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Information about Best Picture

The Academy Award for Best Motion Picture is one of the Academy Awards, awards given to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which are voted on by others within the industry. The Best Picture category is the only category in which every member of the Academy is eligible not only to vote on the final ballot, but also to nominate. This award is considered the most important of the Academy Awards, as it is the result of all the acting, writing, producing, and directing put forth for a film.

In the first year of the Academy Awards (1927/28, awarded in 1929), there was no "Best Picture" award. Instead, there were two separate awards, one called "Most Outstanding Production," won by the epic Wings, and one called "Most Artistic Quality of Production," won by the art film Sunrise. The awards were intended to honor different and equally important aspects of superior filmmaking, and in fact the judges and the studio bosses who sought to influence their decisions paid more attention to the latter - MGM head Louis B. Mayer, who had disliked the realism of King Vidor's The Crowd, pressured the judges not to honor his own studio's film, and to select Sunrise instead. The next year, the Academy instituted a single award called "Best Production," and decided retrospectively that the award won by Wings had been the equivalent of that award, with the result that Wings is often erroneously listed as the winner of a sole "Best Picture" award for the first year. The title of the award was eventually changed to Best Picture for the 1931 awards. Since 1944, the Academy has restricted nominations to five Best Picture nominees per year. As of the 79th Academy Awards ceremony held in 2007 and honoring films of 2006, there have been 458 films nominated for the Best Picture award. Throughout the past 79 years, AMPAS has presented a total of 80 Best Picture awards.

A point of contention is the lack of consideration of non-English language films for categories other than Best Foreign Language Film. Very few foreign language films have been nominated for any other categories, regardless of artistic merit. As of 2006, only eight foreign language films have been nominated for Best Picture: Grand Illusion (French, 1938); Z (French, 1969); The Emigrants (Swedish, 1972); Cries and Whispers (Swedish, 1973); Il Postino (Italian/Spanish, 1995); Life Is Beautiful (Italian, 1998); Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Mandarin Chinese, 2000); and Letters from Iwo Jima (Japanese, 2006).

No Best Picture winner is lost, though a few such as All Quiet on the Western Front and Lawrence of Arabia exist only in a form altered from their original, award-winning release form, usually having been edited for reissue (and subsequently partly restored by archivists). Other winners and nominees such as Tom Jones and Star Wars are widely available only in subsequently altered versions. The 1928 film The Patriot is the only Best Picture nominee that is lost; The Racket was believed lost for many years but a print existed in producer Howard Hughes' archives and it has since been shown on Turner Classic Movies.

The Grand Staircase columns at the Kodak Theater in Los Angeles, where the Academy Awards ceremonies have been held since 2002, showcase every film that has won the Best Picture title since the first Academy Awards.

Winners and nominees

In the lists below, the winner of the award for each year is shown first, followed by the other nominees. Except for the early years (when the Academy used a non-calendar year), the year shown is the one in which the film first premiered in Los Angeles County, California; normally this is also the year of first release, but it may be the year after first release (as with Casablanca and, if the film-festival premiere is considered, Crash). This is the year before the ceremony at which the award is given; for example, a film exhibited theatrically during 2005 was eligible for consideration for the 2005 Best Picture Oscar, awarded in 2006. The number of the ceremony (1st, 2nd, etc.) appears in parentheses after the awards year, linked to the article (if any) on that ceremony. Each individual entry shows the title followed by the production company, and the producer. Before 1951, the Best Picture award was given to the production company; from 1951 on, it has gone to the producer. When the film was produced anywhere other than the United States, its country and original title, if applicable, are shown in parentheses.

1920s

1930s

The name of the award becomes Best Picture

1940s

1950s

From 1951 on, the individual producer (rather than the production company) receives this award.

