Given that 2011 was one of the better years for English-language cinema in recent memory, it’s disappointing that this year’s Best Picture line up feels more anaemic. Sure, you’ll find few who’ll quibble with the inclusion of ” Moneyball” — it’s the kind of fearsomely smart, grown-up entertainment that in an ideal world, would make up the majority of nominees. And even those who weren’t totally won over by “The Tree of Life” surely can’t find much to complain about when it comes to its inclusion.
But those are only two of the nine nominees, and the rest are a rather thin lot: the charming but slight expected winner “The Artist,” the also charming but slight “Midnight In Paris,” the charming but misshapen “Hugo,” the patronizing, overlong “The Help,” B-list Spielberg in “War Horse,” Alexander Payne‘s fifth best film in “The Descendants” and “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close,” the worst-reviewed Best Picture nominee in modern times.
So not a banner year, but then, one doesn’t have to look far back into the history of the Academy Awards to discover years that were far worse. And indeed, one need not give up hope with the institution, because there are plenty of years where the memberships’ picks have done them proud. To kick off our week of Oscar coverage, we’ve picked out the five years where the Academy nominated a stellar line-up, and five where they dropped the ball. Read on for more. (Note: for clarity’s sake, we’re referring to the year in which the eligible films were released — the ceremonies, as ever, were held early the following year).
The 5 Best Best Picture Line-Ups
1939
The Best Picture Nominees:
“Gone With The Wind” (winner), “Dark Victory,” “Goodbye Mr Chips,” “Love Affair,” “Mr Smith Goes To Washington,” “Ninotchka,” “Of Mice and Men,” “Stagecoach,” “The Wizard Of Oz,” “Wuthering Heights”
What Could They Have Nominated?
“Dodge City,” “Jesse James,” “The Old Maid,” “The Women,” “Gunga Din,” “Intermezzo,” “Jamaica Inn,” “The Roaring Twenties”
Why Is It One Of The Best? Well, in one of the the great years in cinema history, they managed to pick most of the right ones. Obviously, ten nominations means you’ve got more room, but there’s really very little filler in there — even the lesser known films on the line-up, most notably Bette Davis melodrama “Dark Victory” and the adaptation of “Of Mice and Men,” which was lost until relatively recently, hold up terrifically. And otherwise, they’re pretty much stone-cold classics. You might argue that “Goodbye Mr. Chips” and “Love Affair” are sentimental fluff, but they look pretty substantial compared to some of the things that got the nod this year.
1948
The Best Picture Nominees:
“Hamlet” (winner), “Johnny Belinda,” “The Red Shoes,” “The Snake Pit,” “The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre”
What Else Could They Have Nominated?
“Red River,” “Easter Parade,” “Key Largo,” “Mr Blandings Builds His Dream House,” “State of the Union,” “A Foreign Affair,” “The Bicycle Thieves”
Why Is It One Of The Best? The 1940s was probably the best decade for the Oscars, movie wise, and we could have taken our pick, but few years were as consistent as ’48. Olivier’s directorial effort in “Hamlet,” which took Best Picture, remains the definitive take on the play, and one of the best screen Shakespeares, with one of the most thrilling swordfights ever to come on screen. But with Powell & Pressburger‘s staggering dance drama, “The Red Shoes,” “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre,” one of John Huston‘s very best, and even the lesser-known melodramas “Johnny Belinda” and “The Snake Pit” (which each feature stunning performances from their leads Jane Wyman – who won Best Actress – and Olivia De Havilland) it’s hard to argue with the lineup even if we wouldn’t have objected to seeing “Key Largo” or “The Bicycle Thieves” among the final five.