"Most of the other Best Picture winners are titles that any film lover will recognise instantly. The blind spots are obvious. The Academy never chooses foreign language titles. In recent years, it has shunned comedies. The Shape of Water may have won in 2018, but voters are generally wary about genre pictures."
"William Wyler's film about three veterans coming home at the end of the war still has a huge emotional kick. They're from different classes and backgrounds but struggle terribly to readjust to civilian life. It deals frankly and very movingly with both the soldiers' problems and those of their families and friends in understanding them."
"The best MGM musicals showed extraordinary artistry. It's not just the choreography or Gene Kelly's wildly energetic performance as the aspiring artist in postwar Paris but the use of colour and sound. The ballet sequence at the end of the film stands alongside that in The Red Shoes as a perfect example of filmmaking in which every element balances perfectly."
Best Picture Oscar winners demonstrate remarkable longevity in circulation, from Wings in 1927 to contemporary selections. Most winners are instantly recognizable to film enthusiasts. However, the Academy exhibits notable selection biases: it has never chosen foreign language titles, recently avoided comedies, and remains cautious about genre films including science fiction and martial arts. Despite a growing disconnect between Oscar winners and box office success, the Best Picture award remains a reliable indicator of films achieving cultural afterlife. The Academy's choices reflect both artistic merit and institutional preferences that shape cinema history.
Read at The Independent
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