Every Best Picture Oscar Winner Ranked
BY SCOTTIE KNOLLIN
We all have our own ideas of what makes a film “the best” and that title isn’t always the same as the one read at the end of each Academy Awards ceremony. However, the films that have built a longstanding legacy for the Oscars as being the best-of-the-best paint an incredible picture of where movies began and how far they’ve come.
If you haven’t seen every Best Picture winner, I suggest you challenge yourself to give it a shot. Nearly a decade ago, I set out to watch them all in chronological order. What I found was a collection of stories that celebrate the human spirit and all of its faults. I found films that breached the barriers of the imagination through unbelievable scale and smaller films that punched me in the gut with their careful understanding of emotions. Love. War. Monsters. They’re all there.
From “Wings,” the very first film to be named Best Picture, to “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” this year’s recipient, I’ve taken into account the artistry, spectacle and everything in between to determine the ultimate list of Best Picture winners, from “worst” to “best,”
95. The Greatest Show on Earth (1952)
25th Academy Awards
Directed by Cecil B. DeMille
Starring Betty Hutton, Charlton Heston, James Stewart, Gloria Grahame
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture (Cecil B. DeMille); Best Original Screenplay (Fredric M. Frank, Theodore St. John, Frank Cavett)
Other Nominations:
Best Director (Cecil B. DeMille); Best Costume Design, Color (Edith Head, Dorothy Jenkins, Miles White); Best Film Editing (Anne Bauchens)
Currently available to stream on Paramount+.
94. Green Book (2018)
91st Academy Awards
Directed by Peter Farrelly
Starring Viggo Mortensen, Mahershala Ali, Linda Cardellini
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture (Jim Burke, Charles B. Wessler, Brian Hayes Currie, Peter Farrelly, Nick Vallelonga); Best Supporting Actor (Mahershala Ali); Best Original Screenplay (Nick Vallelonga, Brian Hayes Currie, Peter Farrelly)
Other Nominations:
Best Actor (Viggo Mortensen); Best Film Editing (Patrick J. Don Vito)
Currently available to stream on Fubo.
93. Cavalcade (1933)
6th Academy Awards
Directed by Frank Lloyd
Starring Diana Wynyard, Clive Brook
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture; Best Director (Frank Lloyd); Best Art Direction (William S. Darling)
Other Nomination:
Best Actress (Diana Wynyard)
92. Around the World in 80 Days (1956)
29th Academy Awards
Directed by Michael Anderson
Starring David Niven, Cantinflas, Robert Newton, Shirley MacLaine
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture (Mike Todd); Best Adapted Screenplay (James Poe, John Farrow, S.J. Perelman); Best Cinematography, Color (Lionel Lindon); Best Film Editing (Gene Ruggiero, Paul Weatherwax); Best Original Score (Victor Young)
Other Nominations:
Best Director (Michael Anderson); Best Art Direction, Color (James. W. Sullivan, Ken Adam, Ross Dowd); Best Costume Design, Color (Miles White)
Currently available to stream on HBO Max.
91. The Broadway Melody (1929)
2nd Academy Awards
Directed by Harry Beaumont
Starring Bessie Love, Anita Page, Charles King
Oscar Win:
Best Picture
Other Nominations:
Best Actress (Bessie Love); Best Director (Harry Beaumont)
90. Crash (2004)
78th Academy Awards
Directed by Paul Haggis
Starring Don Cheadle, Matt Dillon, Sandra Bullock, Thandiwe Newton
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture (Paul Haggis, Cathy Schulman); Best Original Screenplay (Paul Haggis, Bobby Moresco); Best Film Editing (Hughes Winborne)
Other Nominations:
Best Supporting Actor (Matt Dillon); Best Director (Paul Haggis); Best Original Song (“In the Deep” - Kathleen York, Michael Becker)
Currently available to stream on Showtime.
89. Gladiator (2000)
73rd Academy Awards
Directed by Ridley Scott
Starring Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture (Douglas Wick, David Franzoni, Branko Lustig); Best Actor (Russell Crowe); Best Costume Design (Janty Yates); Best Sound (Scott Millan, Bob Beemer, Ken Weston); Best Visual Effects (John Nelson, Neil Corbould, Tim Burke, Rob Harvey)
Other Nominations:
Best Supporting Actor (Joaquin Phoenix); Best Director (Ridley Scott); Best Original Screenplay (David Franzoni, John Logan, William Nicholson); Best Cinematography (John Mathieson); Best Film Editing (Pietro Scalia); Best Original Score (Hans Zimmer); Best Art Direction (Arthur Max, Crispian Sallis)
Currently available to stream on Paramount+.
88. Tom Jones (1963)
36th Academy Awards
Directed by Tony Richardson
Starring Albert Finney, Susannah York, Hugh Griffith, Edith Evans
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture (Tony Richardson); Best Director (Tony Richardson); Best Adapted Screenplay (John Osborne); Best Original Score (John Addison)
Other Nominations:
Best Actor (Albert Finney); Best Supporting Actor (Hugh Griffith); Best Supporting Actress (Diane Cilento); Best Supporting Actress (Edith Evans); Best Supporting Actress (Joyce Redman); Best Art Direction-Color (Ralph W. Brinton, Edward Marshall, Jocelyn Herbert, Josie MacAvin)
Currently available to stream on HBO Max and The Criterion Channel.
87. Braveheart (1995)
68th Academy Awards
Directed by Mel Gibson
Starring Mel Gibson, Patrick McGoohan, Brian Cox, Brendan Gleeson, Sophie Marceau
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture (Mel Gibson, Alan Ladd Jr., Bruce Davey); Best Director (Mel Gibson); Best Cinematography (John Toll); Best Sound Effects Editing (Lon Bender, Per Hallberg); Best Makeup (Peter Frampton, Paul Pattison, Lois Burwell)
Other Nominations:
Best Original Screenplay (Randall Wallace); Best Costume Design (Charles Knode); Best Sound (Andy Nelson, Scott Millan, Anna Behlmer, Brian Simmons); Best Film Editing (Steven Rosenblum); Best Original Dramatic Score (James Horner)
Currently available to stream on HBO Max.
86. Gigi (1958)
31st Academy Awards
Directed by Vincente Minnelli
Starring Leslie Caron, Maurice Chevalier, Louis Jordan, Eva Gabor
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture (Arthur Freed); Best Director (Vincente Minnelli); Best Adapted Screenplay (Alan Jay Lerner); Best Cinematography-Color (Joseph Ruttenberg); Best Art Direction (William A. Horning, E. Preston Ames, Henry Grace, F. Keogh Gleason); Best Costume Design (Cecil Beaton); Best Film Editing (Adrienne Fazan); Best Original Song (“Gigi”-Frederick Loewe, Alan Jay Lerner); Best Original Score-Musical (André Previn)
85. Out of Africa (1985)
58th Academy Awards
Directed by Sydney Pollack
Starring Meryl Streep, Robert Redford, Klaus Maria Brandauer, Iman
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture (Sydney Pollack); Best Director (Sydney Pollack); Best Adapted Screenplay (Kurt Luedtke); Best Cinematography (David Watkin); Best Art Direction (Stephen B. Grimes, Josie MacAvin); Best Sound (Chris Jenkins, Gary Alexander, Larry Stensvold, Peter Handford); Best Original Score (John Barry)
Other Nominations:
Best Actress (Meryl Streep); Best Supporting Actor (Klaus Maria Brandauer); Best Costume Design (Milena Canonero); Best Film Editing (Fredric Steinkamp, William Steinkamp, Pembroke J. Herring, Sheldon Kahn)
Currently available to stream on Netflix.