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s

2000s

Milestones

Annual Year Film Awards Nom's Milestone
1st1927Wings and Sunrise56the first (and only) silent films to win Best Picture
1st1927Wings22the first war film to win Best Picture
1st1927Wings22the first film to win Best Picture without being nominated for Best Director
1st1927Wings22the first film to win Best Picture without receiving any acting nominations
2nd1929The Broadway Melody13the first sound film to win Best Picture
2nd1929The Broadway Melody13the first musical to win Best Picture
2nd1929The Broadway Melody13the first film to win Best Picture without winning any other Academy Awards
4th1931Cimarron37the first Western to win Best Picture
5th1932Grand Hotel11the first (and only) film to win Best Picture without receiving any other nominations
6th1933She Done Him Wrong01the shortest film to be nominated for Best Picture (1 hour 6 minutes)
6th1933The Private Life of Henry VIII12the first foreign film to be nominated for Best Picture and to win any Academy Award (British)
7th1934It Happened One Night55the first of only three films to win every major Academy Award, including Best Picture
7th1934It Happened One Night55the first Best Picture nominee to win both Best Actor and Best Actress
7th1934It Happened One Night55the first Best Picture winner to win both Best Actor and Best Actress
7th1934It Happened One Night55the first film to win Best Picture and every other nomination it received
7th1934It Happened One Night55the first comedy to win Best Picture
8th1935Mutiny on the Bounty18the first remake to win Best Picture
8th1935Mutiny on the Bounty18the last film to date to win Best Picture without winning any other Academy Awards
10th1937The Life of Emile Zola310the first biographical picture (biopic) to win Best Picture
11th1938Grand Illusion01the first foreign language film to be nominated for Best Picture (French)
12th1939The Wizard of Oz26the first children's film to be nominated for Best Picture
12th1939Gone with the Wind813the longest film to be nominated for Best Picture (3 hours 42 minutes)
12th1939Gone with the Wind813the longest film to win Best Picture (3 hours 42 minutes)
12th1939Gone with the Wind813the first all-color film to win Best Picture
13th1940Rebecca211the first (and only) thriller to win Best Picture
15th1942Mrs. Miniver612the first Best Picture nominee to receive nominations in all of the four acting categories
15th1942Mrs. Miniver612the first Best Picture winner to receive nominations in all of the four acting categories
18th1945The Bells of St. Mary's18the first sequel to be nominated for Best Picture
18th1945The Lost Weekend47the first of only two films to win both Best Picture and the Cannes Film Festival Palme d'Or
21st1948Hamlet47the first foreign film to win Best Picture (British)
23rd1950All About Eve614the first of only two films to receive 14 Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture
26th1953From Here to Eternity813the last Best Picture winner to date to receive nominations in all of the four acting categories
28th1955Marty48the second of only two films to win both Best Picture and the Cannes Film Festival Palme d'Or
28th1955Marty48the shortest film to win Best Picture (1 hour 31 minutes)
29th1956 Around the World in Eighty Days58the first film to win Best Picture in a year when all nominees were filmed in color
32nd1959Ben-Hur1112the first of only three films to win 11 Academy Awards, including Best Picture
33rd1960The Apartment510the last black-and-white film before 1993 to win Best Picture
40th1967In the Heat of the Night57the first (and only) mystery to win Best Picture
41st1968Oliver!612the first (and only) G-rated film to win Best Picture
42nd1969Midnight Cowboy37the first (and only) X-rated film to win Best Picture
43rd1970Patton710the first PG-rated film to win Best Picture
44th1971A Clockwork Orange04the last X-rated film to be nominated for Best Picture
44th1971The French Connection58the first R-rated film to win Best Picture
45th1972Cabaret810the Best Picture nominee to win the most Academy Awards (8) without winning Best Picture
46th1973The Exorcist210the first horror film to be nominated for Best Picture
47th1974The Godfather Part II611the first sequel to win Best Picture
48th1975One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest59the second of only three films to win every major Academy Award, including Best Picture
49th1976Rocky310the first sports film to win Best Picture
54th1981Reds312the last Best Picture nominee to date to receive nominations in all of the four acting categories
60th1987The Last Emperor99the last foreign film to date to win Best Picture (Chinese)
60th1987The Last Emperor99the first PG-13-rated film to win Best Picture
62nd1989Driving Miss Daisy49the last film to date to win Best Picture without being nominated for Best Director
62nd1989Driving Miss Daisy49the last film to date to win Best Picture with a PG-rating or lower
63rd1990The Godfather: Part III07the first of only two trilogies to have all three films nominated for Best Picture
64th1991Beauty and the Beast26the first (and only) animated film to be nominated for Best Picture
64th1991The Silence of the Lambs57the third of only three films to win every major Academy Award, including Best Picture
64th1991The Silence of the Lambs57the last Best Picture winner to date to win both Best Actor and Best Actress
64th1991The Silence of the Lambs57the first (and only) horror film to win Best Picture
66th1993Schindler's List712the first (and only) black-and-white film after 1960 to win Best Picture
70th1997As Good As It Gets27the last Best Picture nominee to date to win both Best Actor and Best Actress
70th1997Titanic1114the second of only two films to receive 14 Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture
70th1997Titanic1114the second of only three films to win 11 Academy Awards, including Best Picture
76th20031111the second of only two trilogies to have all three films nominated for Best Picture
76th20031111the third of only three films to win 11 Academy Awards, including Best Picture
76th20031111the last film to date to win Best Picture and every other nomination it received
76th20031111the last film to date to win Best Picture without receiving any acting nominations
76th20031111the first (and only) fantasy film to win Best Picture
76th20031111the first (and only) threequel to win Best Picture
78th2005Crash36the first (and only) film festival acquisition to win Best Picture
79th2006Letters from Iwo Jima14the last foreign language film to date to be nominated for Best Picture (Japanese)
79th2006The Departed45the first (and only) remake of a foreign film to win Best Picture

