Great Films That Did Not Win An Oscar

It’s Academy Awards time. And in honor of all my friends who are working on great screenplays and those that are someday soon going to make a great film (this is a common dream in the ad biz), I present my on-going list of Great Films That Didn’t Win. This list started out in 1988 with just 10 films, but as the years have gone by, new films have been added. Occasionally, some movies are removed. (Duck Soup, The Big Sleep, Touch of Evil, and Casino, to name a few) The list is somewhere around 15. This years’ addition is the 2005 film, Sin City.

Here’s the rest of the Great Films That Didn’t Win –

1, Citizen Kane, 1941

 A movie I first saw in a college film class. What can you say - It’s truly great.

2. The Third Man, 1949

  
 
 
 The film noir, Orson Welles and the zither music - who wouldn’t love that?

3. Bonnie and Clyde, 1967

  
 
 
 Great story telling, great cinematography, great acting.

4. 12 Angry Men, 1957

This movie made me realize that great dialogue is king.

5. Chinatown, 1974

 
 
 Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, and John Huston sure helped to make this great.

6. Fargo, 1996 - and O Brother, Where Art Thou? 2000

 
 
 Two from the Coen Brothers - Once again, dialogue is king.

7. Treasure of the Sierra Madre, 1948

A John Huston film that featured great acting by his dad, Walter, as well as Bogey.

8. Dr. Strangelove, 1964

It’s fine art wackiness, watch the trailer.

9. Once Upon A Time In The West, 1968

 
 
All I can say is, Hank Fonda.

10. Raging Bull, 1980

This was a great use of B&W.

11. North By Northwest, 1959

 A classic Hitchcock story. Cary Grant was sort of a precursor to James Bond in this movie.

12. Pulp Fiction, 1994

 This movie gave everything to the viewer; it was a lot of fun.

13. The Swimmer, 1968

A pretty obscure film, I think I'm the only one who saw it, but it’s one of the great performances by Burt Lancaster.

14. Hotel Rwanda, 2004

 A powerful and chilling film based on a true story.

15. Sin City, 2005

 A unique looking and complex film noir movie. Wouldn’t you know it - Quentin Tarantino was involved.

Comments

[Gene Brady]

Great picks of pics, Steve. They've all held up very well through the years. Chinatown is on my short list of all-time favorite movies, but it went up against Godfather II for Best Picture. Tough competition.