84. The Great Ziegfeld (1936)
9th Academy Awards
Directed by Robert Z. Leonard
Starring William Powell, Myrna Loy ,Luise Rainer, Frank Morgan, Fanny Brice, Ray Bolger
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture; Best Actress (Luise Rainer); Best Dance Direction (“A Pretty Girl Is Like a Melody”-Seymour Felix)
Other Nominations:
Best Director (Robert Z. Leonard); Best Original Screenplay (William Anthony McGuire); Best Art Direction (Cedric Gibbons, Eddie Imazu, Edwin B. Willis); Best Film Editing (William S. Gray)
83. Chariots of Fire (1981)
54th Academy Awards
Directed by Hugh Hudson
Starring Ben Cross, Ian Charleson, Ian Holm, Richard Griffiths
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture (David Puttnam); Best Original Screenplay (Colin Welland); Best Costume Design (Milena Canonero); Best Original Score (Vangelis)
Other Nominations:
Best Supporting Actor (Ian Holm); Best Director (Hugh Hudson); Best Film Editing (Terry Rawlings)
82. A Beautiful Mind (2001)
74th Academy Awards
Directed by Ron Howard
Starring Russell Crowe, Ed Harris, Jennifer Connelly, Christopher Plummer
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture (Brian Glazer, Ron Howard); Best Supporting Actress (Jennifer Connelly); Best Director (Ron Howard); Best Adapted Screenplay (Akiva Goldsman)
Other Nominations:
Best Actor (Russell Crowe); Best Film Editing (Mike Hill, Daniel P. Hanley); Best Makeup (Greg Cannom, Colleen Callaghan), Best Original Score (James Horner)
81. Gandhi (1982)
55th Academy Awards
Directed by Richard Attenborough
Starring Ben Kingsley, John Gielgud, Candice Bergen, Rohini Hattangadi, Martin Sheen
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture (Richard Attenborough); Best Actor (Ben Kingsley); Best Director (Richard Attenborough); Best Original Screenplay (John Briley); Best Cinematography (Billy Williams, Ronnie Taylor); Best Art Direction (Stuart Craig, Robert W. Laing, Michael Seirton); Best Costume Design (John Mollo, Bhanu Athaiya); Best Film Editing (John Bloom)
Other Nominations:
Best Sound (Gerry Humphreys, Robin O’Donoghue, Jonathan Bates, Simon Kaye); Best Original Score (Ravi Shankar, George Fenton); Best Makeup (Tom Smith)
80. Rocky (1976)
49th Academy Awards
Directed by John G. Avildsen
Starring Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture (Irwin Winkler, Robert Chartoff); Best Director (John G. Avildsen); Best Film Editing (Richard Halsey, Scott Conrad)
Other Nominations:
Best Actor (Sylvester Stallone); Best Actress (Talia Shire); Best Supporting Actor (Burgess Meredith); Best Supporting Actor (Burt Young); Best Original Screenplay (Sylvester Stallone); Best Sound (Harry W. Tetrick, William L. McCaughey, Lyle J. Burbridge, Bud Alper); Best Original Song (“Gonna Fly Now”-Bill Conti, Carol Connors, Ayn Robbins)
Currently available to stream on Prime Video, Netflix and Paramount+.
79. The Life of Emile Zola (1937)
10th Academy Awards
Directed by William Dieterle
Starring Paul Muni, Gale Sondergaard, Joseph Schildkraut
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture; Best Supporting Actor (Joseph Schildkraut); Best Screenplay (Heinz Herald, Geza Herczeg, Norman Reilly Raine)
Other Nominations:
Best Actor (Paul Muni); Best Director (William Dieterle); Best Original Story (Heinz Herald, Geza Herczeg); Best Art Direction (Anton Grot); Best Sound Recording (Nathan Levinson); Best Assistant Director (Russell Saunders); Best Score (Max Steiner, Leo F. Forbstein)
78. Cimarron (1931)
4th Academy Awards
Directed by Wesley Ruggles
Starring Richard Dix, Irene Dunne, Estelle Taylor
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture; Best Adapted Screenplay (Howard Estabrook); Best Art Direction (Max Rée)
Other Nominations:
Best Actor (Richard Dix); Best Actress (Irene Dunne); Best Director (Wesley Ruggles); Best Cinematography (Edward Cronjager)
77. How Green Was My Valley (1941)
14th Academy Awards
Directed by John Ford
Starring Walter Pidgeon, Maureen O’Hara, Anna Lee, Donald Crisp, Roddy McDowall
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture; Best Supporting Actor (Donald Crisp); Best Director (John Ford); Best Cinematography-Black & White (Arthur C. Miller); Best Art Direction-Black & White (Richard Day, Nathan Juran, Thomas Little)
Other Nominations:
Best Supporting Actress (Sara Allgood); Best Screenplay (Philip Dunne); Best Sound Recording (Edmund H. Hansen); Best Film Editing (James B. Clark); Best Score of a Dramatic Picture (Alfred Newman)
76. From Here to Eternity (1953)
26th Academy Awards
Directed by Fred Zinnemann
Starring Burt Lancaster, Montgomery Clift, Deborah Kerr, Donna Reed, Frank Sinatra, Ernest Borgnine, Jack Warden
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture (Buddy Adler); Best Supporting Actor (Frank Sinatra); Best Supporting Actress (Donna Reed); Best Director (Fred Zinnemann); Best Screenplay (Daniel Taradash); Best Cinematography-Black & White (Burnett Guffey); Best Sound Recording (John P. Livadary); Best Film Editing (William A. Lyon)
Other Nominations:
Best Actor (Montgomery Clift); Best Actor (Burt Lancaster); Best Actress (Deborah Kerr); Best Costume Design-Black & White (Jean Louis); Best Original Score (Morris Stoloff, George Duning)
Currently available to stream on HBO Max.
75. A Man for All Seasons (1966)
39th Academy Awards
Directed by Fred Zinnemann
Starring Paul Scofield, Wendy Hiller, Robert Shaw, Leo McKern, Orson Welles, Susannah York, John Hurt, Vanessa Redgrave
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture (Fred Zinnemann); Best Actor (Paul Scofield); Best Director (Fred Zinnemann); Best Adapted Screenplay (Robert Bolt); Best Cinematography-Color (Ted Moore); Best Costume Design-Color (Elizabeth Haffenden)
Other Nominations:
Best Supporting Actor (Robert Shaw); Best Supporting Actress (Wendy Hiller)
74. Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)
52nd Academy Awards
Directed by Robert Benton
Starring Dustin Hoffman, Meryl Streep, Jane Alexander, Justin Henry, Howard Duff
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture (Stanley R. Jaffe); Best Actor (Dustin Hoffman); Best Supporting Actress (Meryl Streep); Best Director (Robert Benton); Best Adapted Screenplay (Robert Benton)
Other Nominations:
Best Supporting Actor (Justin Henry); Best Supporting Actress (Jane Alexander); Best Cinematography (Néstor Almendros); Best Film Editing (Gerald B. Greenberg)
73. Oliver! (1968)
41st Academy Awards
Directed by Carol Reed
Starring Mark Lester, Shani Wallis, Ron Moody, Oliver Reed, Jack Wild
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture (John Woolf); Best Director (Carol Reed); Best Art Direction-Set Direction (John Box, Terence Marsh, Vernon Dixon, Ken Muggleston); Best Sound (Shepperton Studios Sound Department); Best Musical Score (Johnny Green); Honorary Award (Onna White)
Other Nominations:
Best Actor (Ron Moody); Best Supporting Actor (Jack Wild); Best Adapted Screenplay (Vernon Harris); Best Cinematography (Oswald Morris); Best Costume Design (Phyllis Dalton); Best Film Editing (Ralph Kemplen)
Currently available to stream on HBO Max.
72. Forrest Gump (1994)
67th Academy Awards
Directed by Robert Zemeckis
Starring Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise, Sally Field, Mykelti Williamson
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture (Wendy Finerman, Steve Starkey, Steve Tisch); Best Actor (Tom Hanks); Best Director (Robert Zemeckis); Best Adapted Screenplay (Eric Roth); Best Film Editing (Arthur Schmidt); Best Visual Effects (Ken Ralston, George Murphy, Stephen Rosenbaum, Allen Hall)
Other Nominations:
Best Supporting Actor (Gary Sinise); Best Cinematography (Don Burgess); Best Art Direction-Set Direction (Rick Carter, Nancy Haigh); Best Sound (Randy Thom, Tom Johnson, Dennis S. Sands, William B. Kaplan); Best Sound Effects Editing (Gloria S. Borders, Randy Thom); Best Makeup (Daniel C. Striepeke, Hallie D’Amore, Judith A. Cory); Best Original Score (Alan Silvestri)
Currently available to stream on Netflix.
