Most Under-Appreciated Oscar Winners

As much as the Academy tries to play it safe many of their choices generate their share of criticism. Crash and A Beautiful Mind have recently demonstrated that. However, over the years a number of films have become either unfairly maligned or forgotten by modern audiences. The following lists several movies that have sustained critical praise, but modern audiences have neglected.


5. Ordinary People (1980)
A movie unfarily maligned for beating Raging Bull, Robert Redford's directorial debut still stands as a powerful family drama featuring great performances from Timothy Hutton, Donald Sutherland, Judd Hirsch and Elizabeth McGovern. While the movie is certainly not as strong as Scorsese's masterpiece, that doesn't diminsh the emotional impact of Redford's movie. The movie never feels as if it is trying to be overly sentimental, but instead allows the audience to act as observers to the lives of its characters.

4. It Happened One Night (1934)
A movie beloved by many film historians, but mostly forgotten by today's audiences, It Happened One Night represents of the finest early "talkies". While today's dating crowd is consumed by trite romances like Dear John and Twilight, Frank Capra's comedy manages to be funny but also romantic. It Happened One Night inspired the coming age of screwball comedies and other romantic movies, but contains more heart, memorable characters and better writing than most that have followed it. Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert deliver charming performances and helped prove that sound films were the future of cinema.

3. A Man For All Seasons (1966)
Rarely regarded as one of the worst winners, but rarely discussed regarding 1960's cinema, A Man For All Season is a fine period drama about the life of Sir Thomas More. The movie is well crafted from the costume design, art direction and cinematography. Paul Scofield won an Oscar for his humble portrayal of the Catholic saint, while Robert Shaw delivers a humanistic performance of Henry VIII.

2. The Apartment (1960)
Another highly regarded film that is mostly ignored by modern audiences, Billy Wilder's directs Shirley MacLaine and Jack Lemmon in a brilliant comedy that has aged better than his own Some Like it Hot. Bold at its time for its depiction of infidelity, and playboy lifestyle, The Apartment manages to be insightful while fleshing out well developed characters. Both Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine are fantastic and have a natural chemistry that is central to their relationship. Billy Wilder is one of our most underrated directors and The Apartment is one of his finest films.

1. The Last Emperor (1987)
A somewhat strange choice for the sometimes xenophobic Academy, The Last Emperor swept the Academy Awards winning all nine awards it was nominated for. Under the direction of Bernardo Bertolucci The Last Emperor is a lavish production that focuses on Puyi the last emperor of China. A true epic the movie was the first movie allowed by the Chinese government to be filmed in the Forbidden City. Bertolucci's direction never loses interest in its subject, and invests the audience in the many highs and lows of Puyi's life from his coronation as a child to his time as a political prisoner later in life. Mostly ignored by American audiences for its length, and its setting, The Last Emperor reigns as one of the most overlooked Oscar winners.