Some Best Picture Oscar winners were instantly inexplicable choices — "The Greatest Show on Earth" (1952), "Crash "(2005), "The Shape of Water" (2017) — while others are a reflection of their time. Many transcend their eras. Several are worth watching again or for the first time.
Edmund Goulding's "Grand Hotel" received one nomination, for Best Picture, and captured the 1931-32 prize. This adaptation of Vicki Baum's novel received the deluxe MGM treatment, including Art Deco sets that are masterpieces. The cast validates Metro's claim about having "More stars than there are in heaven." With Greta Garbo, John Barrymore, Lionel Barrymore, Wallace Beery, and most memorably, an astonishingly sexy Joan Crawford as a stenographer selling more than secretarial services. The acting is uneven, although Crawford's work holds up and the others all have remarkable moments. "It Happened One Night" (1934), Frank Capra's influential comedy, was the first to win for Best Picture, Director, Actor (Clark Gable), Actress (Claudette Colbert) and Adapted Screenplay (Robert Riskin). It's still fun.
Today, most critics and viewers would select "The Wizard of Oz" over "Gone with the Wind" as 1939's best picture. But GWTW remains powerful and engrossing, despite its highly sanitized portrayal of slavery. Large segments of Margaret Mitchell's bestselling novel were cut for the screen, but producer David O. Selznick still created a lavish epic. His casting the relatively unknown Vivien Leigh as Scarlett was brilliant. She holds the story together and elicits admiration, even when behaving badly. Selznick paid dearly to borrow Clark Gable from MGM for Rhett, a wise investment. Olivia de Havilland's Melanie is flawless, and Hattie McDaniel's Mammy, her Oscar-winning performance, a first for a black actor, is compelling. Only Leslie Howard's Ashley disappoints. Victor Fleming replaced gay George Cukor as director. Eight Oscars in total, including those for Leigh, McDaniel, and Fleming.
"Rebecca" (1940), another Selznick production, marked Alfred Hitchcock's American directorial debut. It's a mesmerizing version of Daphne du Maurier's Gothic romance, with Joan Fontaine giving a star-making performance as the second Mrs. de Winter, Laurence Olivier as her husband Maxim, and Judith Anderson as Mrs. Danvers, the most malevolent head housekeeper in film history. Michael Curtiz's "Casablanca" (1943) understandably appeals to new generations. Never has nobility been better presented. Ingrid Bergman convinced audiences that Humphrey Bogart was worthy of her love. Billy Wilder's frightening look at alcoholism "The Lost Weekend" (1945) is unjustly forgotten. It's the "Ben is Back" of its day. Ray Milland's Oscar-winning performance graphically reveals the disease's horror. With Jane Wyman, nearly 40 years before TV's "Falcon's Crest." Wilder won for Best Director and a writing prize. In "The Best Years of Our Lives" (1946), William Wyler movingly evokes the challenges WWII veterans faced upon coming home. Some things don't change.
Three films from the 1950s appeal to subsequent generations: Joseph L. Mankiewicz's scathingly witty look at life in the theatre "All About Eve" (1950); Elia Kazan's gripping portrayal of corruption and betrayal "On the Waterfront" (1954); and Vincente Minnelli's magical musical version of Colette's "Gigi" (1958), in which a girl (Leslie Caron) raised to be a courtesan, shocks by choosing the life of an haute bourgeoisie matron.
The 60s started with Wilder's mix of cynicism and romance "The Apartment" (1960), a cunning view of sexual exploitation with fine performances by Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, and especially Fred MacMurray. Wilder won for Best Director and garnered another writing statuette. Gay John Schlessinger's "Midnight Cowboy" (1969) became the first X-rated top prize winner, which was important, but it's more than that. Jon Voigt and Dustin Hoffman are terrific as denizens of the often ugly world of Manhattan predators. Schlessinger also won for directing.
Francis Ford Coppola's "The Godfather" (1972) is deservedly among the most frequently revived films of the last 50 years. Just as amazing, his "The Godfather Part II" (1974) became the first sequel to win the top prize, and it too merits frequent screenings. Milos Foreman's "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" (1975) unleashed the full power of Jack Nicholson and matched "It Happened One Night" by winning the top five prizes.
"Ordinary People" (1980), Robert Redford's poignant study of family crisis, features a touching Mary Tyler Moore as an angry, emotionally repressed mother desperate to hold herself together. James Brooks' "Terms of Endearment" (1983) is another heartbreaking portrayal of a family tragedy, with a different kind of mother, Oscar winner Shirley MacLaine. Milos Foreman's "Amadeus" (1984) humanizes Mozart and his alleged rival, Salieri, while superbly recreating 18th-century Austria. "The Last Emperor" (1987), helmed on location in Beijing's Forbidden City by Bernardo Bertolucci, is a lush, unforgettable biography of China's final hereditary ruler, who perhaps was gay.
Stephen Spielberg's "Schindler's List" (1993) revealed the heroism amidst the horror of the Holocaust. Despite the theme, it was a popular success and inspired hope. "American Beauty" (1999), Sam Mendes' revealing look at the ugly side of suburban life, stars Annette Bening and Oscar winner Kevin Spacey as the troubled couple. Spacey's performance foreshadows his current problems.
"Chicago" (2002) of the Roaring 20s was dazzlingly recreated by Rob Marshall and became the first musical Best Picture choice since 1968. Oscar-winner Catherine Zeta-Jones and Renee Zellweger are tough jailbirds adeptly handled by Queen Latifah's prison matron. Tom Hooper's "The King's Speech" (2010) is an impressive look at George VI's (father of QE II) unexpected 1936 ascent to the throne, which required courage and personal sacrifice. Tom McCarthy shone a bright "Spotlight" (2015) on the Roman Catholic Church's attempt to conceal clerical sexual abuses in Boston. It's also a suspenseful tribute to The Boston Globe and courageous journalists everywhere. "Moonlight" (2016) is Barry Jenkins' powerful gay love story set in the harsh world of Miami's black ghetto. It's another landmark: no homosexual romance had ever won the top award before.
Will this year's winner be worth repeated viewings? Let's hope so.