there is more gravitas to “Hitchcock movie” looking back than there was at the time, but it is one of the greatest actors of all-time, and one of the greatest directors of all-time, working together.
Henry Fonda was a big-time American movie star, known mostly for playing proud American characters. His nomination in 1940 is considered to be among his best career performances, while working with Oscar-winning director John Ford, in the adaptation of the famous American novel, The Grapes of Wrath. The performance certainly had a lot of things going for it.
Finally, Raymond Massey was nominated for portraying Abraham Lincoln. He is the least known actor of these five, but he is playing a very historically important figure in a biopic, the academy always likes that.
Overall, it’s a more famous group of actors than entry #7, making it a more competitive group, on paper.
5). 1973 Best Actor: Score – 43/50
Jack Lemmon (winner) – Save the Tiger; Marlon Brando – Last Tango in Paris; Jack Nicholson – The Last Detail; Al Pacino – Serpico; Robert Redford – The Sting
In terms of star power, this group of nominees blows the last group out of the water. The reason they end up with the same score is largely because the roles for which they were nominated are all critically-acclaimed, but probably not in the top 3 most notable performances for each actor.
Jack Lemmon won the Oscar for his performance in Save the Tiger. As mentioned before, Lemmon is an all-timer, but this movie is not talked about much nowadays, and there is thought out there that this isn’t Lemmon’s best role.
Also nominated, for the 7th time, was Marlon Brando for Last Tango in Paris. It was a European erotic drama, that wasn’t to everyone’s taste, at the time. Brando is most well-known for A Streetcar Named Desire, On the Waterfront, The Godfather, and Apocalypse Now, but this is a highly-regarded performance as well. In some ways, it is great that he ultimately won for two of his most notorious roles, but there are movie lovers who put this performance in his pantheon.
I’ll see your Marlon Brando…and raise you Jack Nicholson. This marked Nicholson’s 3rd career Oscar nomination (of 12), for The Last Detail. Though critically acclaimed, the movie and role are less easily recalled now than some of Nicholson’s other roles like The Joker, Jack Torrance or R.P. McMurphy. Still, by ’73, Nicholson was a critical darling and A-List movie star. Even if this isn’t his most remembered performance, he brings a lot of weight to this list.
Still not to be outdone, we have a 33 year-old Al Pacino playing an undercover cop in Serpico, and maybe more importantly, coming right off of The Godfather. Serpico is well-regarded by Pacino historians, but with the immediate recency (at the time) of The Godfather (for which he somehow did not win an Oscar), I wonder if this performance was somewhat overshadowed. Still, it’s Pacino, smack dab in between the two Godfather movies – stiff competition.
Then there’s Robert Redford, with his only acting nomination for playing the co-lead in that year’s Best Picture winner, The Sting. Redford, a definite movie star, and hugely important figure in independent movie history, is comfortably the worst actor on this list. This is one of his more well-known roles, a charming, movie star performance. If this is the fifth option for an award, that’s unreal.
4). 1984 Best Original Song: Score – 44/50
“I Just Called to Say I Love You” (winner) – Stevie Wonder; “Against All Odds (Take a Look at me Now)” – Phil Collins; “Footloose” – Kenny Loggins and Dean Pitchford; “Let’s Hear it for the Boy” – Dean Pitchford and Tom Snow; “Ghostbusters” – Ray Parker Jr.
A bit of a change-up here. Best Original Song is a category I’m not a diehard fan of because there are musical artists that get to win an Oscar for a single contribution to a movie while some movie artists work their whole careers making great work and don’t get to hoist a trophy. The greatest example of this was in 2005, when 3-6 Mafia won for a hip-hop song in Hustle and Flow, when at the time, Martin Scorsese had never won an Oscar, Alfred Hitchcock had never won an Oscar, and so on. Just doesn’t feel right. However, 1984 was a randomly epic year for Original Songs in movies…
The winner, “I Just Called to Say I Love You” was from the movie The Woman in Red. This movie, and its association to this song may not be overly memorable, but the song itself is excellent, one of Stevie Wonder’s best and most recognizable. In retrospect, maybe it shouldn’t have won the Oscar because the movie itself, and therefore the greatness of the song from a cinematic perspective, isn’t thought of today. However, in terms of just being a good song that would be tough to beat in a “good song” contest, this more than qualifies.
“Ghostbusters” is one of the most iconic movie songs in movie history. Not much more to say other than that this probably should’ve won, from the perspective of being a movie song.
There are two nominations from Footloose, “Footloose” and “Let’s Hear it for the Boy“. Obviously the former is very recognizable, and easy to associate with the movie. The second song is also recognizable, and for those who have seen it, probably well-connected to the movie.
