By Peyton Schultze

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) — *E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial* (1982)

It’s finally Oscars week! On Sunday, the outstanding films of the past year will come together on one glorious night at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, CA. Over the past 91 years, the Academy Awards have had a fair share of spectacular films take home the award for Best Picture. But as usual, some of the most iconic films in history have been left out of the winner’s lounge for Best Picture and are still as controversial as ever today (looking at you, La La Land). With that being said, here are some of the top classic films of all-time that somehow did not walk away from the infamous event with the 8.5 pound golden statuette.

Notable Exclusions

The Graduate (1967) — *The Graduate* (1967)

It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
Singin’ in the Rain (1952)
12 Angry Men (1957)
Mary Poppins (1964)
Doctor Zhivago (1965)
The Graduate (1967)
All the Presidents Men (1976)
Network (1976)
Taxi Driver (1976)
Raging Bull (1980)
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
The Color Purple (1985)
Born on the Fourth of July (1989)
A Few Good Men (1992)
Fargo (1996)
Good Will Hunting (1997)
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
Finding Neverland (2004)
Brokeback Mountain (2005)
The Social Network (2010)
The Revenant (2015)

The Wizard of Oz (1939)

Although it’s hard to argue with The Academy’s choice to go with Gone With the Wind, it is crazy to think that one of the most iconic and popular films in American cinematic history did not walk away with the win for Best Picture. With an iconic performance from Judy Garland and one of the first of its time to be filmed completely in color , it is shocking to think that voters did not walk down the yellow brick road towards the Emerald City and instead opted to go back to the dark times of the Civil War. But it was not a huge loss for all members who worked on The Wizard of Oz. Victor Fleming was the director of both iconic films, and had the honor of receiving two Best Picture nominations in 1939 (he also secured the win for Best Director for Gone With the Wind that year).

Citizen Kane (1941)

For what many people consider to be one of, or even the greatest film of all-time, it is somewhat of a miracle that Citizen Kane was unable to secure a Best Picture win over How Green Was My Valley in 1941. As essentially the first film to ever use cinematography techniques such as deep focus, Kane is a film that is told entirely through flashbacks and is a one of the truly revolutionary films to take upon such a new style of filmmaking that director Orson Welles was persistent upon. While Citizen Kane was unable to garner enough of the Academy’s attention in 1941, it remains one of the most significant pieces of American film ever.

Pyscho (1960)

It’s extremely rare for a horror film to receive any type of nomination for Best Picture, nevertheless a win. But for Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho to not even receive a nomination for Best Picture is somewhat of a backstabbing murder in itself. As one of Universal’s finest products and a film that inspired generations of horror films through the use of creative filmmaking, it is somewhat of a shock that the tale of Marion Crane’s run-in with the murderous Norman Bates was not even considered for Best Picture. Despite the snub, Hitchcock’s Pyscho lives on in the minds of film lovers everywhere.

To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)

Based upon Harper Lee’s famed 1960 novel, To Kill a Mockingbird is a treasured cinematic classic that featured lawyer Atticus Finch as the title character in a role that wound up creating one of the most beloved movie characters of all-time. Starring Gregory Peck as Finch and Robert Duvall (in his first on-screen film appearance) as Boo Radley , Mockingbird ranks among the best American films of all-time, even ranking as high as 25th in AFI’s 2007 list of the greatest American films ever made. Although another all-time classic film in Lawrence of Arabia won in 1962, it is astonishing that one of the greatest film masterpieces in American cinema history was unable to walk away with a golden statuette for Best Picture.

Bonnie and Clyde (1967)

Another incredibly notorious film in American history, 1967’s Bonnie and Clyde featured Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty in the iconic titular roles for the famous criminal couple. As one of the first true American films to openly present sex and violence, Bonnie and Clyde was a groundbreaking film upon its release that created huge box office numbers and inspired filmmakers to go in new directions. Yet at the Academy Awards, Bonnie and Clyde was unable to seal the deal for a Best Picture win and was eventually robbed by 1967’s In the Heat of the Night.