71. Going My Way (1944)
17th Academy Awards
Directed by Leo McCarey
Starring Bing Crosby, Barry Fitzgerald, Frank McHugh
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture; Best Actor (Bing Crosby); Best Supporting Actor (Barry Fitzgerald); Best Director (Leo McCarey); Best Original Story (Leo McCarey); Best Original Screenplay (Frank Butler, Frank Cavett); Best Original Song (“Swinging on a Star”-Jimmy Van Heusen, Johnny Burke)
Other Nominations:
Best Actor (Barry Fitzgerald); Best Cinematography-Black & White (Lionel Lindon); Best Film Editing (LeRoy Stone)
70. Gentleman’s Agreement (1947)
20th Academy Awards
Directed by Elia Kazan
Starring Gregory Peck, Dorothy McGuire, John Garfield, Celeste Holm, Dean Stockwell
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture; Best Supporting Actress (Celeste Holm); Best Director (Elia Kazan)
Other Nominations:
Best Actor (Gregory Peck); Best Actress (Dorothy McGuire); Best Supporting Actress (Anne Revere); Best Screenplay (Moss Hart); Best Film Editing (Harmon Jones)
69. The Sound of Music (1965)
38th Academy Awards
Directed by Robert Wise
Starring Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer, Eleanor Parker, Richard Haydn, Marni Nixon
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture (Robert Wise); Best Director (Robert Wise); Best Sound (James Corcoran, Fred Hynes); Best Film Editing (William Reynolds); Best Scoring of Music (Irwin Kostal)
Other Nominations:
Best Actress (Julie Andrews); Best Supporting Actress (Peggy Wood); Best Cinematography-Color (Ted D. McCord); Best Set Direction-Color (Boris Leven, Walter M. Scott, Ruby R. Levitt); Best Costume Design-Color (Dorothy Jenkins)
Currently available to stream on Disney+.
68. CODA (2021)
94th Academy Awards
Directed by Sian Heder
Starring Emilia Jones, Marlee Matlin, Troy Kutsor, Daniel Durant
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture (Philippe Rousselet, Fabrice Gianfermi, Patrick Wachsberger); Best Supporting Actor (Troy Kutsor); Best Adapted Screenplay (Sian Heder)
Currently available to stream on Apple TV+.
67. My Fair Lady (1964)
37th Academy Awards
Directed by George Cukor
Starring Audrey Hepburn, Rex Harrison, Stanley Holloway
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture (Jack L. Warner); Best Actor (Rex Harrison); Best Director (George Cukor); Best Cinematography-Color (Harry Stradling Sr.); Best Art Direction-Set Direction-Color (Gene Allen, Cecil Beaton, George James Hopkins); Best Costume Design-Color (Cecil Beaton); Best Sound (George Groves); Best Scoring of Music (André Previn)
Other Nominations:
Best Supporting Actor (Stanley Holloway); Best Supporting Actress (Gladys Cooper); Best Adapted Screenplay (Alan Jay Lerner); Best Film Editing (William H. Ziegler)
Currently available to stream on Paramount+.
66. Ben-Hur (1959)
32nd Academy Awards
Directed by William Wyler
Starring Charlton Heston, Jack Hawkins, Stephen Boyd, Haya Harareet
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture (Sam Zimbalist); Best Actor (Charlton Heston); Best Supporting Actor (Hugh Griffith); Best Director (William Wyler); Best Cinematography-Color (Robert Surtees); Best Art Direction-Set Direction-Color (William A. Horning, Edward C. Carfagno, Hugh Hunt); Best Costume Design-Color (Elizabeth Haffenden); Best Sound (Franklin Milton); Best Film Editing (Ralph E. Winters, John D. Dunning); Best Special Effects (A. Arnold Gillespie, R.A. MacDonald, Milo B. Lory); Best Score (Miklós Rózsa)
Other Nomination:
Best Adapted Screenplay (Karl Tunberg)
Currently available to stream on HBO Max.
65. The English Patient (1996)
69th Academy Awards
Directed by Anthony Minghella
Starring Ralph Fiennes, Juliette Binoche, Willem Dafoe, Kristin Scott Thomas, Naveen Andrews, Colin Firth
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture (Saul Zaentz); Best Supporting Actress (Juliette Binoche); Best Director (Anthony Minghella); Best Cinematography (John Seale); Best Art Direction-Set Direction (Stuart Craig, Stephenie McMillan); Best Costume Design (Ann Roth); Best Sound (Walter Murch, Mark Berger, David Parker, Christopher Newman); Best Film Editing (Walter Murch); Best Original Dramatic Score (Gabriel Yared)
Other Nominations:
Best Actor (Ralph Fiennes); Best Actress (Kristin Scott Thomas); Best Adapted Screenplay (Anthony Minghella)
Currently available to stream on Showtime.
64. Marty (1955)
28th Academy Awards
Directed by Delbert Mann
Starring Ernest Borgnine, Betsy Blair, Esther Minciotti
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture (Harold Hecht); Best Actor (Ernest Borgnine); Best Director (Delbert Mann); Best Screenplay (Paddy Chayefsky)
Other Nominations:
Best Actor (Joe Mantell); Best Supporting Actress (Betsy Blair); Best Cinematography-Black & White (Joseph LaShelle); Best Art Direction-Set Direction-Black & White (Ted Haworth, Walter M. Simonds, Robert Priestley)
Currently available to stream on Tubi and Kanopy.
63. Rain Man (1988)
61st Academy Awards
Directed by Barry Levinson
Starring Dustin Hoffman, Tom Cruise, Valeria Golino, Bonnie Hunt, Beth Grant
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture (Mark Johnson); Best Actor (Dustin Hoffman); Best Director (Barry Levinson); Best Original Screenplay (Ron Bass, Barry Morrow)
Other Nominations:
Best Cinematography (John Seale); Best Art Direction-Set Direction (Ida Random, Linda DeScenna); Best Film Editing (Stu Linder); Best Original Score (Hans Zimmer)
Currently available to stream on HBO Max.
62. Platoon (1986)
59th Academy Awards
Directed by Oliver Stone
Starring Charlie Sheen, Tom Berenger, Willem Dafoe, Keith David, Forest Whitaker, Kevin Dillon, John C. McGinley, Johnny Depp, Tony Todd
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture (Arnold Kopelson); Best Director (Oliver Stone); Best Sound (John Wilkinson, Richard D. Rogers, Charles Grenzbach, Simon Kaye); Best Film Editing (Claire Simpson)
Other Nominations:
Best Supporting Actor (Tom Berenger); Best Supporting Actor (Willem Dafoe); Best Original Screenplay (Oliver Stone); Best Cinematography (Robert Richardson)
Currently available to stream on HBO Max.
61. Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014)
87th Academy Awards
Directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu
Starring Michael Keaton, Zach Galifianakis, Edward Norton, Andrea Riseborough, Emma Stone, Naomi Watts, Merritt Wever, Amy Ryan, Paula Pell, Donna Lynne Champlin, Jackie Hoffman
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture (Alejandro G. Iñárritu, John Lesher, James W. Skotchdopole); Best Director (Alejandro G. Iñárritu); Best Original Screenplay (Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Armando Bo); Best Cinematography (Emmanuel Lubezki)
Other Nominations:
Best Actor (Michael Keaton); Best Supporting Actor (Edward Norton); Best Supporting Actress (Emma Stone); Best Sound Mixing (Jon Taylor, Frank A. Montaño, Thomas Varga); Best Sound Editing (Aaron Glascock, Martín Hernández)
Currently available to stream on HBO Max.
60. Terms of Endearment (1983)
56th Academy Awards
Directed by James L. Brooks
Starring Shirley MacLaine, Debra Winger, Jack Nicholson, Danny DeVito, Jeff Daniels, John Lithgow, Albert Brooks, Mary Kay Place
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture (James L. Brooks); Best Actress (Shirley MacLaine); Best Supporting Actor (Jack Nicholson); Best Director (James L. Brooks); Best Adapted Screenplay (James L. Brooks)
Other Nominations:
Best Actress (Debra Winger); Best Supporting Actor (John Lithgow); Best Art Direction-Set Direction (Polly Platt, Harold Michelson, Tom Pedigo, Anthony Mondell); Best Sound (Donald O. Mitchell, Rick Kline, Kevin O’Connell, James R. Alexander); Best Film Editing (Richard Marks); Best Original Score (Michael Gore)
Currently available to stream on HBO Max.
