# Ranking all the Best Picture winners **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 27, 2013, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ranking-all-the-best-picture-winners/651557 "2013-02-27T21:30:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2013, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ranking-all-the-best-picture-winners/651557/1 "2013-02-27T21:30:19Z")
The Rotten Tomatoes web site has ranked each of the Best Picture winners using some semi-mysterious process. From the site: > [@](#): > > Every year Rotten Tomatoes revisits every Best Picture winner of Oscars past…sorting them by the strict and rigorous standards of Tomatometer science. I thought it would be interesting to review, discuss, and tear into the rankings. I assume someone will want to throw a big WTF at #11 Argo, for example. As for me, I could debate numbers 2-85, but I am perfectly happy with #1. Here ya go: 1. The Godfather – 1972 2. All About Eve – 1950 3. Casablanca – 1942 4. On the Waterfront – 1954 5. An American in Paris – 1951 6. Gone with the Wind – 1939 7. Rebecca – 1940 8. It Happened One Night – 1934 9. Lawrence of Arabia – 1962 10. The Godfather, Part II – 1974 11. Argo – 2012 12. The Hurt Locker – 2008 13. The Lost Weekend – 1945 14. The Artist – 2011 15. Annie Hall – 1977 16. The French Connection – 1971 17. Marty – 1950 18. Patton – 1970 19. The Bridge on the River Kwai – 1957 20. The Best Years of Our Lives – 1946 21. Amadeus – 1984 22. All Quiet on the Western Front – 1930 23. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest – 1975 24. Schindler’s List – 1993 25. Unforgiven – 1992 26. Slumdog Millionaire – 2008 27. No Country for Old Men – 2007 28. Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans - 1927 29. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King – 2003 30. You Can’t Take It with You – 1938 31. West Side Story – 1961 32. All the King’s Men – 1949 33. The Departed – 2006 34. The King’s Speech – 2010 35. The Silence of the Lambs – 1991 36. Titanic – 1997 37. Wings – 1928 38. The Apartment – 1960 39. My Fair Lady – 1964 40. Shakespeare in Love – 1998 41. Mutiny on the Bounty – 1935 42. The Sting – 1973 43. Rocky – 1976 44. The Deer Hunter – 1978 45. Million Dollar Baby – 2004 46. In the Heat of the Night – 1967 47. The Last Emperor – 1987 48. American Beauty – 1999 49. How Green Was My Valley – 1941 50. Midnight Cowboy – 1969 51. Ordinary People – 1980 52. From Here To Eternity – 1953 53. Ben-Hur – 1959 54. Gandhi – 1982 55. Rain Man – 1988 56. Chicago – 2002 57. Mrs. Miniver – 1942 58. Hamlet – 1948 59. Platoon – 1986 60. Grand Hotel – 1932 61. The Sound of Music – 1965 62. Terms of Endearment – 1983 63. Chariots of Fire – 1981 64. Kramer vs. Kramer – 1979 65. The English Patient – 1996 66. Oliver! – 1968 67. Braveheart – 1995 68. Dances with Wolves – 1990 69. Tom Jones – 1963 70. Gentleman’s Agreement – 1947 71. Driving Miss Daisy – 1989 72. A Beautiful Mind – 2001 73. Gladiator – 2000 74. A Man for All Seasons – 1966 75. Crash – 2005 76. Gigi – 1958 77. Around the World in 80 Days – 1956 78. Forrest Gump – 1994 79. Going My Way – 1944 80. The Life of Emile Zola – 1937 81. Cavalcade – 1933 82. The Great Ziegfeld – 1936 83. Out of Africa – 1985 84. Cimarron – 1931 85. The Greatest Show on Earth – 1952 86. The Broadway Melody – 1929 ---
**Author:** ![Sateryn76](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@Sateryn76](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sateryn76)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2013, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ranking-all-the-best-picture-winners/651557/2 "2013-02-27T21:52:36Z")
These kinds of lists are always going to be tricky for a lot of people, because they mix the entire list from all time periods. A movie made 70 years ago is so fundamentally different than one made in 1987, it’s impossible for someone who is not a movie fanatic to make sense of this kind of ranking. I’m having the same problem in the “character actor” thread. I don’t care for old movies. They are too dramatic and stage-y to someone like me, who started watching movies in 1983. So I look at a list like this, and think “Seriously? _All About Eve_ is better than _Rainman_?” And it makes me think of movie snobs that automatically worship any “classic” (not directing that at anyone here). It may make more sense to split lists like this into eras, maybe even just pre- and post-1967 (?) to account for such a dramatic (ha!) change in how movies are paced and plotted. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2013, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ranking-all-the-best-picture-winners/651557/3 "2013-02-27T23:24:23Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > The Rotten Tomatoes web site has ranked each of the Best Picture winners using some semi-mysterious process. > > … > I thought it would be interesting to review, discuss, and tear into the rankings. How many of the 86 movies have you seen? There are some older films on that list that are rarely shown even on TCM. For example, how often has **Broadway Melody** been aired? ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2013, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ranking-all-the-best-picture-winners/651557/4 "2013-02-27T23:38:29Z")
