I think the inclusion of Sunrise is wrong. It didn't win the official Best Picture category, and the Academy doesn't list it as one of the Best Picture winners.
IMDb ratings are good at revealing the biases and blind spots of the academy over the years. For instance many films that are now rated as the best comedies of all time were made in the 1930s, but they weren’t even considered worthy of nomination at the time. Instead the Oscar kept going to melodramas that are now considered bad or mediocre.
1930-31.
Winner: Cimarron 6.1 imdb (lowest rated best picture winner)
Robbed: City Lights 8.6 (not nominated; now the highest rated comedy on imdb, #46 top 250)
The bias in favor of drama continues into the 1940s and 1950s where some of the highest rated thrillers and film-noirs of all time are consistently overlooked. Alfred Hitchcock wins in 1940 and then is robbed of the Oscar (or even the courtesy of a nomination!) a dozen times over the next 20 years.
1944.
Winner: Going My Way 7.4
Robbed: Double Indemnity 8.6 (not nominated, #54 top 250)
1951.
Winner: An American In Paris 7.2 (tenth lowest rated winner)
Robbed: Strangers on a Train 8.3 (not nominated, #139 top 250)
1956.
Winner: Around the World In 80 Days 6.8 (fifth lowest rated winner)
Robbed: The Killing 8.2 (not nominated, #197 top 250)
Not even a nomination for Rope (1948; #234 top 250), Rear Window (1954; #22 top 250), North By Northwest (1959; #37 top 250) or Psycho (1960; #26 top 250).
The bias in favor of drama continues into 1980s where a number of dull, forgettable films win 'Best Picture' against the best adventure movies ever made:
1980.
Winner: Ordinary People 7.8
Robbed: Empire Strikes Back 8.8 (not nominated, #11 top 250)
1981.
Winner: Chariots of Fire 7.2 (10th lowest rated winner)
Robbed: Raiders of the Lost Ark 8.7 (#23 top 250)_
1983.
Winner: Terms of Endearment 7.3
Robbed: Return of the Jedi 8.3 (not nominated, #97 top 250)
1985.
Winner: Out of Africa 7.0 (ninth lowest rated winner)
Robbed: Back to the Future 8.4 (not nominated, #66 top 250)
1989.
Winner: Driving Miss Daisy 7.4
Robbed: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade 8.3 (not nominated, #100 top 250)
In each case -- comedy in the 30s, suspense in the 40s and 50s, and adventure in the 80s -- the academy has failed to acknowledge or appreciate the unique genius of the era because it has been narrowly biased towards one film genre (drama) for almost 9 decades, to the point where poorly made dramas are consistently chosen over amazing films of other genres (animation, horror, and action need not even apply).
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Comments 31 - 42 of 42
afan
nothing has really come close to living up to The Return of the King in the last 7 years.FRODO LIVES! :)
Tish418
@disappearer are you serious? No Country for Old Men was better than the previous 7 years.KatForsyth
LOL @NickCaron.jbbeebe
Gee willikers Monty!monty
And quite a few stink.jbbeebe
Gee! Some of these pictures are swell!merlynwise
@RFNAPLES: Actually, "Wings" was the first of TWO silent films to win Best Picture. "Sunrise" won the following year.Nuked
I think the inclusion of Sunrise is wrong. It didn't win the official Best Picture category, and the Academy doesn't list it as one of the Best Picture winners.Imps
I'd say 50%(and then I feel I am being nice) of the movies aren't very worthy of winning their year by a longshot.greenhorg
IMDb ratings are good at revealing the biases and blind spots of the academy over the years. For instance many films that are now rated as the best comedies of all time were made in the 1930s, but they weren’t even considered worthy of nomination at the time. Instead the Oscar kept going to melodramas that are now considered bad or mediocre.1930-31.
Winner: Cimarron 6.1 imdb (lowest rated best picture winner)
Robbed: City Lights 8.6 (not nominated; now the highest rated comedy on imdb, #46 top 250)
1932-33.
Winner: Cavalcade 6.4 (second lowest rated winner)
Robbed: Duck Soup 8.1 (not nominated)
1936.
Winner: The Great Ziegfeld 6.9 (seventh lowest rated winner)
Robbed: Modern Times 8.5 (not nominated; fifth best comedy, # 61 top 250)
greenhorg
The bias in favor of drama continues into the 1940s and 1950s where some of the highest rated thrillers and film-noirs of all time are consistently overlooked. Alfred Hitchcock wins in 1940 and then is robbed of the Oscar (or even the courtesy of a nomination!) a dozen times over the next 20 years.1944.
Winner: Going My Way 7.4
Robbed: Double Indemnity 8.6 (not nominated, #54 top 250)
1951.
Winner: An American In Paris 7.2 (tenth lowest rated winner)
Robbed: Strangers on a Train 8.3 (not nominated, #139 top 250)
1956.
Winner: Around the World In 80 Days 6.8 (fifth lowest rated winner)
Robbed: The Killing 8.2 (not nominated, #197 top 250)
1958.
Winner: Gigi 6.9 (sixth lowest rated winner)
Robbed: Vertigo 8.5 (not nominated, #47 top 250)
Not even a nomination for Rope (1948; #234 top 250), Rear Window (1954; #22 top 250), North By Northwest (1959; #37 top 250) or Psycho (1960; #26 top 250).
greenhorg
The bias in favor of drama continues into 1980s where a number of dull, forgettable films win 'Best Picture' against the best adventure movies ever made:1980.
Winner: Ordinary People 7.8
Robbed: Empire Strikes Back 8.8 (not nominated, #11 top 250)
1981.
Winner: Chariots of Fire 7.2 (10th lowest rated winner)
Robbed: Raiders of the Lost Ark 8.7 (#23 top 250)_
1983.
Winner: Terms of Endearment 7.3
Robbed: Return of the Jedi 8.3 (not nominated, #97 top 250)
1985.
Winner: Out of Africa 7.0 (ninth lowest rated winner)
Robbed: Back to the Future 8.4 (not nominated, #66 top 250)
1989.
Winner: Driving Miss Daisy 7.4
Robbed: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade 8.3 (not nominated, #100 top 250)
In each case -- comedy in the 30s, suspense in the 40s and 50s, and adventure in the 80s -- the academy has failed to acknowledge or appreciate the unique genius of the era because it has been narrowly biased towards one film genre (drama) for almost 9 decades, to the point where poorly made dramas are consistently chosen over amazing films of other genres (animation, horror, and action need not even apply).
Showing items 31 – 42 of 42