Every year the Academy Awards are presented to the rare gems from Hollywood and the international film industry. The awards regard the creative and technical merit of the art and the artist. The Oscars are regarded as one of the prestigious and significant honors in the entertainment world.
For the past 94 years, best picture awards are given to the most wonderful movie of that year. But then which of these would be the best and the worst, ever wondered? Here is a compilation of 25 movies that have stood out from the others that have been awarded the best picture over the years. From romantic to tragedy, thrillers to political, the following Oscar-winning movies are mindblowing and intriguing.
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Top 25 Oscar-Winning Films Of All Time
1. The Godfather (1972)
One of the greatest critical and commercial successes of all time, The Godfather is fit to stay on top of the list of the best Oscar-winning movies. The film focuses on the Italian American crime family of Don Vito Corleone. As the reluctant son joins the mafia business, he gets involved in much violence and betrayal. This is one of the movies that exceeded expectations. The movie was nominated for ten categories and won three awards.
2. Casablanca (1942)
This American romantic drama was directed by Michael Curtiz and starred Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, and Paul Henreid. The movie revolves around a cynical cafe owner who struggles to choose between his love for a woman and whether to help her and her husband to escape the Nazi-controlled city of Casablanca. Casablanca was nominated for eight awards but won only three Oscars.
3. Schindler’s List (1993)
Directed by Steven Spielberg, the movie portrays the horrors of the Holocaust with a mix of tender humanism and creativity. Overwhelmed by his understanding of what would happen to his Jewish employers, the industrialist, Oskar Schindler tries to protect them. The masterpiece was nominated for 12 awards and won seven of them at the Oscars.
4. On The Waterfront (1954)
The crime drama revolves around Terry Mallory who runs errands for the mafia boss, Johnny Friendly. The ex-prize fighter tries to stand up to his corrupt union boss. His need to revolt increases as he meets the sister of one of the victims of his master. The movie directed by Elia Kazan has Marlon Brando, Eva Marie Saint, and Karl Malden in its lead cast. The movie bagged eight Oscars out of the twelve nominations.
5. Gone With The Wind (1939)
The American epic film is one of the best-known and most successful films of all time. The movie received ten Oscar awards, eight competitive, and two honoraries from its thirteen nominations. This is a classic turbulent romance between a manipulative woman and a roguish profiteer during the American Civil War and Reconstruction periods. The movie was directed by Victor Fleming and starred Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable.
6. It Happened One Night (1934)
A roguish reporter follows the young daughter of a socialite in need of a big story. He joins her on a bus ride back to New York from Florida. But they end up being left behind at a bus stop, thus they get stuck together. This is one of the only three films in Oscar history to win all the five major categories of Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Picture, Best Writing, and Best Director. The romantic comedy was directed by Frank Capra and starred Clark Gable alongside Claudette Colbert.
7. West Side Story (1961)
The musical romantic drama was directed by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins and starred Natalie Wood, Richard Beymour, Russ Tamblyn, and Rita Moreno. The story develops as the youngsters from rival New York City gangs fall in love, but the tension between their friends makes things worse. The film won ten categories out of the eleven nominations.
8. Annie Hall (1977)
Acted and directed by Woody Allen, ‘Annie Hall‘ is a satirical romantic comedy-drama. The plot revolves around a divorced Jewish comedian, Alvy Singer who is trying to patch up his relationship with his ex-lover Annie Hall. The hit movie had been nominated for the Big Five Oscar awards but could only win four of them.
9. Moonlight (2016)
‘Moonlight‘ focuses on a young African-American man who grapples with his identity and sexuality along with the daily struggles of childhood, adolescence, and burgeoning adulthood. The movie had eight nominations at the Oscars and won three including Best Picture. The film was directed by Barry Jenkins with Ashton Sanders and Mahershala Ali in the leading roles.
10. Parasite (2019)
The movie portrays the disparities between the struggling Kim family and the rich Park family. These families soon start sharing a household and depend on each other for a living. Directed by Bong Joon-ho, ‘Parasite‘ became the first foreign-language film to win the award for Best Picture. The picture received six nods and won four Academy Awards.
11. The Godfather: Part II (1974)
The American crime movie focuses on Michael, Vito Corleone’s son as he expands his family’s criminal empire by striking a business deal with the gangster Hyman Roth. The former will now have many challenges and dangers to face. The movie, one of the greatest of all time, won six out of the eleven nominations at the Academy Awards.
12. One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
The plot follows a Korean War veteran and criminal who pleads to insanity and is admitted to a mental asylum in the fall of 1963. here he rallies up the scared patients against the tyrannical nurse. The movie won the five major categories for Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Writing out of the nine nominations.