Jaws (1975)

Essentially the first summer blockbuster in cinema history, Jaws is one of the .most famous works of cinema in American history. Directed by Steven Spielberg with an all-star cast with Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw and Richard Dreyfuss, Jaws centers around the simple plot of a man-eating shark terrorizing the town of Amity Island and several men’s’ quest to stop and kill the shark before the situation gets out of control. Jaws scared generations of filmgoers from entering the ocean’s water upon the film’s release due to Spielberg’s suspenseful masterpiece that made him one of Hollywood’s upcoming directors, yet wound up without a Best Picture win after falling to the infamous film, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.

Star Wars (1977)

Before sci-fi was popular in the film industry and before the franchise would captivate the nation for decades, it all started with one film: 1977’s Star Wars. Directed by George Lucas and featuring Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford, Star Wars was a national hit that blew away audiences around America at the time of its release and rose to the highest grossing film of all-time in 1977 (before later being upstaged). Although the film would basically sweep all the technical categories away, the race for Best Picture would not end up with a similar result, as Star Wars would lose to Annie Hall in the 50th Academy Awards.

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

Another Spielberg film on the list, 1981’s Raiders of the Lost Ark somehow was unable to secure a win for Best Picture despite its massive success and glowing reviews throughout the year. With Harrison Ford starring as Indiana Jones, Raiders follows the journey of Jones’ spectacular quest in the 1930’s to foil the Nazis’ pursuit of the famed Ark of the Covenant, which they believe has the mystical power to wipe out entire armies. Raiders of the Lost Ark is truly one of the great adventure films in American history, but was unable to capture the Best Picture win for 1981 after losing to Chariots of Fire.

Pulp Fiction & The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

Pulp Fiction (1994) — *Pulp Fiction* (1994)

In perhaps the greatest Best Picture race in the 91-year history of the Academy Awards, 1994 produced three films that could’ve taken home the Oscar for Best Picture: Forrest Gump, Pulp Fiction, and The Shawshank Redemption. However, the emotional and captivating Forrest Gump would take home the award, leaving the other two behind. Despite Forrest Gump’s win, both Pulp Fiction and The Shawshank Redemption rank among some of the greatest films ever, which makes it even tougher that they had to compete in such a crowded 1994 field of great motion pictures.

Saving Private Ryan (1998)

While Steven Spielberg was able to win the award for Best Director, it was stunning that Saving Private Ryan was unable to capture the award over Shakespeare in Love for Best Picture in 1998. Starring Tom Hanks in the title role, Saving Private Ryan might be one of the most accurate pieces of war violence ever on film with one of the most brutal and suspenseful opening sequences in any film ever. The fact that Spielberg’s masterful Saving Private Ryan was unable to win in 1998 remains one of the more controversial choices in the history of the Academy Awards, especially after Shakespeare in Love was able to walk away with the Oscar.

The Dark Knight (2008)

For perhaps the greatest superhero movie of all-time and one of the most stunning films in the post-9/11 era, Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight was snubbed completely from the Best Picture race as it did not even receive a nomination. With one of the best performances from a movie villain ever by Heath Ledger as The Joker (who won a posthumous Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor), The Dark Knight is a harrowing tale of The Caped Crusader’s struggle of protecting the world in an ethical and righteous manner in the technology-based and violent 21st century. The Dark Knight is a stunning visual and mental masterpiece from Nolan and was certainly one of the top films of 2008 despite its snub.

La La Land (2016)

Heading into the 89th Academy Awards, Damien Chazelle’s La La Land was the overwhelming favorite to win Best Picture. However, after a stunning mishap that announced La La Land as the incorrect winner, Barry Jenkins’ Moonlight won Best Picture in 2016. A plotline dedicated to the desperate ways of living with aspiring Hollywood dreams, Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone starred in Chazelle’s musical tribute to Los Angeles that wowed audiences and critics around the country heading into Oscars night. Yet in one of the biggest upsets in recent memory, La La Land fell in one of the most heavily disputed Best Picture races ever.

Snubbing Seems Suspicious