The Oscars aren’t always right (to put it mildly). The best, most innovative movie does not always win Best Picture. So in light of last night’s events, here are ten classic examples (and one soon-to-be classic example) of Best Picture winners which, in hindsight, might not have been as deserving of the victory as certain other nominees. This is not to say that one film is better than the other, but that the non-winner is now generally viewed as the more enduring, influential film.
2010 – The King’s Speech vs. The Social Network
2005 – Crash vs. Brokeback Mountain
1998 – Shakespeare in Love vs. Saving Private Ryan
1994 – Forrest Gump vs. Pulp Fiction
1990 – Dances With Wolves vs. Goodfellas
1980 – Ordinary People vs. Raging Bull
1976 – Rocky vs. Taxi Driver
1971 – The French Connection vs. A Clockwork Orange
1951 – An American in Paris vs. A Streetcar Named Desire
1946 – The Best Years of Our Lives vs. It’s a Wonderful Life
1941 – How Green Was My Valley vs. Citizen Kane
And a few bonus “Sophie’s Choice” picks (in other words, both films are beloved, but only one could win)
2007 – No Country for Old Men vs. There Will Be Blood
1979 – Kramer vs. Kramer vs. Apocalypse Now
1977 – Annie Hall vs. Star Wars
1967 – In the Heat of the Night vs. The Graduate
1965 – The Sound of Music vs. Doctor Zhivago
1962 – Lawrence of Arabia vs. To Kill a Mockingbird
1939 – Gone With the Wind vs. The Wizard of Oz
Times Like Those 