The Academy Awards present those deemed worthy with the Academy Award of Merit, better known as the Oscar. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) oversee the awards. AMPAS is a professional honorary organization comprised of those who have been voted or nominated in based upon their personal contribution to the film industry. Members are granted the right to vote for both Oscar nominations and winners. Membership is divided by branches, each a different discipline of film production. Currently actors are the largest branch. Deemed competent in film and the arts, these people decide what films are the best works, and what films respectively receive the award for Best Picture.

Best Picture is the only category for which every AMPAS member is allowed to submit a nomination. Best Picture is the most important and regarded of all Academy Awards. The Award declares which film has the best directing, writing, editing, acting, and merit of all the films of that year.

Of course, there is often debate over which film won the award, and what films lost. Throughout the history of the Awards there have been many however that have earned more debate and passion than others. This list attempts to gather the absolute worst Best Picture winner decisions.

Agree or disagree? Are there any winners/losers you think should have made it to the top ten mistakes? Let us know in the comments below.

Photo Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

[ new page = 10: ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King’]
Best Picture of 2003 went to The Lord of the Rings: The Return of The King. While at least one of the films deserves best picture, certainly Lost in Translation should have won the Award that year. Lost in Translation had superb acting, sound editing, editing, and both directing and writing from Sofia Coppola. While The Return of the King featured amazing special effects and an epic nature, Lost in Translation should have taken home the award without question that year.
Who we think should have won:Lost in Translation .


[ new page = 9: ‘The Godfather Part II’ ]
Admittedly, the 1974 47th Academy Awards were stuck between two momentous films. Both directed by Francis Ford Coppola, and both produced by Paramount. You had on one hand The Godfather Part II, and in the other The Conversation. The Conversation though is a far more artistic film, more film noir than The Godfather Part II.
Who we think should have won: The Conversation



[ new page = 8: ‘The Kings Speech’ ]
The King’s Speech took the award in 2010. Also up for nomination that year were 127 Hours, Black Swan, The Fighter, Inception, The Kids Are All Right, The Social Network, Toy Story 3, True Grit, and Winter’s Bone.
The film had a lot of competition that year, and honestly a lot of them should have beaten the film. The King’s Speech was deserving of nomination, but not the win. The film was a middle-of-the-road, inoffensive film. Both Inception and Black Swan have proven themselves to be influential in the film world, with Black Swan being a particularly complicated and artistic film. Toy Story 3 was the third installment of a children’s film, which featured both amazing writing and animation. The film was said to be able to make grown men cry, impressive for a Disney film, as even the best children’s films go quickly down hill when it comes to sequels.

Who we think should have won: Black Swan or Toy Story 3.

[ new page = 7: ‘Ordinary People’ ]
Ordinary People took Best picture at the 53rd Academy Awards in 1980. This decision holds a lot of passion, as among other films, it was up against Raging Bull. Raging Bull is largely considered to be Director Scorsese’s best film. A powerful masterpiece, people remain puzzled as to how yet another middle-of-the-road soap opera film won.

Who we think should have won: Raging Bull



[ new page = 6: ‘The English Patient’ ]
The English Patient won Best Picture in 1996 at the 69th Academy Awards. It’s biggest competition was probably Fargo. In fact, Fargo has been preserved by the National Film Registry as being “Culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”. In fact, a film must wait 10 years before it can be inducted for preservation, and Fargo is one of only five to be selected within it’s first year of eligibility. Fargo is clearly more memorable than the overly dramatic romance of The English Patient.
Who we think should have won: Fargo.



[ new page = 5: ‘A Beautiful Mind’ ]
In 2001, A Beautiful Mind won best picture. While the film is indeed unique and well done, let’s take a look at those other films that were nominated the same year. Gosford Park, In the Bedroom, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, and Moulin Rouge.
Really, how A Beautiful Mind won over either Moulin Rouge/i> or Gosford Park is an absolute mystery. The film was ultimately inoffensive, and lacked a lot of character. While there was much emphasis placed on cinematography, the film left a lot to be wanted.

Who do we think should have won: Gosford Park or Moulin Rouge.
[ new page = 4: ‘Crash’]
One of the most controversial decisions was that of 2005, in which Crash beat Brokeback Mountain in a victory no one saw coming. While both political films, Brokeback Mountain was a deeply fekt emotional picture, that has had lasting influence in films since.
Who we thnk should have won: Brokeback Mountain



[ new page = 3: ‘My Fair Lady’ ]
At our third biggest mistake, we have that of the 1964, 37th Academy Awards. My Fair Lady won Best Picture with competition of both Mary Poppins and Dr. Strangelove or: How I learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. This is the first of two thefts from Director Stanley Kubrick. Dr. Strangelove is a key satire about the Cold War. Well crafted, the film has the writing, directing, and merit to have won Best Picture by a landslide.

Who we think should have won: Dr. Strangelove.



[ new page = 2: ‘Oliver!’]
the 41st Academy Awards of 1968 awarded Best Picture to Oliver!. While some might find it fun and uplifting when a musical wins Best Picture, the film was lacking in almost all areas. So were the other nominations of that year, indeed the pickings were slim for both Oliver and the AMPAS. Surprising, one film that year was not even nominated, 2001: A Space Odyssey. The film is notable for its scientific accuracy, pioneering special effects, imagery, sound techniques and minimal use of dialogue. 2001: A Space Odyssey is universally recognized as one of the most influential films ever made. And yet Oliver! took the Award for its…bravado? Or maybe it was that cute little face.
Who we think should have won: 2001: A Sapce Odyssey (Not nominated)

[ new page = 1: ‘How Green Was My Valley’]
The biggest mistake ever made for Best Picture? That would be 1941, at the 14th Academy Awards ceremony. How Green Was My Valley beat none other than the famous Citizen Kane. Now, How Green Was My Valley is a film certainly worthy of merit. Had it been made a year later, I would not question the decision in the least. However, Orson Welles used Citizen Kane to firmly drag cinema into art territory. The film is in fact categorized as the greatest film ever made, with slight discrepancies in agreement in 2012 when compared to Hitchcock’s Vertigo. However, the film held the position as the best film ever for nearly 70 years straight, and is still largely considered and placed as the number 1.
Who we think should have won: Citizen Kane.