59. Shakespeare in Love (1998)
71st Academy Awards
Directed by John Madden
Starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Joseph Fiennes, Geoffrey Rush, Tom Wilkinson, Judi Dench, Imelda Staunton, Colin Firth, Ben Affleck
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture (David Parfitt, Donna Gigliotti, Harvey Weinstein, Edward Zwick, Marc Norman); Best Actress (Gwyneth Paltrow); Best Supporting Actress (Judi Dench); Best Original Screenplay (Marc Norman, Tom Stoppard); Best Art Direction-Set Direction (Martin Childs, Jill Quertier); Best Costume Design (Sandy Powell); Best Original Score, Comedy or Musical (Stpehen Warbeck)
Other Nominations:
Best Supporting Actor (Geoffrey Rush); Best Director (John Madden); Best Cinematography (Richard Greatrex); Best Sound (Robin O’Donoghue, Dominic Lester, Peter Glossop); Best Film Editing (David Gamble); Best Makeup (Lisa Westcott, Veronica McAleer)
Currently available to stream on Showtime.
58. The Sting (1973)
46th Academy Awards
Directed by George Roy Hill
Starring Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Robert Shaw, Charles Durning, Eileen Brennan
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture (Tony Bill, Michael Phillips, Julia Phillips); Best Director (George Roy Hill); Best Adapted Screenplay (David S. Ward); Best Art Direction-Set Decoration (Henry Bumstead, James W. Payne); Best Costume Design (Edith Head); Best Film Editing (William Reynolds); Best Original Score (Marvin Hamlisch)
Other Nominations:
Best Actor (Robert Redford); Best Cinematography (Robert Surtees); Best Sound (Ronald Pierce, Robert R. Bertrand)
Currently available to stream on Netflix.
57. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
76th Academy Awards
Directed by Peter Jackson
Starring Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen, Ian McKellen, Orlando Bloom, Sean Astin, Cate Blanchett, Sean Bean, Ian Holm
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture (Barrie M. Osborne, Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh); Best Director (Peter Jackson); Best Adapted Screenplay (Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson); Best Film Editing (Jamie Selkirk); Best Art Direction-Set Direction (Grant Major, Dan Hennah, Alan Lee); Best Costume Design (Ngila Dickson, Richard Taylor); Best Makeup (Richard Taylor, Peter Swords King); Best Original Score (Howard Shore); Best Original Song (“Into the West”-Fran Walsh, Howard Shore, Annie Lennox); Best Sound Mixing (Christopher Boyes, Michael Semanick, Michael Hedges, Hammond Peek); Best Visual Effects (Jim Rygiel, Joe Letteri, Randall William Cook, Alex Funke)
Currently available to stream on Netflix and HBO Max.
56. The Apartment (1960)
33rd Academy Awards
Directed by Billy Wilder
Starring Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, Fred MacMurray
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture (Billy Wilder); Best Director (Billy Wilder); Best Original Screenplay (Billy Wilder, I.A.L. Diamond); Best Art Direction-Set Direction-Black & White (Alexandra Trauner, Edward G. Boyle); Best Film Editing (Daniel Mandell)
Other Nominations:
Best Actor (Jack Lemmon); Best Actress (Shirley MacLaine); Best Supporting Actor (Jack Kruschen); Best Cinematography-Black & White (Joseph LaShelle); Best Sound (Gordon Sawyer)
Currently available to stream on Paramount+.
55. Driving Miss Daisy (1989)
62nd Academy Awards
Directed by Bruce Beresford
Starring Morgan Freeman, Jessica Tandy, Dan Aykroyd, Patti LuPone, Esther Rolle
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture (Richard D. Zanuck, Lili Fini Zanuck); Best Actress (Jessica Tandy); Best Adapted Screenplay (Alfred Uhry); Best Makeup (Manlio Rocchetti, Lynn Barber, Kevin Haney)
Other Nominations:
Best Actor (Morgan Freeman); Best Supporting Actor (Dan Aykroyd); Best Art Direction-Set Decoration (Bruno Rubeo, Crispian Sallis); Best Costume Design (Elizabeth McBride); Best Film Editing (Mark Warner)
Currently available to stream on HBO Max.
54. In the Heat of the Night (1967)
40th Academy Awards
Directed by Norman Jewison
Starring Sidney Poitier, Rod Steiger, Warren Oates, Lee Grant
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture (Walter Mirisch); Best Actor (Rod Steiger); Best Adapted Screenplay (Stirling Silliphant); Best Sound (Samuel Goldwyn Studio Sound Department); Best Film Editing (Hal Ashby)
Other Nominations:
Best Director (Norman Jewison); Best Sound Effects (James Richard)
Currently available to stream on Paramount+.
53. Mutiny on the Bounty (1935)
8th Academy Awards
Directed by Frank Lloyd
Starring Charles Laughton, Clark Gable, Franchot Tone
Oscar Win:
Best Picture
Other Nominations:
Best Actor (Clark Gable); Best Actor (Charles Laughton); Best Actor (Franchot Tone); Best Director (Frank Lloyd); Best Screenplay (Jules Furthman, Talbot Jennings, Carey Wilson); Best Film Editing (Margaret Booth); Best Score (Nat W. Finston)
52. Unforgiven (1992)
65th Academy Awards
Directed by Clint Eastwood
Starring Clint Eastwood, Gene Hackman, Morgan Freeman, Richard Harris, Frances Fisher
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture (Clint Eastwood); Best Supporting Actor (Gene Hackman); Best Director (Clint Eastwood); Best Film Editing (Joel Cox)
Other Nominations:
Best Actor (Clint Eastwood); Best Original Screenplay (David Webb Peoples); Best Cinematography (Jack N. Green); Best Art Direction-Set Decoration (Henry Bumstead, Janice Blackie-Goodine); Best Sound (Les Fresholtz, Vern Poore, Rick Alexander, Rob Young)
51. Chicago (2002)
75th Academy Awards
Directed by Rob Marshall
Starring Renée Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Richard Gere, Queen Latifah, Taye Diggs, Dominic West, John C. Reilly, Chita Rivera, Christine Baranski, Lucy Liu
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture (Martin Richards); Best Supporting Actress (Catherine Zeta-Jones); Best Art Direction-Set Decoration (John Myhre, Gordon Sim); Best Costume Design (Colleen Atwood); Best Film Editing (Martin Walsh); Best Sound (Michael Minkler, Dominick Tavella, David Lee)
Other Nominations:
Best Actress (Renée Zellweger); Best Supporting Actor (John C. Reilly); Best Supporting Actress (Queen Latifah); Best Director (Rob Marshall); Best Adapted Screenplay (Bill Condon); Best Cinematography (Dion Beebe); Best Original Song (“I Move On”-John Kander, Fred Ebb)
Currently available to stream on HBO Max.
50. The Last Emperor (1987)
60th Academy Awards
Directed by Bernardo Bertolucci
Starring Peter O’Toole, John Lone, Joan Chen, Victor Wong, Richard Vuu
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture (Jeremy Thomas); Best Director (Bernardo Bertolucci); Best Adapted Screenplay (Mark Peploe, Bernardo Bertolucci); Best Cinematography (Vittorio Storaro); Best Art Direction-Set Decoration (Ferdinando Scarfiotti, Bruno Cesari, Osvaldo Desideri); Best Costume Design (James Acheson); Best Sound (Bill Rowe, Ivan Sharrock); Best Film Editing (Gabriella Cristiani); Best Original Score (Ryuichi Sakamoto, David Byrne, Cong Su)
Currently available to stream on HBO Max and The Criterion Channel.
49. Dances with Wolves (1990)
63rd Academy Awards
Directed by Kevin Costner
Starring Kevin Costner, Mary McDonnell, Graham Greene, Wes Studi
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture (Jim Wilson, Kevin Costner); Best Director (Kevin Costner); Best Adapted Screenplay (Michael Blake); Best Cinematography (Dean Semler); Best Sound (Russell Williams II, Jeffrey Perkins, Bill W. Benton, Gregory H. Watkins); Best Film Editing (Neil Travis); Best Original Score (John Barry)
Other Nominations:
Best Actor (Kevin Costner); Best Supporting Actor (Graham Greene); Best Supporting Actress (Mary McDonnell); Best Art Direction-Set Decoration (Jeffrey Beecroft, Lisa Dean); Best Costume Design (Elsa Zamparelli)
Currently available to stream on HBO Max.
