Lunchtime Poll: What were the 5 best "Best Picture" vintages?
Wednesday, March 10, 2021 at 11:50AM by Nathaniel R
2003 & 2000. what a typical Oscar vintage looks like in terms of spread of quality.
It's 5 days until Oscar nominations are announced so let's have fun with the classic number 5... AKA the ideal size of an awards category. Most Oscar categories have varied in size at one time or another but for the bulk of the 93 year Oscar history five has been the preferred category size for the Academy. For fun let's name the best Best Picture quintets of all time (so only years 1944-2008 are eligible).
The average Best Picture lineup across many decades looks a lot like 2000 and 2003 pictures above, in that they're composed of the following: 2 perfect classics, 1 movie that's quite good, 1 respectable if unexciting choice, and 1 dud stinking up the room.
In short, it's quite difficult to pick the best vintage overall. Here are five BEST PIC shortlists I personally have a lot of affection for for various reasons...
 |
 |
 |
| 2007 | 1993 | 1979 |
| Atonement | Fugitive | All That Jazz |
| Juno | In the Name of the Father | Apocalypse Now |
| Michael Clayton | The Piano | Breaking Away |
| No Country | Remains of Day | Kramer vs Kramer |
|
There Will Be Blood
|
Schindlers List
|
Norma Rae
|
 |
 |
|
| 1975 |
5 best Oscar vintages? |
1972 |
| Barry Lyndon | Cabaret | |
| Dog Day Afternoon | Deliverance | |
| Jaws | The Godfather | |
| Nashville | The Emigrants | |
| One Flew Over... | Sounder |
Though I'd want to rescreen about 100 movies efore committing, haha. Oscar Fanatic problems.
But I'm sure your answer would be different so do tell! Other years that are fairly strong across the board if (sometimes) vague memory serves: 1947, 1948, 1959, 1974, 1976, 1978, 1980, 1984, 1985. As for years with more than 5 nominees. 2014 and 2016 might have also qualified as all time classic quintets had their been only 5. But it depends on which of the films made it of course!
I think secretly that one of the reasons people like the "expanded" fields of recent and earliest Oscar years is not because of better overall quality but because they find it easier to ignore the duds and it's thus easier to pretend that the entire list is a thing of beauty.
Reader Comments (80)
I am and forever be against the expanded fields.
Though I have a soft spot for ‘72, ‘75 and ‘’93, for variety’s sake Imma go with 1948, which is a surprise to me: Hamlet, Johnny Belinda, The Red Shoes, The Snake Pit, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. For Your Consideration.
This was harder than I thought it would be. I haven't seen all five nominees for a lot of the pre-70 years, and there is usually one that takes a lineup completely out of contention for me. Regardless I could only come up with 4, 1975, 1993, 1997, and 2007.
There are so many years with four strong ones and a weak one, like 1973 (TOWERING INFERNO, ugh). 1975 was a very strong year, though I'd say the winner (ONE FLEW) was the weakest of the five--don't get me wrong, CUKOO is very good, but it's no NASHVILLE or BARRY LYNDON, or even JAWS or DOG DAY. 2007 offered a VERY respectable slate, and, for once, the best film (NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN) even won. So I guess that's my choice.
There are some years that come really close, like 1968,1969, and 1971 but there's the one dud that's really glaring.
It's kind of nuts just how good 1993 is. I think of the 1990s as a particularly unimaginative time for the academy, but even in a year filled with films that are all in Oscars' wheelhouse, they're just exceedingly strong versions of their genre.
Most of these have a dud bringing up the rear among four strong films, but it's an acceptable/watchable dud that doesn't bore:
1973
1976
1978
1987
1991
2002 - This is the first year I really began to think about the Oscars and saw all of the films. There's some mediocre here, but all of these films are interesting in their own way.
1939
1940
1972
1975
2007
1975 is the créme de la céme.
2007 is definitely the best of the most recent years. Not a stinker to be found.
1975: 4 classics and a very good movie.
I like 1998. But Truman Show missing is sad.
Elizabeth
Life is Beautiful
SPR
SIL
Thin Red Line
1975 (which you mentioned) and 1976 (Rocky, Network, All The President's Men, Taxi Driver, Bound For Glory) are each filled with five films that are still remembered by the general public and culturally regarded as classics, regardless of what one thinks about the films. That is exactly what Oscar should be aiming for.
And for it to happen TWO YEARS IN A ROW is a miracle.
2007, no-brainer.
Of your selection, 1979 was the year I really got into film. So I was very keen to watch the Oscars.
