Movie Critic's Club's Top 10 Best Picture Oscar Winners

Out of the thousands of movies made throughout the century, only eighty-five have ever claimed the title of Best Picture. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences hands out this honor during their annual Oscar telecast, easily the most coveted award of the evening. But how many of these films actually deserve this rare privilege? Complaints of genre bias, racism, and unpopular choices have plagued the Best Picture race for years. However, for those films actually worthy of Best Picture, they have marvelously stood the test of time, appreciated and beloved to this day. So, here is Movie Critic's Club's Top 10 Best Picture Oscar Winners, counting down the greatest winners of the highest cinematic achievement of all time.

10. Gone with the Wind (Fleming, 1939)

Starting off the countdown with a bang is Gone with the Wind, Victor Fleming's 1939 Southern epic about the Civil War. The Best Picture winner won eight competitive Oscars (in addition to two honorary awards), including Best Director-Victor Fleming, Best Actress- Vivien Leigh, Best Supporting Actress- Hattie McDaniel, and Best Adapted Screenplay- Sidney Howard. Though nominated, Clark Gable was shockingly beat for Best Actor by Robert Donat in Goodbye, Mr. Chips. In Gone with the Wind, literally every page of the hugely popular source novel was beautifully brought to life on the screen, credited to powerful performances and inspired direction. Holding the record for most Oscars won for almost twenty years, this movie would be higher on the list if the equally as worthy The Wizard of Oz wasn't up for Best Picture the same year.

9. American Beauty (Mendes, 1999)

The Academy routinely chooses serious dramas as their Best Picture winners. But no other drama is as enjoyable or worthy of the prize as Sam Mende's 1999 suburban drama American Beauty. Starring Best Actor winner Kevin Spacey, the film chronicles a few days in the lives of a dysfunctional family and their troubled neighbors. In addition to Spacey's Best Actor Oscar, the film also walked away with Best Director- Sam Mendes, Best Original Screenplay- Alan Ball, and the hugely worthy Best Cinematography- Conrad Hall (Annette Benning, arguably better than Spacey in the film) lost her Best Actress bid to Hillary Swank in Boys Don't Cry). American Beauty remains the textbook definition of an Oscar winner; it's known better as a Best Picture winner than a great movie. It's hysterically funny while heartbreakingly tragic, and one of the most enduring Best Picture winners ever made.

8. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (Jackson, 2003)

The only fantasy winner, a huge crowd-pleaser, and a film years in the making; how could it not make the Top Ten? The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is Best Director- Peter Jackson's magnum opus, an Oscar winner that went eleven for eleven. With no acting or cinematography nominations, Return of the King took home nearly every award of the evening. One of the greatest movie trilogies ever made, The Lord of the Rings redefined filmmaking forever with it's innovative visual effects, stunning screenplay, and amazing production design. This third installment took home the big awards after the first two, The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers, failed to claim the Best Picture prizes they each were nominated for.

7. West Side Story (Wise and Robbins, 1961)

While musicals tend not win Best Picture, the 1960's saw five winners of the award, including this popular Broadway adaptation. West Side Story is a modern-day spin of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, telling the tale of two rival gangs, the Puerto Rican Sharks and the American Jets, and their growing conflicts. The gang wars escalate after the Jet's Tony and the Shark's Maria begin to fall in love with one another. Famous for it's snapping fingers, bright colors, and New York City landscape, West Side Story took home ten Oscars, including Best Director- Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins, Best Supporting Actor- George Chakiris and Best Supporting Actress- Rita Moreno. With "America", "Maria", "Tonight", and "Cool", West Side Story remains an unmatched musical Best Picture winner.

6. Lawrence of Arabia (Lean, 1962)

Lawrence of Arabia has one of the most harrowing productions ever undertook, with almost four years of filming on location in the desert. Beautifully shot by Best Cinematography- Frederick A. Young, the film is the life story of T.E. Lawrence, a British soldier and ally of the Middle East. The movie dominated the 35th Academy Awards, winning seven Oscars including Best Director- David Lean and Best Original Score- Maurice Jarre. Although it shockingly lost out on Best Adapted Screenplay- Robert Bolt and Michael Wilson and Best Actor- Peter O'Toole, all three men were nominated for their participation. Despite worthy competition from The Music Man and To Kill a Mockingbird, Lawrence of Arabia truly was the Best Picture of 1962. And for that, it takes the number six spot on this list.

5. Schindler's List (Spielberg, 1993)

Steven Spielberg did not win the Best Director Oscar for Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Raiders of the Lost Ark, or E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial, despite nominations for each of them. It was not until 1993 did people actually begin to recognize Spielberg as an artistic and "serious" filmmaker. With Schindler's List, the director pushed the boundaries of cinematic achievement by providing a breathtaking story full of emotion, trauma, and the capacities of the human spirit. Also claiming Best Adapted Screenplay- Steven Zaillian and Best Original Score- John Williams, the movie has since become a legend across the globe for it's devastating look at the Holocaust in World War II Nazi Germany. The story pits the film's Best Actor nominee Liam Neeson (who plays Oskar Schindler) and fellow Best Supporting Actor nominee Ralph Fiennes (Amon Goeth) at the pinnacle of man's darkest hour. Haunting and surreal, this black-and-white Best Picture winner is one for the history books.