48. All the King’s Men (1949)
22nd Academy Awards
Directed by Robert Rossen
Starring Broderick Crawford, John Ireland, Joanne Dru, John Derek, Mercedes McCambridge
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture; Best Actor (Broderick Crawford); Best Supporting Actress (Mercedes McCambridge)
Other Nominations:
Best Supporting Actor (John Ireland); Best Director (Robert Rossen); Best Screenplay (Robert Rossen); Best Film Editing (Robert Parrish, Al Clark)
Currently available to stream on Fubo and Tubi.
47. All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)
3rd Academy Awards
Directed by Lewis Milestone
Starring Lew Ayres, Louis Wolheim, John Wray, Arnold Lucy, Walter Rogers, Slim Summerville
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture; Best Director (Lewis Milestone)
Other Nominations:
Best Writing (George Abbott, Maxwell Anderson, Del Andrews); Best Cinematography (Arthur Edeson)
46. Ordinary People (1980)
53rd Academy Awards
Directed by Robert Redford
Starring Donald Sutherland, Mary Tyler Moore, Judd Hirsch, Timothy Hutton, M. Emmet Walsh, Elizabeth McGovern, Dinah Manoff, Adam Baldwin
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture (Ronald L. Schwary); Best Supporting Actor (Timothy Hutton); Best Director (Robert Redford); Best Adapted Screenplay (Alvin Sargent)
Other Nominations:
Best Actress (Mary Tyler Moore); Best Supporting Actor (Judd Hirsch)
Currently available to stream on Prime Video and Paramount+.
45. Million Dollar Baby (2004)
77th Academy Awards
Directed by Clint Eastwood
Starring Hilary Swank, Clint Eastwood, Morgan Freeman, Jay Baruchel, Anthony Mackie, Margo Martindale, Michael Peña
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture (Clint Eastwood, Albert S. Ruddy, Tom Rosenberg); Best Actress (Hilary Swank); Best Supporting Actor (Morgan Freeman); Best Director (Clint Eastwood)
Other Nominations:
Best Actor (Clint Eastwood); Best Adapted Screenplay (Paul Haggis); Best Film Editing (Joel Cox)
Currently available to stream on HBO Max.
44. Patton (1970)
43rd Academy Awards
Directed by Franklin J. Schaffner
Starring George C. Scott, Karl Malden, Stephen Young
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture (Frank McCarthy); Best Actor (George C. Scott); Best Director (Franklin J. Schaffner); Best Adapted Screenplay (Francis Ford Coppola, Edmund H. North); Best Art Direction-Set Decoration (Urie McCleary, Gil Parrondo, Antonio Mateos, Pierre-Louis Thévenet); Best Sound (Douglas O. Williams, Don J. Bassman); Best Film Editing (Hugh S. Fowler)
Other Nominations:
Best Cinematography (Fred J. Koenekamp); Best Special Visual Effects (Alex Weldon); Best Original Score (Jerry Goldsmith)
43. Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
81st Academy Awards
Directed by Danny Boyle
Starring Dev Patel, Freida Pinto, Anil Kapoor, Irrfan Khan
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture (Christian Colson); Best Director (Danny Boyle); Best Adapted Screenplay (Simon Beaufoy); Best Cinematography (Anthony Dod Mantle); Best Film Editing (Chris Dickens); Best Original Score (A.R. Rahman); Best Original Song (“Jai Ho”-A.R. Rahman, Gulzar); Best Sound Mixing (Ian Tapp, Richard Pryke, Resul Pookutty)
Other Nominations:
Best Original Song (“O Saya”-A.R. Rahman, M.I.A.); Best Sound Editing (Tom Sayers, Glenn Freemantle)
Currently available to stream on HBO Max.
42. The Departed (2006)
79th Academy Awards
Directed by Martin Scorsese
Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen, Ray Winstone, Vera Farmiga, Anthony Anderson, Alec Baldwin, Kevin Corrigan, James Badge Dale
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture (Graham King); Best Director (Martin Scorsese); Best Adapted Screenplay (William Monahan); Best Film Editing (Thelma Schoonmaker)
Other Nomination:
Best Supporting Actor (Mark Wahlberg)
Currently available to stream on Hulu and HBO Max.
41. Wings (1927)
1st Academy Awards
Directed by William A. Wellman
Starring Clara Bow, Charles ‘Buddy’ Rogers, Richard Arlen, Gary Cooper
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture; Best Engineering Effects (Roy Pomeroy)
Currently available to stream on Tubi and Kanopy.
40. The King’s Speech (2010)
83rd Academy Awards
Directed by Tom Hooper
Starring Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter, Jennifer Ehle, Michael Gambon, Guy Pearce, Timothy Spall
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture (Iain Canning, Emile Sherman, Gareth Unwin); Best Actor (Colin Firth); Best Director (Tom Hooper); Best Original Screenplay (David Seidler)
Other Nominations:
Best Supporting Actor (Geoffrey Rush); Best Supporting Actress (Helena Bonham Carter); Best Cinematography (Danny Cohen); Best Film Editing (Tariq Anwar); Best Costume Design (Jenny Beavan); Best Original Score (Alexandre Desplat); Best Sound Mixing (Paul Hamblin, Martin Jensen, John Midgley); Best Art Direction (Eve Stewart, Judy Farr)
Currently available to stream on Prime Video.
39. Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)
95th Academy Awards
Directed by Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert
Starring Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, Jamie Lee Curtis, Stephanie Hsu, James Hong, Jenny Slate
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture (Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert, Jonathan Wang); Best Original Screenplay (Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert); Best Director (Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert); Best Actress (Michelle Yeoh); Best Supporting Actor (Ke Huy Quan); Best Supporting Actress (Jamie Lee Curtis); Best Film Editing (Paul Rogers)
Other Nominations:
Best Original Score (Son Lux); Best Original Song (“This Is a Life”-Ryan Lott, David Byrne, Mitski); Best Supporting Actress (Stephanie Hsu); Best Costume Design (Shirley Kurata)
Currently available to stream on Showtime.
38. An American in Paris (1951)
24th Academy Awards
Directed by Vincente Minnelli
Starring Gene Kelly, Leslie Caron, Oscar Levant, Georges Guétary, Nina Foch
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture (Arthur Freed); Best Story and Screenplay (Alan Jay Lerner); Best Cinematography-Color (Alfred Gilks, John Alton); Best Art Direction-Set Decorator-Color (Cedric Gibbons, E. Preston Ames, Edwin B. Willis, F. Keogh Gleason); Best Costume Design-Color (Orry-Kelly, Walter Plunkett, Irene Sharaff); Best Score of a Musical (Johnny Green, Saul Chaplin)
Other Nominations:
Best Director (Vincente Minnelli); Best Film Editing (Adrienne Fazan)
Currently available to stream on HBO Max.
37. Argo (2012)
85th Academy Awards
Directed by Ben Affleck
Starring Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston, John Goodman, Alan Arkin, Victor Garber, Tate Donovan, Clea DuVall, Scoot McNairy, Kyle Chandler, Chris Messina, Richard Kind
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture (Grant Heslov, Ben Affleck, George Clooney); Best Adapted Screenplay (Chris Terrio); Best Film Editing (William Goldenberg)
Other Nominations:
Best Supporting Actor (Alan Arkin); Best Original Score (Alexandre Desplat); Best Sound Mixing (John T. Reitz, Gregg Rudloff, José Antonio García); Best Sound Editing (Erik Aadahl, Ethan Van der Ryn)
Currently available to stream on HBO Max.