Like Claudio, I choose 1939 as I love every single movie on the nominated list, even if it's not PC to do so.
Clever challenge.
For sentimental reasons, I am choosing 1977 - one of the few years when all five Best Actress nominees appeared in a Best Picture nominee. A tip of the chapeau to Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda, Marsha Mason, Anne Bancroft, and Shirley MacLaine!
I like 1987 a lot: The Last Emperor, Broadcast News, Moonstruck, Hope and Glory, and Fatal Attraction.
Everyone's right when they say 2007 and 1993 are terrific, too.
I agree with 2007. I'd add 1996, though I haven't seen Jerry Maguire.
1976. Nothing will touch that vintage.
2007:
Antonement
Juno
Michael Clayton
No country
There will be blood
And in every category there isn't a bad movie
James took my mention of 1977, the miracle year of "women's pictures" and a little thing called Star Wars.
I'd also like to throw out 1983 which had me personally unsure whether I liked Terms of Endearment more or The Right Stuff. I can't recall The Dresser, but I also really liked The Big Chill and Tender Mercies. If they had an expanded year that year, I'm almost certain that the next two pictures up were Silkwood and Fanny & Alexander. That would have been seven amazing movies.
I still can't get why in 2007, "Hairspray" scored ZERO nominations. In my book, it was the best film of the year, and the most rewatchable. No offense to the top 5 (even thought I feel Juno is really overrated) but ZERO? By the way, I still think Bardem should have won in Lead that year, not in Supporting (and give that one to Travolta).
From my generation, definitely 2005 and 2007.
Absolutely stellar.
Crash gets a lot of hate, but as pop art entertainment, warts and all, it's supremely engaging, and the quality of the other four is so tremendous, and the range of scope and attention in all 5 so massive and welcomed, it's still an aces year.
Yes, 1975 is the correct answer. ALL OF THEM ARE CLASSICS!
1975
1976
1980
2002
2007
1975 by a long shot, every single one of them is a bonafide classic, followed by '79. 1972 also looks to be a swell year but to this day I have still not seen either Sounder or The Emigrants (bad, I know). 2007 is very solid (probably the very best lineup since 2000) and while the '93 lineup is very strong, most of them aren't films I want/need to see again.
I'm also trying to think of another year or two with great lineups and '74 springs to mind (Godfather II, The Conversation, Chinatown).
1974 and 1993 are pretty untouchable, too, though they're definitely not from my time, haha.
I was in my teens for most of the '00s, so those Oscars as well as the late '90s ones are the shows I hold dear to my heart and have particularly strong opinions about.
Can we do this for best actress, please? :)
I must be the only one who is uninspired by 2007. Atonement, Juno, and Michael Clayton are big passes for me.
@Ken I agree Ken. I loved The Assassination of Jesse James, Into The Wild and Once more.
Would love a return to only 5!
My five five aot:
1950:
All About Eve - Winner
Sunset Boulevard
Born Yesterday
Father of the Bride
King Solomon's Mine
1951:
An American in Paris - Winner
A Place in the Sun
A Streetcar Named Desire
Quo Vadis
Decision Before Down
1975:
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest -Winner
Nashville
Dog Day Afternoon
Barry Lyndon
Jaws
1977:
Annie Hall - Winner
The Goodbye Girl
The Turning Point
Julia
Star Wars
1989:
Driving Miss Daisy - Winner
Dead Poets Society
Born on the Fourth of July
Field of Dreams
My Left Foot
I love that you put in 2007, which I remember as one of my happiest Oscar mornings for nominations. And of course, 1975 is a classic. Love four of your five (not as hot on 93), so I'll skip repeats and go...
1973
1974
1976
1991
1997
Runners Up: 1967 was so close but Doctor Dolittle killed it; 1950 and 1981 are underrated.
Man, the run of 1971-1976 was incredible.
1993 is very good, but otherwise you could pick almost (okay, not 1 or 2 of them) any 4 years from the 1970s to fill out the top 5. Oscar was getting something unusually right back then.
1974 was the first one that came to mind for me:
Chinatown - masterpiece
The Conversation - excellent if flawed
The Godfather Part II - masterpiece
Lenny - top stuff
The Towering Inferno - hokey but supreme Hollywood hokum
I really like 1987 as well. Broadcast News is my least favourite, but it's good, and the other four - Fatal Attraction, Hope and Glory, The Last Emperor and Moonstruck - are all excellent examples of their genres. And the last two of these are outstanding.
I'll stop there because otherwise I could go on and on...