4. Casablanca (Curtiz, 1943)

Considered one of cinema's greatest films, Casablanca is a movie that has a little of something for everybody. It's filled with action, romance, mystery, peril, war, music, and some of the most quotable screenplays ever written. The Best Adapted Screenplay- Julius J. Epstein, Philip G. Epstein, and Howard Koch was one of only three wins for the film, along with Best Picture and Best Director- Michael Curtiz. However, despite a relatively small amount of awards, a singular fact does boost the motion picture higher up on the Top 10: when it was first released, Casablanca was not even popular. The Academy recognized the film as Best Picture nonetheless. This is one of the few times in their eighty-five year history that the Academy has chosen a truly great Best Picture winner without it being popular beforehand. Good foresight, Academy. "Here's looking at you, kid."

3. Titanic (Cameron, 1997)

Coming in at number three is, for most people, the most iconic Best Picture ever made. The 70th Academy Awards, which celebrated Titanic as the Best Picture of the year, was the most viewed Oscar telecast of all time, with nearly 57.25 million people watching the show, almost ten million more people than the second-place ceremony (for the Academy, this should be a sign that you should nominate more popular films in the major categories). At a time the highest grossing movie, this blockbuster remains immensely popular and wildly successful. Titanic stars Best Actress nominee Kate Winslet (who's older version is played by Best Supporting Actress nominee Gloria Stuart, the oldest nominee ever) and Leonardo DiCaprio in an ill-fated romance between classes that's forever shattered by the sinking title ship. Led by winners Best Director- James Cameron and Best Original Song- Celine Dion for "My Heart Will Go On", Titanic garnered eleven Academy Awards. James Cameron was "king of the world" that year, and it's hard to argue against such an undeniable truth.

2. The Silence of the Lambs (Demme, 1991) 

Out of the three "Big Five" winners, only one can truly be considered among the Top 10 Best Picture Oscar winners. As popular as it is critically acclaimed, The Silence of the Lambs also claimed honors for Best Director- Jonathan Demme, Best Actor- Anthony Hopkins, Best Actress- Jodie Foster, and Best Adapted Screenplay- Ted Tally. Foster plays FBI trainee Clarice Starling, who's sent to interrogate the psychotic cannibal Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Hopkins) for information on a new serial killer, "Buffalo Bill" (Ted Levine). Considered amongst the most influential heroes and villains ever created, Clarice is a flawed heroine that transcends gender stereotypes when matched against the devilishly clever Hannibal. Anthony Hopkins shocked and amazed viewers, captivating audiences so much that he was given a Best Leading Actor Oscar for only sixteen minutes of screen time. Furthermore, the motion picture was released in February, considered a "dead month" by Academy standards; the movie must have made an impact as it was not voted for Best Picture until almost a year later. The Silence of the Lambs is a worthy, all around fantastic production that reminds movie lovers why they love the Academy Awards.

1. The Godfather (Coppola, 1972)

At the 45th Academy Awards, the musical Cabaret nearly swept the Oscars, winning eight awards including Best Director for Bob Fosse. It seemed all but certain that the film would set a new record; but then, in an instant, Cabaret was silenced by losing it's Best Adapted Screenplay bid to another movie. This other movie, a gangster film written by winners Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola, would go on to win Best Actor- Marlon Brando and Best Picture of 1972. The highest grossing film of the year, this gangster movie became an instant sensation and has since developed into one of the best movies ever made. Therefore, the number one spot on Movie Critic's Club's Top 10 Best Picture Oscar Winners of all time goes to... The Godfather.

One of cinema's proudest achievements, Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather is a gangster movie about the Corleone crime family, headed by patriarch Don Vito Corleone (Brando). However, a series of events forces his youngest son Michael (Al Pacino) to join the family business. With more fleshed out and developed characters than any other film, The Godfather also stars James Caan as Vito's hothead oldest son, Robert Duvall as Vito's adopted son and lawyer, and Diane Keaton as Michael's love interest. Pacino, Caan, and Duvall all received Best Supporting Actor nominations for their now legendary performances. No other motion picture or screenplay is as perfect as The Godfather; it features some of cinema's most iconic performances, dialogue, set pieces, and scenes. The powerful themes of family, crime, vengeance, and madness play out to excellent effect. But above all else, The Godfather succeeds because of the incredible direction by Francis Ford Coppola, who makes the story so interesting and captivating that audiences feel themselves in the story. Coppola grips the viewer from beginning to end, holding their attentions for all three hours of the masterful storytelling. For all these reasons and more, The Godfather is the greatest Best Picture Oscar Winner of all time.

Hope you enjoyed this Top 10 list, and be sure to watch the 85th Academy Awards on Sunday, February 24th to see if this year's Best Picture winner joins the ranks of the best Oscar winners.