Finally, “Against All Odds“, from the movie with the same name, is a well-known Phil Collins song. The movie itself hasn’t really stood the test of time, and therefore, this song’s cinematic significance may be lost on many. Similar to the Stevie Wonder song, it strengthens this group of nominees by being a really good song from a famous, well-liked artist.
I know the Original Song category feels like it was out of left field, but the fact that we could conceivably hear any of these songs on a Spotify/Pandora/Radio playlist in 2019 is what distinguishes this list.
3). 1975 Best Picture: Score – 44/50
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (winner); Jaws; Barry Lyndon; Dog Day Afternoon; Nashville
The ’75 directing nominees were #9 on the list, and unsurprisingly, the corresponding Best Picture nominees also make the list. It’s a diverse group of nominees that included a drama set at a mental hospital, a horror about a man-eating shark, a European period drama, a bank heist with a dramatic fallout, and a satirical comedy/drama/musical.
Cuckoo’s Nest won the Oscar, making history as the second movie ever to win the big 5 Oscars: Picture, Director, Actor, Actress, Screenplay – so its win was historically significant. I don’t think there are too many gripes looking back, it was an adaption of a famous novel, Jack Nicholson was electrifying, and Louise Fletcher was cold and austere. It’s generally remembered fondly.
Barry Lyndon was Kubrick’s next movie after A Clockwork Orange. It is a slower, more deliberate period drama, that I can’t imagine was a fan favorite at the time, but carries real weight with critics and cinephiles. It isn’t breaking news to say that Stanley Kubrick is looked at as a master storyteller with big ideas, and Barry Lyndon fits that mold.
Four of the five nominated directors noted in our #9 entry oversaw one of these Best Picture nominees. The lone exception was Jaws. Spielberg was not nominated for the movie, but his ’75 classic established him as a “made man” in Hollywood, setting up one of the most influential careers in movie history. The movie is often credited with creating the summer blockbuster, which is quite a feat. Maybe the most exciting part of this movie’s inclusion is that it had a more palpable effect on the viewers than is typical for Oscar nominees. The Oscars don’t usually reward horror movies, which tend to leave more of a lasting impression than regular dramas, and after Jaws came out in the summer of 1975, people were afraid to go in the water. That’s an astounding legacy.
Dog Day Afternoon is an interesting, atypical story. I have not seen it, but when you hear/read the basic plot of it, it sounds unbelievable that a movie could focus on the character’s desires and on the actual bank robbery. It was put together by a previously-nominated director, in Sydney Lumet, and it is considered one of his greatest movies. It contained powerful performances from a great ensemble cast, most notably, Al Pacino is in his prime, and playing one of his most complex characters. This movie definitely has historical weight, and though I don’t know how many would pick it to win, having it on a list as only the 2nd, 3rd or 4th choice lends credence to any list.
I haven’t seen Nashville, but it’s a genre-blending satire from another historically great director. As noted when we covered the directors, it is considered one of Robert Altman’s best movies. Even without having seen it, a noted work of a historic director is definitely a noteworthy addition to an already loaded Oscar race.
2). 1967 Best Actor: Score – 45/50
Rod Steiger (winner) – In the Heat of the Night; Warren Beatty – Bonnie & Clyde; Dustin Hoffman – The Graduate; Spencer Tracy – Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner; Paul Newman – Cool Hand Luke
The 1967 Oscars were really important in movie history. In Mark Harris’s fantastic book, he notes that this year marked a turning point between “Old” and “New” Hollywood. Movies like The Graduate and Bonnie & Clyde, had levels of sex and violence previously unpopular in mainstream movies. Many of the categories were stacked this year, and the Best Actor race was represented by both “Old” and “New”, and then one movie star who transcended classification.
Paul Newman is one of the all-time great movie stars. “Cool Hand” Luke Jackson was one of his signature roles. From a pure acting perspective, I don’t know whether or not he should’ve won this award, but from a “which of these performances can you not take your eyes off of” perspective, Newman should’ve won, hands down. This is a top tier movie star performance. While the character, Luke, isn’t stupid, he doesn’t talk as much as many of the other characters in the movie. Newman makes him lovable by sheer force of charisma.
Looking back, I’m sure most would’ve liked to have seen Dustin Hoffman win for The Graduate, a role that almost went to Robert Redford. It was a popular “New Hollywood” movie about a confused college graduate pursuing a young lady while having an affair with her mother. While that character sounds like a dirt-bag, Hoffman provides enough neuroses and reluctance for the audience to sympathize with him because he’s just in over his head. Definitely a historically significant character in an important movie, from an important actor.