36. The Deer Hunter (1978)
51st Academy Awards
Directed by Michael Cimino
Starring Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, John Cazale, John Savage, Meryl Streep
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture (Barry Spikings, Michael Deeley, Michael Cimino, John Peverall); Best Supporting Actor (Christopher Walken); Best Director (Michael Cimino); Best Sound (Richard Portman, William L. McCaughey, Aaron Rochin, C. Darin Knight); Best Film Editing (Peter Zinner)
Other Nominations:
Best Actor (Robert De Niro); Best Supporting Actress (Meryl Streep); Best Original Screenplay (Michael Cimino, Deric Washburn, Louis Garfinkle, Quinn K. Redeker); Best Cinematography (Vilmos Zsigmond)
Currently available to stream on Peacock.
35. Hamlet (1948)
21st Academy Awards
Directed by Laurence Olivier
Starring Laurence Olivier, Jean Simmons, John Laurie
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture (Laurence Olivier); Best Actor (Laurence Olivier); Best Art Direction-Set Decoration-Black & White (Roger K. Furse, Carmen Dillon); Best Costume Design-Black & White (Roger K. Furse)
Other Nominations:
Best Supporting Actress (Jean Simmons); Best Director (Laurence Olivier); Best Score (William Walton)
Currently available to stream on HBO Max and The Criterion Channel.
34. Grand Hotel (1932)
5th Academy Awards
Directed by Edmund Goulding
Starring Greta Garbo, John Barrymore, Joan Crawford, Wallace Beery, Lionel Barrymore, Jean Hersholt
Oscar Win:
Best Picture
33. The French Connection (1971)
44th Academy Awards
Directed by William Friedkin
Starring Gene Hackman, Roy Scheider, Fernando Rey
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture (Philip D’Antoni); Best Actor (Gene Hackman); Best Director (William Friedkin); Best Adapted Screenplay (Ernest Tidyman); Best Film Editing (Gerald B. Greenberg)
Other Nominations:
Best Supporting Actor (Roy Scheider); Best Cinematography (Owen Roizman); Best Sound (Theodore Soderberg, Christopher Newman)
32. The Hurt Locker (2008)
82nd Academy Awards
Directed by Kathryn Bigelow
Starring Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty, Guy Pearce, Ralph Fiennes, David Morse, Evangeline Lilly
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture (Kathryn Bigelow, Mark Boal, Nicolas Chartier, Greg Shapiro); Best Director (Kathryn Bigelow); Best Original Screenplay (Mark Boal); Best Film Editing (Bob Murawski, Chris Innis); Best Sound Mixing (Paul N.J. Ottosson, Ray Beckett); Best Sound Editing (Paul N.J. Ottosson)
Other Nominations:
Best Actor (Jeremy Renner); Best Cinematography (Barry Ackroyd); Best Original Score (Marco Beltrami, Buck Sanders)
31. American Beauty (1999)
72nd Academy Awards
Directed by Sam Mendes
Starring Kevin Spacey, Annette Bening, Thora Birch, Wes Bentley, Mena Suvari, Peter Gallagher, Allison Janney, Chris Cooper, Scott Bakula, John Cho, Marissa Jaret Winokur
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture (Bruce Cohen, Dan Jinks); Best Actor (Kevin Spacey); Best Director (Sam Mendes); Best Original Screenplay (Alan Ball); Best Cinematography (Conrad L. Hall)
Other Nominations:
Best Actress (Annette Bening); Best Film Editing (Tariq Anwar, Christopher Greenbury); Best Original Score (Thomas Newman)
Currently available to stream on PlutoTV.
30. Annie Hall (1977)
50th Academy Awards
Directed by Woody Allen
Starring Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, Tony Roberts, Carol Kane, Paul Simon, Shelley Duvall, Christopher Walken, Jeff Goldblum, Beverly D’Angelo, Sigourney Weaver
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture (Charles H. Joffe); Best Actress (Diane Keaton); Best Director (Woody Allen); Best Original Screenplay (Woody Allen, Marshall Brickman)
Other Nomination:
Best Actor (Woody Allen)
29. The Lost Weekend (1945)
18th Academy Awards
Directed by Billy Wilder
Starring Ray Milland, Jane Wyman, Phillip Terry, Howard Da Silva, Doris Dowling
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture; Best Actor (Ray Milland); Best Director (Billy Wilder); Best Screenplay (Charles Brackett, Billy Wilder)
Other Nominations:
Best Cinematography-Black & White (John F. Seitz); Best Film Editing (Doane Harrison); Best Score (Miklós Rózsa)
28. Spotlight (2015)
88th Academy Awards
Directed by Tom McCarthy
Starring Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo, Rachel McAdams, Liev Schreiber, John Slattery, Brian d’Arcy James, Stanley Tucci, Billy Crudup
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture (Michael Sugar, Steve Golin, Nicole Rocklin, Blye Pagon Faust); Best Original Screenplay (Josh Singer, Tom McCarthy)
Other Nominations:
Best Supporting Actor (Mark Ruffalo); Best Supporting Actress (Rachel McAdams); Best Director (Tom McCarthy); Best Film Editing (Tom McArdle)
Currently available to stream on HBO Max.
27. Titanic (1997)
70th Academy Awards
Directed by James Cameron
Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Billy Zane, Kathy Bates, Frances Fisher, Gloria Stuart, Bill Paxton, Victor Garber
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture (James Cameron, Jon Landau); Best Director (James Cameron); Best Cinematography (Russell Carpenter); Best Art Direction-Set Decoration (Peter Lamont, Michael Ford); Best Costume Design (Deborah L. Scott); Best Sound (Gary Rydstrom, Tom Johnson, Gary Summers, Mark Ulano); Best Film Editing (Conrad Buff IV, James Cameron, Richard A. Harris); Best Sound Effects Editing (Tom Bellfort, Christopher Boyes); Best Visual Effects (Robert Legato, Mark A. Lasoff, Thomas L. Fisher, Michael Kanfer); Best Original Song (“My Heart Will Go On”-James Horner, Will Jennings); Best Original Dramatic Score (James Horner)
Other Nominations:
Best Actress (Kate Winslet); Best Supporting Actress (Gloria Stuart); Best Makeup (Tina Ershaw, Greg Cannom, Simon Thompson)
26. Rebecca (1940)
13th Academy Awards
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
Starring Laurence Olivier, Joan Fontaine, George Sanders, Judith Anderson
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture; Best Cinematography-Black & White (George Barnes)
Other Nominations:
Best Actor (Laurence Olivier); Best Actress (Joan Fontaine); Best Supporting Actress (Judith Anderson); Best Director (Alfred Hitchcock); Best Screenplay (Robert E. Sherwood, Joan Harrison); Best Art Direction-Black & White (Lyle R. Wheeler); Best Film Editing (Hal C. Kern); Best Special Effects (Jack Cosgrove, Arthur Johns); Best Original Score (Franz Waxman)
25. Midnight Cowboy (1969)
42nd Academy Awards
Directed by John Schlesinger
Starring Dustin Hoffman, Jon Voight, Sylvia Miles, Bob Balaban, Paul Morrissey
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture (Jerome Hellman); Best Director (John Schlesinger); Best Adapted Screenplay (Waldo Salt)
Other Nominations:
Best Actor (Dustin Hoffman); Best Actor (Jon Voight); Best Supporting Actress (Sylvia Miles); Best Film Editing (Hugh A. Robertson)
Currently available to stream on Paramount+.
24. Amadeus (1984)
57th Academy Awards
Directed by Milos Forman
Starring F. Murray Abraham, Tom Hulce, Elizabeth Berridge, Christine Ebersole, Cynthia Nixon
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture (Saul Zaentz); Best Actor (F. Murray Abraham); Best Director (Milos Forman); Best Adapted Screenplay (Peter Shaffer); Best Art Direction-Set Decoration (Patrizia von Brandenstein, Karel Cerny); Best Costume Design (Theodor Pistek); Best Sound (Mark Berger, Thomas Scott, Todd Boekelheide, Christopher Newman); Best Makeup (Paul LeBlanc, Dick Smith)
Other Nominations:
Best Actor (Tom Hulce); Best Cinematography (Miroslav Ondrícek); Best Film Editing (Nena Danevic, Michael Chandler)
23. Gone with the Wind (1939)
12th Academy Awards
Directed by Victor Fleming
Starring Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh, Hattie McDaniel, Butterfly McQueen, Leslie Howard, Olivia de Havilland
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture; Best Actress (Vivien Leigh); Best Supporting Actress (Hattie McDaniel); Best Director (Victor Fleming); Best Screenplay (Sidney Howard); Best Cinematography-Color (Ernest Haller, Ray Rennahan); Best Art Direction (Lyle R. Wheeler); Best Film Editing (Hal C. Kern, James E. Newcom); Honorary Award (William Cameron Menzies); Technical Achievement Award (R.D. Musgrave)
Other Nominations:
Best Actor (Clark Gable); Best Supporting Actress (Olivia de Havilland); Best Sound Recording (Thomas T. Moulton); Best Special Effects (Jack Cosgrove, Fred Albin, Arthur Johns); Best Original Score (Max Steiner)
Currently available to stream on HBO Max.