Superlatives

Category Film Superlative Year Notes
Most AwardsBen-Hur11 awards (tie)1959Awards resulted from 12 nominations.
Most AwardsTitanic11 awards (tie)1997Awards resulted from 14 nominations.
Most Awards11 awards (tie)2003Awards resulted from 11 nominations.
Most NominationsAll About Eve14 nominations (tie)1950Nominations resulted in 6 awards.
Most NominationsTitanic14 nominations (tie)1997Nominations resulted in 11 awards.
Longest WinnerGone with the Wind3 hours 42 minutes1939Received 13 nominations and 8 awards.
Longest NomineeGone with the Wind3 hours 42 minutes1939Received 13 nominations and 8 awards.
Shortest WinnerMarty1 hour 31 minutes1955Received 8 nominations and 4 awards.
Shortest NomineeShe Done Him Wrong1 hour 6 minutes1933Received 1 nomination and 0 awards.

See also

External links

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Academy Awards
Academy Award of Merit:
Current Awards		 Best Picture • Best Leading Actor • Best Leading Actress • Best Supporting Actor • Best Supporting Actress • Best Animated Feature • Best Art Direction • Best Cinematography • Best Costume Design • Best Director • Best Documentary Feature • Best Documentary Short Subject • Best Film Editing • Best Foreign Language Film • Best Makeup • Best Original Score • Best Original Song • Best Animated Short Film • Best Live Action Short Film • Best Sound Mixing • Best Sound Editing • Best Visual Effects • Best Adapted Screenplay • Best Original Screenplay
Academy Award of Merit:
Retired Awards		Best Assistant Director • Best Dance Direction • Best Director of a Comedy Picture • Best Short Film - Live Action - 2 Reels • Best Short Film - Novelty • Best Original Story • Best Title Writing • Best Unique and Artistic Quality of Production
Special Awards:
Current Awards		Academy Honorary Award • Academy Special Achievement Award • Academy Award, Scientific or Technical •