Well, right off the bat _The Lost Weekend_ is way too high. Of course, that was sort of the problem within the film, too, as I recall. ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2013, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ranking-all-the-best-picture-winners/651557/5 "2013-02-27T23:42:04Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > I thought it would be interesting to review, discuss, and tear into the rankings. I assume someone will want to throw a big WTF at #11 Argo, for example. I think their formula has less data to draw from for ranking the newer films- which skews the results. 2012 is, as you noted, at #11 while 2009 is at #12 and 2011 is at #14. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2013, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ranking-all-the-best-picture-winners/651557/6 "2013-02-28T01:01:28Z")
This is all in my opinion, of course. The top third of the list looks pretty good, actually. I didn’t like The Hurt Locker, but other than that I would only quibble about the ordering. (I would put both Amadeus and Schindler’s List a lot higher. Also, West Side Story is one of my all time favorite movies, and has been for decades, so it’s another I would have rated higher.) But movies in the bottom third of that list that I liked, so should have been rated higher, are: 1. Oliver! – 1968 2. A Beautiful Mind – 2001 3. A Man for All Seasons – 1966 4. The Life of Emile Zola – 1937 There are a lot of movies in the middle of the list that I’m very meh about. I kind of like them, but I don’t love them. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2013, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ranking-all-the-best-picture-winners/651557/7 "2013-02-28T03:22:25Z")
> [@NDP](#): > > How many of the 86 movies have you seen? There are some older films on that list that are rarely shown even on TCM. For example, how often has **Broadway Melody** been aired? Not really sure why you’re asking, but I have seen all but five. mmm ETA: Yes, I’ve seen **Broadway Melody** ; thought it was awful. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2013, 9:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ranking-all-the-best-picture-winners/651557/8 "2013-02-28T09:46:44Z")
> [@Sateryn76](#): > > “Seriously? _All About Eve_ is better than _Rainman_?” And it makes me think of movie snobs that automatically worship any “classic” (not directing that at anyone here). Actually, I’d put \*All About Eve \*at #1 . . . and I’m not even a movie snob. And where is _Inherit the Wind_ ? ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2013, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ranking-all-the-best-picture-winners/651557/9 "2013-02-28T11:15:42Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > And where is _Inherit the Wind_ ? The List ranks the 86\* Films that were awarded Best Picture (or the equivilent award- the title of the award has changed throughout the years). [Inherit The Wind didn’t win Best Picture](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inherit_the_Wind_(1960_film)#Awards) (it wasn’t even nominated). \*Though this most recent ceremony was only the 85th, there are 86 films on the list. This is because the list counts both _Sunrise_ and _Wings_. [At the first Academy Awards, there were two different categories both of which were equally considered to be the “Top Prize”. _Sunrise_ was awarded “Unique and Artistic Production” while _Wings_ was awarded “Outstanding Picture”.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academy_Award_for_Best_Picture#History) ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2013, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ranking-all-the-best-picture-winners/651557/10 "2013-02-28T13:36:47Z")
I would put **lower** : ``` An American in Paris (5) Argo (11) The Hurt Locker (12) The Departed (33) Wings (37) Gladiator (73) ``` I would put \*\*_much lower_: ``` Gone with the Wind (6) The Artist (14) The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (29) Chicago (56) The Sound of Music (61) ``` I would put **higher** : ``` The Godfather, Part II (10) Marty (17) The Best Years of Our Lives (20) Mutiny on the Bounty (41) Rocky (43) Gentleman’s Agreement (70) ``` I would put \*\*_much higher_: ``` Schindler’s List (24) The Apartment (38) The Deer Hunter (44) How Green Was My Valley (49) The Life of Emile Zola (80) ``` For the record, I have not seen: ``` The Last Emperor (47) Tom Jones (69) A Man For All Seasons (74) The Great Ziegfeld (82) The Greatest Show on Earth (85) ``` ---