22. The Shape of Water (2017)
90th Academy Awards
Directed by Guillermo del Toro
Starring Sally Hawkins, Octavia Spencer, Michael Shannon, Doug Jones, Richard Jenkins, Michael Stuhlbarg
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture (Guillermo del Toro, J. Miles Dale); Best Director (Guillermo del Toro); Best Original Score (Alexandre Desplat); Best Production Design (Paul D. Austerberry, Shane Vieau, Jeffrey A. Melvin)
Other Nominations:
Best Actress (Sally Hawkins); Best Supporting Actor (Richard Jenkins); Best Supporting Actress (Octavia Spencer); Best Original Screenplay (Guillermo del Toro, Vanessa Taylor); Best Cinematography (Dan Laustsen); Best Costume Design (Luis Sequeira); Best Sound Editing (Nathan Robitaille, Nelson Ferreira); Best Sound Mixing (Christian T. Cooke, Glen Gauthier, Brad Zoern); Best Film Editing (Sidney Wolinsky)
Currently available to stream on Hulu.
21. West Side Story (1961)
34th Academy Awards
Directed by Jerome Robbins, Robert Wise
Starring Natalie Wood, George Chakiris, Richard Beymer, Russ Tamblyn, Rita Moreno
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture (Robert Wise); Best Supporting Actor (George Chakiris); Best Supporting Actress (Rita Moreno); Best Director (Robert Wise, Jerome Robbins); Best Cinematography-Color (Daniel L. Fapp); Best Art Direction-Set Decoration-Color (Boris Leven, Victor A. Gangelin); Best Costume Design-Color (Irene Sharaff); Best Sound (Fred Hynes, Gordon Sawyer); Best Film Editing (Thomas Stanford); Best Score of a Musical Picture (Saul Chaplin, Johnny Green, Sid Ramin, Irwin Kostal)
Other Nomination:
Best Adapted Screenplay (Ernest Lehman)
Currently available to stream on Prime Video.
20. No Country for Old Men (2007)
80th Academy Awards
Directed by Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
Starring Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Woody Harrelson, Kelly Macdonald, Garret Dillahunt, Tess Harper, Stephen Root, Beth Grant, Caleb Landry Jones
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture (Scott Rudin, Ethan Coen, Joel Coen); Best Supporting Actor (Javier Bardem); Best Director (Ethan Coen, Joel Coen); Best Adapted Screenplay (Joel Coen, Ethan Coen)
Other Nominations:
Best Cinematography (Roger Deakins); Best Film Editing (Ethan Coen, Joel Coen); Best Sound Mixing (Skip Lievsay, Craig Berkey, Greg Orloff, Peter F. Kurland); Best Sound Editing (Skip Lievsay)
Currently available to stream on HBO Max.
19. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
48th Academy Awards
Directed by Milos Forman
Starring Jack Nicholson, Louise Fletcher, Michael Berryman, Scatman Crothers, Danny DeVito, Christopher Lloyd, Brad Dourif
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture (Saul Zaentz, Michael Douglas); Best Actor (Jack Nicholson); Best Actress (Louise Fletcher); Best Director (Milos Forman); Best Adapted Screenplay (Lawrence Hauben, Bo Goldman)
Other Nominations:
Best Supporting Actor (Brad Dourif); Best Cinematography (Haskell Wexler, Bill Butler); Best Film Editing (Richard Chew, Lynzee Klingman, Sheldon Kahn); Best Original Score, Drama (Jack Nitzsche)
Currently available to stream on HBO Max.
18. Nomadland (2020)
93rd Academy Awards
Directed by Chloé Zhao
Starring Frances McDormand, David Strathairn, Bob Wells, Linda May, Swankie
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture (Frances McDormand, Peter Spears, Mollye Asher, Dan Janvey, Chloé Zhao); Best Actress (Frances McDormand); Best Director (Chloé Zhao)
Other Nominations:
Best Adapted Screenplay (Chloé Zhao); Best Film Editing (Chloé Zhao); Best Cinematography (Joshua James Richards)
Currently available to stream on Hulu.
17. Mrs. Miniver (1942)
15th Academy Awards
Directed by William Wyler
Starring Greer Garson, Walter Pidgeon, Teresa Wright, May Whitty
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture; Best Actress (Greer Garson); Best Supporting Actress (Teresa Wright); Best Director (William Wyler); Best Screenplay (George Froeschel, James Hilton, Claudine West, Arthur Wimperis); Best Cinematography-Black & White (Joseph Ruttenberg)
Other Nominations:
Best Actor (Walter Pidgeon); Best Supporting Actor (Henry Travers); Best Supporting Actress (May Whitty); Best Sound Recording (Douglas Shearer); Best Film Editing (Harold F. Kress); Best Special Effects (A. Arnold Gillespie, Warren Newcombe, Douglas Shearer)
16. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
35th Academy Awards
Directed by David Lean
Starring Peter O’Toole, Alex Guinness, Anthony Quinn, Jack Hawkins, Omar Sharif, Claude Rains
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture (Sam Spiegel); Best Director (David Lean); Best Cinematography-Color (Freddie Young); Best Art Direction-Set Decoration-Color (John Box, John Stoll, Dario Simoni); Best Sound (John Cox); Best Film Editing (Anne V. Coates); Best Original Score (Maurice Jarre)
Other Nominations:
Best Actor (Peter O’Toole); Best Supporting Actor (Omar Sharif); Best Adapted Screenplay (Robert Bolt, Michael Wilson)
Currently available to stream on HBO Max.
15. The Artist (2011)
84th Academy Awards
Directed by Michel Hazanavicius
Starring Jean Dujardin, Bérénice Bejo, John Goodman, James Cromwell, Penelope Ann Miller, Missi Pyle, Beth Grant, Malcolm McDowell, Uggie
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture (Thomas Langmann); Best Actor (Jean Dujardin); Best Director (Michel Hazanavicius); Best Costume Design (Mark Bridges); Best Original Score (Ludovic Bource)
Other Nominations:
Best Supporting Actress (Bérénice Bejo); Best Original Screenplay (Michel Hazanavicius); Best Cinematography (Guillaume Schiffman); Best Film Editing (Anne-Sophie Bion, Michel Hazanavicius); Best Art Direction (Laurence Bennett, Robert Gould)
Currently available to stream on HBO Max.
14. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
64th Academy Awards
Directed by Jonathan Demme
Starring Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Kasi Lemmons, Anthony Heald, Brooke Smith, Ted Levine
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture (Edward Saxon, Kenneth Utt, Ron Bozman); Best Actor (Anthony Hopkins); Best Actress (Jodie Foster); Best Director (Jonathan Demme); Best Adapted Screenplay (Ted Tally)
Other Nominations:
Best Sound (Tom Fleischman, Christopher Newman); Best Film Editing (Craig McKay)
Currently available to stream on HBO Max.
13. 12 Years a Slave (2013)
86th Academy Awards
Directed by Steve McQueen
Starring Chiwetel Ejiofer, Michael Kenneth Williams, Michael Fassbender, Brad Pitt, Scoot McNairy, Taran Killam, Bill Camp, Paul Giamatti, Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Dano, Sarah Paulson, Lupita Nyong’p, Alfre Woodard, Garret Dillahunt
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture (Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Steve McQueen, Anthony Katagas); Best Supporting Actress (Lupita Nyong’o); Best Adapted Screenplay (John Ridley)
Other Nominations:
Best Actor (Chiwetel Ejiofer); Best Supporting Actor (Michael Fassbender); Best Costume Design (Patricia Norris); Best Director (Steve McQueen); Best Film Editing (Joe Walker); Best Production Design (Adam Stockhausen, Alice Baker)
Currently available to stream on Paramount+.