2001
2002
2003
1997
1999
I love the lotr years, titanic and the sixth sense/American beauty
Close call for me among '78, '81, '82 and '91 - each quintet has four knockouts and one nominee I respect but don't quite love.
@JW - I would replace Atonement, Michael Clayton, and Juno with Zodiac, The Lives of Others (which I consider a 2007 release), and No End in Sight.
I'll mention one nobody has brought up: 2006. LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA, LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE, THE DEPARTED, THE QUEEN, and BABEL.
I also second Manny on '05. Even if you object to CRASH you still have MUNICH, CAPOTE, BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN, and GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK.; it's an unusually rich and politically-engaged lineup.
But yes, overall, 72-76 wins.
Bring back the field of five, AMPAS!
'05 is so good I'm happy with that lineup, only replacing Crash with The Constant Gardener. Talk about political. ;)
And delectable.
I could have easily chosen 5 years in the 1960s but here are my choices for the 5 best Best Picture nominees (in chronological order):
1950
All about Eve
Born Yesterday
Father of the Bride
King Solomon's Mines
Sunset Blvd.
1964
Becket
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
Mary Poppins
My Fair Lady
Zorba the Greek
1967
Bonnie and Clyde
Doctor Dolittle
The Graduate
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
In the Heat of the Night
1969
Anne of the Thousand Days
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Hello, Dolly!
Midnight Cowboy
Z
1980
Coal Miner's Daughter
The Elephant Man
Ordinary People
Raging Bull
Tess
1975 is pretty hard to top. 2001 was pretty spectacular too save ABM
Gotta go with 1980, although I may be biased in favor of the year of my birth. You get an art film that critics could call the decade's best (Raging Bull), a "best of middlebrow" (Ordinary People), a music biopic that feels completely authentic to the person (Coal Miner's), a beautiful 19th Century adaptation (Tess), and an interesting black-and-white mashup (Elephant Man). It's the perfect sampler for a well-rounded category!
Scorsese, Polanski, and Lynch in a single year is amazing, although if I could swap out one, it's be The Shining and Kubrick instead of Elephant Man, which I've admired but never really enjoyed.
I'll put in a plug for the earlier decades. 1946 is a great year because of the heavy burden films had to carry in the wake of a world recovering from war. The emotional power of the best picture nominees that year endures, but I wonder how much more powerful their impact must have been on the audiences of that fragile time. Movies like THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES, IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE, and THE YEARLING all reflect an inspiring world view that centers on hope, maturity, and the lessons we learn as a result of loss. HENRY V was intended from the outset as a morale booster and achieved the intended effect. THE RAZOR'S EDGE is the weak link, but it too must have resonated powerfully with audiences of the time who would have recognized the story of a WWI veteran and his search for meaning in purpose in the post-war period as an echo of the experiences that so many shared in the wake of WWII. How wonderful that all these films were honored as among the year's best.
1988
1989
1996
1997
2001
I really can’t speak to anything before the mid 70s. But these are the five years that I most enjoy and can get past the duds (A Beautiful Mind being the hardest to swallow in that list).
1938 Gone with the Wind, Wizard of Oz.... Best year ever. And "NO" I am not that old, but have made it a point to see all the nominated movies and some excellent ones that were not nominated.
SORRY!! Did not read closely enough that only years 1944- 2008 were eligible.
I read an article once suggesting that the Academy should reel back the Best Picture category from 10 (or 9 or whatever) to 5 but expand actor, actress and the supporting performers to ten each. That would be great. People like to root for stars more than films, really, and that would give one more choices to root for.
1975 and 1979
Since no one else has mentioned it yet, I'm going to cite 1994. All 5 strong for what they were and all compelling pieces of cinema. No other year does that for me.
Choosing from only years where I saw all five nominees, I'll submit 1997, 2003, 2005, 2006, and 2007 as my favorites.
About the 2000 line-up, I must confess: I like Chocolat more than Erin Brockovich - and they both are not “Oscar worthy” movies to me.
1946
The Best Years of Our Lives
Henry V
It's a Wonderful Life
The Razor's Edge
The Yearling
1950
All about Eve
Born Yesterday
Father of the Bride
King Solomon's Mines
Sunset Blvd.
1951
An American in Paris
A Place in the Sun
A Streetcar Named Desire
Quo Vadis
Decision Before Down
1982
Gandhi
Tootsie
ET - The Extra-Terrestrial
Missing
The Verdict
1986
Platoon
Children of a Lesser God
Hannah and her Sisters
A Room with a View
The Mission