Rod Steiger actually won this Oscar for playing a police chief in a small, racist town in that year’s “Old Hollywood” Best Picture winner, In the Heat of the Night. It was somewhat of a “make up” Oscar, as many expected Steiger to win a few years earlier for The Pawnbroker. Steiger was a very good actor, and had been nominated twice previously, certainly adding to the gravitas of the category. However, I think Mr. Tibbs, played by Sidney Poitier, is probably the more memorable character from that movie, and he is arguably, the actual lead role in the story. Steiger’s inclusion here is a credit to the category, but probably my third choice in this group.
At this point, Warren Beatty may be more famous for his work behind the camera, and his exploits off-screen, than for his actual on-screen acting. He was similar to Redford in that he was very handsome and charming, and starred in movies before turning his focus to directing. Bonnie & Clyde was a notable “New Hollywood” movie. There was sex and violence in a movie where the protagonists were murderous bank robbers. This movie was really where Beatty kicked off his work as a producer, and he became fabulously wealthy when he became one of the first actors to cash in on forgoing a salary in exchange for points on the back end off of the gross profits. It’s been a while since I’ve seen this, but fair or not, I’d have a hard time picking Beatty over the three above choices. Either way, he was a young movie star, making moves behind the camera, nominated for a co-lead in a movie that was ushering in a new era in Hollywood.
Finally, there’s Spencer Tracy, who received a posthumous nomination for Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner. From a pure acting standpoint, Tracy doesn’t lose out to too many people. I haven’t seen this movie, but I believe this role has endured less than the other four roles that were nominated. However, it speaks to the credentials of this category that one of the “lesser” nominees was the last movie of a 9-time Oscar nominee, 2-time winner, and Hollywood legend, who died prior to the Oscar nominations. Tough category to beat…
1). 1989 Best Original Screenplay: Score – 47/50
Tom Schulman – Dead Poets Society (winner); Woody Allen – Crimes and Misdemeanors; Spike Lee – Do the Right Thing; Steven Soderbergh – Sex, Lies, and Videotape; Nora Ephron – When Harry Met Sally…
To be honest, I don’t really have an opinion on who should’ve won this Oscar. It’s hard to judge screenplays and I think there are a few historically significant entries on this list, and a few that are just really good movies, if not historically significant.
As mentioned in a previous post, many consider When Harry Met Sally… to be the best, and most quintessential romantic comedy of all-time. It’s a historical entry for a whole genre, from celebrated writer, Nora Ephron.
Spike Lee is considered to be a pioneering director who helped redefine Black Cinema in the 1980’s. Do the Right Thing is almost universally deemed his best and most important work, and is what launched Lee to international fame as a director. So, this nomination is for the defining work from a historically important writer-director.
Woody Allen is the most decorated screenwriter in Oscar history, with 3 Oscars in 16 nominations, all for Original Screenplay. Crimes and Misdemeanors is one of Allen’s best movies, combining a wide range of complex emotions, from rage to guilt, while also having Allen’s typical combination of dark neurotic humor.
Sex, Lies, and Videotape was a game-changer for independent cinema. It won the Palme d’Or and FIPRESCI Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, along with the Audience Award at the Sundance Fim Festival. Although it may seem more tame by 2019 standards, this movie was a new and boundary-pushing entry from a hot, young auteur (Steven Soderbergh) in 1989. As with Do the Right Thing and When Harry Met Sally… above, it is a historically significant nominee.
Finally, there’s the winning screenplay for Dead Poets Society. I don’t know if there is any historical weight behind this nominee, but it is an excellent movie. It is a more white collar version of Stand and Deliver or Dangerous Minds, where kids at a prestigious boarding school are taught an appreciation for poetry and theater, subjects that their wealthy, Type A parents revile. The teacher is Robin Williams, in maybe his most tender and engaging role. Though it is technically a period piece, it feels timeless, and is a quintessential Fall movie. I don’t know whether or not this should’ve won the Oscar, but it’s a good enough movie that it can at least hold its own against the epic list of nominees above.
Honorable mentions (I will list all Oscar races that scored a 40 or 41, and came up just short): 1939 Best Director, 1953 Best Director, 1956 Best Actor, 1957 Best Director, 1958 Best Actor, 1967 Best Actress, 1971 Best Director, 1973 Best Director, 1974 Best Supporting Actor, 1976 Best Supporting Actor, 1976 Best Original Score, 1979 Best Actor, 1982 Best Picture, 1987 Best Actress, 1991 Best Actor, 1993 Best Actor, 1994 Best Actor, 2009 Best Original Screenplay, 2015 Best Supporting Actor.
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