Twelve times the Oscars got it really wrong
You can't please everyone, a sentiment the Academy must be all too familiar with considering how much outrage and upset Oscar results can cause.
In 2019 there were more than a few raised eyebrows when controversial film Green Book picked up Best Picture over more daring projects like Roma and BlacKkKlansman and Spike Lee made his dissatisfaction known.
Films tend to mature like fine wines, so only time will tell whether their decision was justified.
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Here are 12 outrageous Oscars decisions that look more ridiculous with every passing year.
How Green Was My Valley - Best Picture, 1941
Should have won: Citizen Kane
Orson Wellesâ innovative directorial debut has achieved near mythical status since its release over 70 years ago, topping countless âBest Film Of All Timeâ lists including five consecutive Sight and Sound critic polls and two American Film Institute lists in 1998 and 2007.
With the passage of time, itâs clear that the Academy dropped a massive ball when it chose to honour John Fordâs fine but largely forgotten Welsh mining drama over Wellesâ groundbreaking masterpiece.
Forrest Gump - Best Picture, 1994
Should have won: Pulp Fiction
Itâs probably a bit unfair to suggest that Robert Zemeckisâ epoch-spanning drama didnât deserve its Oscar. It still bears up to repeat viewings, but 1994 was a vintage year and history would suggest the Academy chose the wrong film to win.
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The jigsaw structure of Quentin Tarantinoâs Pulp Fiction is still studied in film classes around the world and the snappy dialogue is quoted to this day.
Art Carney, Harry and Tonto - Best Actor, 1974
Should have won: Al Pacino, Godfather Part II
Al Pacino was nominated 7 times by the Academy before he ultimately won for Scent of a Woman in 1993 (more on that in a minute), but missing out on the top trophy for The Godfather Part II is the one that sticks out as the biggest oversight on the Academyâs behalf.
Carney â who would late appear in the Star Wars Holiday Special no less â won for his performance in Harry and Tonto a road movie about an elderly widower who travels cross-country with his pet cat. Weâre sure heâs great in it, but câmon â this is Al Pacinoâs best performance in the greatest sequel of all time.
Crash - Best Picture, 2005
Should have won: Brokeback Mountain
Ang Leeâs poignant cowboy romance was front-runner to pick up Best Picture on the night, but there was an audible gasp from the audience when presenter Jack Nicholson announced Paul Haggisâ film as the winner instead.
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The race drama has since been named âWorst Winner of Best Picture Oscarsâ by Film Comment, with many critics at the time suggesting Academy voters decided to go with the âsaferâ option rather than honouring Leeâs gay drama. Since the whole Crash debacle there havenât been any major Oscar upsets of note, indicating perhaps that the Academy has learned its lesson.
Dances With Wolves - Best Picture, 1990
Should have won: Goodfellas
It was slim pickings in the Best Picture race for 1990, with Kevin Costnerâs Western jostling with Goodfellas, Ghost, Awakenings and The Godfather Part III for the top honour.
The appeal of Martin Scorseseâs gangster epic has endured a lot longer than the eventual winner, which has faded into relative obscurity. It would be 16 years years before the Academy atoned for their sins by giving the Best Picture Oscar to Marty for The Departed.
Titanic - Best Picture, 1997
Should have won: LA Confidential
Few can dispute the box office appeal of James Cameronâs romantic epic as it was the highest-grossing film of all time when it won the Best Picture Oscar, but can you hand-on-heart say it was empirically the âbestâ film released that year?
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Hammy dialogue and a hokey love story didnât keep the punters away, but it should have put off the Academy voters at least. The far superior LA Confidential has gone on to be recognised as a true genre classic while the initial acclaim for Titanic has diminished with time.
Shakespeare In Love - Best Picture, 1998
Should have won: Saving Private Ryan
Ferocious Oscar campaigner Harvey Weinstein has often been credited as the puppetmaster behind this famous Oscar upset. His firm Miramax reportedly spent âat least $5mâ on its Oscar campaign for Shakespeare In Love in a bid to beat its nearest rival Saving Private Ryan, as well as throwing a dubious party for Academy voters in clear violation of the Oscar rules.
At the Academy Awards after-party Weinstein is rumoured to have congratulated Spielberg for his nomination, to which the Jaws director is said to have responded with a cutting âyouâre welcomeâ.
Kramer Vs Kramer - Best Picture, 1979
Should have won: Apocalypse Now
Letâs be absolutely clear about this: Kramer vs Kramer is a brilliant film. Robert Bentonâs divorce drama is an out and out classic, but its cultural impact pales in comparison to Francis Ford Coppolaâs anti-war masterpiece.
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Despite its initially muted critical reception, Apocalypse Now is now rightly considered to be one of the greatest movies of its era, and indeed of all time. In 2009 the London Film Criticsâ Circle voted it the best film of the last 30 years. I love the smell of redemption in the morning.
Sean Penn, Mystic River - Best Actor, 2003
Should have won: Bill Murray - Lost In Translation
The irascible comic seemed destined to be honoured by the Academy for his performance in Sofia Coppolaâs âMay-To-Decemberâ rom-com, but in the end he lost out to Sean Penn.
Murrayâs unselfconscious, self-parodying turn is still considering a career best for the Ghostbusters star â can anyone else even remember Pennâs?
Al Pacino, Scent of a Woman - Best Actor, 1992
Should have won: Denzel Washington - Malcolm X
This win for Pacino reeked of the Academy making up for not honouring the actor the first 7 times he was nominated. Pacino got his Oscar but it wasnât for his best performance which is a huge shame, particularly when there were plenty more fine actors vying for the same trophy that year.
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Denzel Washington should probably feel the most aggrieved for missing out in Malcolm X, but the Oscars would make amends later awarding him the best actor prize in 2001 for Training Day.
Phil Collins: âYouâll Be In My Heartâ from Tarzan - Best Song, 1999
Should have won: Randy Newman: âWhen She Loved Meâ - Toy Story 2
Unless youâre a hardcore Disney fan Iâd wager youâd find it impossible to whistle a single tune from Disneyâs Tarzan, but it still managed to bag itself an Oscar for Best Song.
Randy Newmanâs Toy Story 2 tearjerker is one of the most memorable musical moments at the movies in recent years, so the fact his amazing song was overlooked in favour of Phil Collins is particularly galling.
Ordinary People - Best Picture, 1980
Should have won: Raging Bull
Martin Scorseseâ boxing biopic is considered to be the last great movie to come out of Hollywoodâs amazing 1970s revival, however it missed out on the Best Picture Oscar thanks to one of the eraâs other big winners, the Sundance Kid himself.
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Robert Redford also won Best Director for his directorial debut, but history would suggest that Scorsese should feel particularly aggrieved for this snub.