13. The Silence Of The Lambs (1990)
The unforgettable movie, The Silence of the Lambs is based on a young FBI agent, Clarice Sterling, who seeks help from a psychopathic serial killer, Hannibal Lecter to seek another serial killer. Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster made the lead roles memorable. the film won five major awards for Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay out of its seven nominations.
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14. The Bridge On The River Kwai (1957)
The epic war film directed by David Lean revolves around the British POWs who are forced to build a railway bridge across the river Kwai for the Japanese captors in occupied Burma. Little do they know that the Allied Forces are planning a daring commando raid through the jungle to destroy the bridge. The movie had 8 nominations and won 7 of them at the Oscars.
15. Rocky (1976)
‘Rocky’ is a 1976 American drama film about a small Philadelphia boxer who gets a chance to fight the heavyweight world champion, Apollo Creed. As Rocky jumps into the ring, he is unaware of the tough task ahead of him. The movie was directed by John G. Avildsen and starred Sylvester Stallone, Talla Shire along with Burt Young. the film was nominated for 10 Oscars and won three of them.
16. The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King (2003)
The story proceeds as Gandalf and Aragon lead the World of Men against Sauron’s army to draw his gaze from Frodo and Sam as they approach Mount Doom with One Ring. The finale of Peter Jackson’s epic trilogy was visually breathtaking and emotionally powerful. Paying off the ten years of his work, the epic fantasy movie bagged all the eleven Oscars that it was nominated for. This was also the only time that a fantasy film was awarded the best picture in the history of Academy Awards.
17. Forrest Gump (1994)
The movie is an American drama-comedy that focuses on the life of a slow-witted and kindhearted Alabama man named Forrest Gump. The several decades of Gump’s life transcend him from a weak teenage boy to a war veteran and a father. In 2011, the Library of Congress selected the film to be preserved as it was “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant“. The movie became the second highest-grossing film of 1994 and went on to win six Academy Awards.
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18. No Country For Old Men (2007)
A crime drama and western thriller, the movie is based on a bad drug deal that had gone wrong in the early 1980s in West Texas. The plot, exciting chase scenes, and the cat-and-mouse game are all factors that contributed to the making of this spine-chilling movie. The film was nominated for eight categories and won four of them.
19. Titanic (1997)
The romantic blockbuster that lives rent-free in the minds of its audience. This evergreen movie revolved around Jack and Rose who was on the first-ever cruise ship, Titanic. Directed by James Cameron, Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet were in the lead roles. The movie has one of the biggest wins at the Oscars. It was nominated for 14 awards, the highest number of nominations ever, and won 11 out of the 14.
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20. Amadeus (1984)
Directed by Milo Forman, the movie is an opulent fictional biography of the musical prodigy Mozart. The film has one of the grandest productions with its lavish sets and period costume designs. The film was well received both by the critics and the audience. The musical biopic bagged eight Academy awards out of the eleven it was nominated to.
21. Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
There are so many intricate flashbacks and cross-cutting scenes that are woven together to put a movie with a dream ending. The story revolves around a slumdog thief Jamal who passes the hurdles of his life and finally goes on to win the multimillion game show. Through the movie, one can see the deteriorating state of Indian slums and how badly poverty has hit its people. The dramatic film went on to win eight Academy Awards.
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22. The Best Years Of Our Lives (1946)
The movie presents the lives of three returning veteran servicemen who had to make difficult and traumatic adjustments in the aftermath of World War II. The poignant film went on to win seven out of the eight nominated Oscars. The film can take the audience back to the 1940s, to show the changes that happened due to the war which leads to domestic tragedies and conflicts.
23. Lawrence Of Arabia (1962)
The British historical film is about a soldier and author T.E.Lawrence, who unifies the warring Arab tribes to fight against the Turks during World War I. This celebrated epic went on to win seven Oscar awards. The movie was shot in Jordan, Spain, and Morocco. Thus took over three years to complete the movie.
24. The Deer Hunter (1979)
The movie progresses from a wedding to a funeral. The plot develops in the backdrop of the US-Vietnam war, in which three friends join the army. Though caught by the enemy forces, they escape but are caught again. the movie talks about courage, friendship, and the brutalities of war. With Michael Cimino’s directing, and the wonderful performances of Robert DeNiro, Meryl Streep, and Christopher Walken, the movie bagged 5 Oscars.
25. All About Eve (1950)
One of the cinematic masterpieces and classics of all time. The movie is a realistic drama depicting the show business and the backstage life of Broadway and the New york theater. The flawless acting diligent directing, intelligent script, and believable characters are merits of the movie. The movie was nominated for 14 awards and won six of them.
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