12. You Can’t Take It with You (1938)
11th Academy Awards
Directed by Frank Capra
Starring Jean Arthur, James Stewart, Lionel Barrymore, Ann Miller, Donald Meek
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture (Columbia); Best Director (Frank Capra)
Other Nominations:
Best Supporting Actress (Spring Byington); Best Screenplay (Robert Riskin); Best Cinematography (Joseph Walker); Best Sound Recording (John P. Livadary); Best Film Editing (Gene Havlick)
11. The Godfather Part II (1974)
47th Academy Awards
Directed by Francis Ford Coppola
Starring Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, John Cazale, Talia Shire, Lee Strasberg, Bruno Kirby, Harry Dean Stanton
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture (Francis Ford Coppola, Gray Frederickson, Fred Ross); Best Supporting Actor (Robert De Niro); Best Director (Francis Ford Coppola); Best Adapted Screenplay (Francis Ford Coppola, Mario Puzo); Best Art Direction-Set Decoration (Dean Tavoularis, Angelo P. Graham, George R. Nelson); Best Original Score, Drama (Nino Rota, Carmine Coppola)
Other Nominations:
Best Actor (Al Pacino); Best Supporting Actor (Michael V. Gazzo); Best Supporting Actor (Lee Strasberg); Best Supporting Actress (Talia Shire); Best Costume Design (Theadora Van Runkle)
Currently available to stream on Peacock.
10. The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
30th Academy Awards
Directed by David Lean
Starring William Holden, Alec Guinness, Jack Hawkins
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture (Sam Spiegel); Best Actor (Alec Guinness); Best Director (David Lean); Best Adapted Screenplay (Pierre Boulle, Carl Foreman, Michael Wilson); Best Cinematography (Jack Hildyard); Best Film Editing (Peter Taylor); Best Score (Malcolm Arnold)
Other Nomination:
Best Supporting Actor (Sessue Hayakawa)
Currently available to stream on HBO Max.
9. The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
19th Academy Awards
Directed by William Wyler
Starring Myrna Loy, Dana Andrews, Fredric March, Teresa Wright, Virginia Mayo, Hoagy Carmichael, Harold Russell
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture (Samuel Goldwyn Productions); Best Actor (Fredric March); Best Supporting Actor (Harold Russell); Best Director (William Wyler); Best Screenplay (Robert E. Sherwood); Best Film Editing (Daniel Mandell); Best Score (Hugo Friedhofer); Honorary Award (Harold Russell)
Other Nomination:
Best Sound Recording (Gordon Sawyer)
Currently available to stream on Prime Video.
8. The Godfather (1972)
45th Academy Awards
Directed by Francis Ford Coppola
Starring Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Diane Keaton, Robert Duvall, John Cazale, Talia Shire
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture (Albert S. Ruddy); Best Actor (Marlon Brando); Best Adapted Screenplay (Mario Puzo, Francis Ford Coppola)
Other Nominations:
Best Supporting Actor (James Caan); Best Supporting Actor (Robert Duvall); Best Supporting Actor (Al Pacino); Best Director (Francis Ford Coppola); Best Costume Design (Anna Hill Johnstone); Best Sound (Charles Grenzbach, Richard Portman, Christopher Newman); Best Film Editing (William Reynolds, Peter Zinner)
Currently available to stream on Peacock.
7. Moonlight (2016)
89th Academy Awards
Directed by Barry Jenkins
Starring Mahershala Ali, Naomie Harris, Trevante Rhodes, Janelle Monae, Ashton Sanders, Jharrel Jerome, André Holland
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture (Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Adele Romanski); Best Supporting Actor (Mahershala Ali); Best Adapted Screenplay (Barry Jenkins, Tarell Alvin McCraney)
Other Nominations:
Best Supporting Actress (Naomie Harris); Best Director (Barry Jenkins); Best Cinematography (James Laxton); Best Film Editing (Joi McMillon, Nat Sanders); Best Original Score (Nicholas Britell)
Currently available to stream on Showtime.
6. It Happened One Night (1934)
7th Academy Awards
Directed by Frank Capra
Starring Clark Gable, Claudette Colbert, Walter Connolly, Roscoe Karns
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture (Columbia); Best Actor (Clark Gable); Best Actress (Claudette Colbert); Best Director (Frank Capra); Best Adapted Screenplay (Robert Riskin)
Currently available to stream on Tubi.
5. Schindler’s List (1993)
66th Academy Awards
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Starring Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Kingsley, Caroline Goodall, Embeth Davidtz
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture (Steven Spielberg, Gerald R. Molen, Branko Lustig); Best Director (Steven Spielberg); Best Adapted Screenplay (Steven Zaillian); Best Cinematography (Janusz Kaminski); Best Art Direction-Set Decoration (Allan Starski, Ewa Braun); Best Film Editing (Michael Kahn); Best Original Score (John Williams)
Other Nominations:
Best Actor (Liam Neeson); Best Supporting Actor (Ralph Fiennes); Best Costume Design (Anna B. Sheppard); Best Sound (Andy Nelson, Steve Pederson, Scott Millan, Ron Judkins); Best Makeup (Christina Smith, Matthew W. Mungle, Judith A. Cory)
4. Parasite (2019)
92nd Academy Awards
Directed by Bong Joon Ho
Starring Song Kang-ho, Lee Sun-kyun, Cho Yeo-jeong, Choi Woo-sik, Park So-dam, Lee Jeong-eun, Jang Hye-jin
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture (Kwak Sin-ae, Bong Joon Ho); Best Director (Bong Joon Ho); Best Original Screenplay (Bong Joon Ho, Han Jin-won); Best International Film (South Korea)
Other Nominations:
Best Production Design (Lee Ha-jun, Won-woo Cho); Best Film Editing (Jinmo Yang)
Currently available to stream on Hulu.
3. On the Waterfront (1954)
27th Academy Awards
Directed by Elia Kazan
Starring Marlon Brando, Karl Malden, Lee J. Cobb, Rod Steiger, Eva Marie Saint
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture (Sam Spiegel); Best Actor (Marlon Brando); Best Supporting Actress (Eva Marie Saint); Best Director (Elia Kazan); Best Story and Screenplay (Budd Schulberg); Best Cinematography-Black & White (Boris Kaufman); Best Art Direction-Set Decoration-Black & White (Richard Day); Best Film Editing (Gene Milford)
Other Nominations:
Best Supporting Actor (Lee J. Cobb); Best Supporting Actor (Karl Malden); Best Supporting Actor (Rod Steiger); Best Score (Leonard Bernstein)
Currently available to stream on HBO Max.
2. All About Eve (1950)
23rd Academy Awards
Directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Starring Bette Davis, Anne Baxter, George Sanders, Celeste Holm, Marilyn Monroe, Thelma Ritter, Hugh Marlowe
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture (Darryl F. Zanuck); Best Supporting Actor (George Sanders); Best Director (Joseph L. Mankiewicz); Best Screenplay (Joseph L. Mankiewicz); Best Costume Design-Black & White (Edith Head, Charles Le Maire); Best Sound Recording (Thomas T. Moulton)
Other Nominations:
Best Actress (Anne Baxter); Best Actress (Bette Davis); Best Supporting Actress (Celeste Holm); Best Supporting Actress (Thelma Ritter); Best Cinematography-Black & White (Milton R. Krasner); Best Art Direction-Set Decoration-Black & White (Lyle R. Wheeler, George W. Davis, Thomas Little, Walter M. Scott); Best Film Editing (Barbara McLean); Best Score (Alfred Newman)
1. Casablanca (1942)
16th Academy Awards
Directed by Michael Curtiz
Starring Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid, Claude Rains, Dooley Wilson
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture; Best Director (Michael Curtiz); Best Screenplay (Julius J. Epstein, Philip G. Epstein, Howard Koch)
Other Nominations:
Best Actor (Humphrey Bogart); Best Supporting Actor (Claude Rains); Best Cinematography-Black & White (Arthur Edeson); Best Film Editing (Owen Marks); Best Score (Max Steiner)
Currently available to stream on HBO Max.
