To win and the other side was for No Country for Old Men. Surprisingly, the Coen Brothers were able to win. A contemplation on American greed, the Coen brothers were able to turn the Cormac McCarthy novel into Oscar material, something that is not easy to do.
The cat and mouse thriller takes place in 1980s Texas after a drug deal gone awry. It involves the hunt for two million dollars by three different men — each with very different motives. The biggest standout is, by far, Javier Bardem. He plays Anton Chigurh, the human embodiment of Death, who sports one of the most recognizable haircuts in cinema history. He beautifully pulls off the sociopathic and psychotic look, especially when he’s blowing up a pharmacy. Surprisingly, Tommy Lee Jones wasn’t nominated for his role as Ed Tom Bell, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that it was also one of his best roles.
What it beat: Atonement, There Will be Blood, Juno, Michael Clayton
14. Rebecca (1940)
Part of the reason why Rebecca is such a big deal is because it’s Alfred Hitchcock’s only winning picture (even though he didn’t get a Best Director award for himself). This film is full of some many haunting elements, from the acting to set design. Producer David O. Selznick poured his heart out into this film, similar to his efforts on Gone with the Wind. The ambiance takes advantage of the black and white aesthetics to create a gloomy, gothic feel, similar to Jane Eyre.
The thriller works on a deep psychological level, using dialogue and objects in substitute of a real ghost. We never see who Rebecca is, but through Maxim De Winter and Mrs Danvers, it feels like we knew her as well. This is frequently called one of Hitchcock’s masterpieces and so far, no one has jumped to argue that.
What it beat: All This, and Heaven Too, Foreign Correspondent, The Grapes of Wrath, The Great Dictator, Kitty Foyle, The Letter, The Long Voyage Home, Our Town, The Philadelphia Story
13. Casablanca (1942)
There’s a reason why Casablanca is so highly regarded. With a mixture of war and romance, Casablanca is considered the epitome of “classic Hollywood.” What more can you ask for than Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman dominating every frame as cinema’s classic couple? Deep down, it’s a simple love story but the political landscape makes it all the more complex. It illustrates loss, sacrifice, and a fine line between morals and ethics in World War II.
The script is full of the famous lines we know and love, but would they be as iconic without Bogart? Could we hear “here’s looking at you kid” the same if it were Cary Grant or Clark Gable speaking?
What it beat: Madam Curie, For Whom the Bell Tolls, Heaven Can Wait, The Human Comedy, In Which We Serve, The More the Merrier, The Ox-Bow Incident, The Song of Bernadette, Watch on the Rhine
12. It Happened One Night (1934)
Comedy ages worse than drama, but there is no doubt that It Happened One Night is still one of the cutest films ever made. Regarded as the first “slapstick comedy, ” It Happened One Night is an adorable “boy meets girl” encounter. Claudette Colbert plays Ellie, a spoiled heiress who runs away from her family. She runs into Peter (Clark Gable), a journalist looking for his next story, and the two of them go on an eventful road trip to New York.
Frank Capra creates a heartwarming story about two very different people, with Gable and Colbert making our hearts melt as the 30s’ cutest movie couple. It’s a surprise that this film got as far as it did with the development troubles it had (apparently, Colbert had been very difficult to work with). It didn’t do well at first in the box office, but by Oscar season, it was the first film to get all five major Academy Awards (a feat that wouldn’t be matched until One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest).
What it beat: The Barretts of Wimpole Street, Cleopatra, Flirtation Walk, The Gay Divorcee, Here Comes the Navy, The House of Rothschild, Imitation of Life, One Night of Love, The Thin Man, Viva Villa!, The White Parade