**Author:** ![Kepler1571](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/db5fbb/32.png) [@Kepler1571](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kepler1571)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2013, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ranking-all-the-best-picture-winners/651557/11 "2013-02-28T13:46:40Z")
Impossible to make a list with application beyond an individual. For example, the initial list has “Broadway Melody” at dead last, whereas I would rank it higher than any winner in the last 20 years, which themselves would all appear in the bottom half. Lists like this only say, “I like my pie, not your pie!” ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2013, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ranking-all-the-best-picture-winners/651557/12 "2013-02-28T14:01:40Z")
> [@Kepler1571](#): > > Lists like this only say, “I like my pie, not your pie!” I don’t disagree. But I see nothing wrong with comparing pies. 🙂 mmm ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2013, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ranking-all-the-best-picture-winners/651557/13 "2013-02-28T14:06:39Z")
**The Broadway Melody** deserves its ranking. Even for its time, it was not a top-rank film, but the Oscars in the 30s were basically rigged – voters were pressured to vote for their own studio’s films and the major studios had a tacit agreement to spread the awards around. The voting became more independent in the 40s but didn’t eliminate studio interference until it was broadcast and the TV networks paid for the award show instead of the studios. **The Greatest Show on Earth** is surprisingly good. Given the nominees in 1952, only **High Noon** would have been a clearly better choice. **Argo** , OTOH is rated too high. One of the problems with the IMDB rankings is that it favors new films over older ones. As time goes by, **Argo’s** critical consensus will drop (though it will still be considered a good movie). I also think **The French Connection** is overrated. Too many plot problems. **Crash** deserves to be much higher. Most people misunderstood the point of the film, and the interplay of characters – as well as their depth – made it a clearly great film. It’s one of the best choices the academy made. Same with **Shakespeare in Love** , whose screenplay was one of the cleverest in the history of film. Other than that, it’s all fine tuning and the difference of fifteen places up or down is meaningless. ---
**Author:** ![Kepler1571](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/db5fbb/32.png) [@Kepler1571](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kepler1571)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2013, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ranking-all-the-best-picture-winners/651557/14 "2013-02-28T17:54:11Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > I don’t disagree. > > But I see nothing wrong with comparing pies. 🙂 > mmm In that case, my pie: Best 10: Casablanca – 1942 All About Eve – 1950 It Happened One Night – 1934 HUGE GAP West Side Story – 1961 The Deer Hunter – 1978 In the Heat of the Night – 1967 The Sound of Music – 1965 Gentleman’s Agreement – 1947 My Fair Lady – 1964 A Man for All Seasons – 1966 [COLOR=“Red”]Worst 10: The Departed – 2006 (possibly the worst movie ever made) Oliver! – 1968 HUGE GAP Argo – 2012 Titanic – 1997 Unforgiven – 1992 Shakespeare in Love – 1998 Rocky – 1976 Rain Man – 1988 Braveheart – 1995 The Silence of the Lambs – 1991[/COLOR] ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2013, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ranking-all-the-best-picture-winners/651557/15 "2013-02-28T18:18:19Z")
I’ll just rate a personal top 10 (in no particular order), and leave it at that: ``` The Godfather – 1972 Casablanca – 1942 Lawrence of Arabia – 1962 The French Connection – 1971 The Bridge on the River Kwai – 1957 The Best Years of Our Lives – 1946 Amadeus – 1984 No Country for Old Men – 2007 In the Heat of the Night – 1967 From Here To Eternity – 1953 ``` I’ve not seen maybe 20% of the films on the list, but I’m pretty sure having seen them would not change my top ten significantly. Like others, I find it hard to rate most films made earlier than the mid-fifties due to the stagy acting styles and glaring technical limitations imposed on the medium.