WithAnorahaving become the 97th Best Picture Academy Award winner ever, it’s as good a time as any to look back at the winners of the past. Some of them exceptional, some of them less so, but something that’s even rarer than a truly masterful Best Picture winner is one that one can look back on years later and call essential.
These ten movies aren’t necessarily the tengreatestBest Picture recipients of all time. Rather, they’re the mostessential.Historical significance, cultural impact, and breaking new ground in the history of theOscarsare all elements that contribute to a picture being worthy of this label. If a Best Picture winner is “essential,” that means it’s the kind of lauded masterpiece that must be seen by everyone at least once in their lives.
10’Ben-Hur' (1959)
Won Best Picture and 10 other Oscars
The first film to ever win a whopping 11 Oscars — and holding that record for the most wins for an admirable 38 years —,Ben-Huris perhaps the greatest Biblical epic ever put on the silver screen. When people say “they don’t make them like they used to” when referring to Hollywood films, there’s a good chance that this masterpiece is on their mind.
Despite clocking in at 3 and a half hours long,Ben-Huris thrilling from start to finish, and one of themost badass sword & sandal movies ever made. It’snot just its gargantuan scope and delightful sense of spectacle that make it an essential watch, though, but also because of how high it set the bar for the kinds of epics that the Academy loved to recognize throughout the era.
9’Moonlight' (2016)
Won Best Picture and 2 other Oscars
It’s not just old classics that can be called essential Best Picture winners — plenty of modern films check every box to get the title, too. This, of course, includesMoonlight.Although it only won three Oscars,it has stood the test of time; nearly a decade later, it’s still remembered as one of the best films of the 2010s.
Moonlightis one ofthe most essential LGBTQ+ movies of all time, and that’s precisely where much of its historical significance comes from. It became the first LGBTQ+-centric film with an all-Black cast to win Best Picture, proving that the Academy was more than ready for these kinds of stories that they don’t often recognize, let alone with the biggest award they have available. Its Best Picture win was the kind of underdog narrative that cinephiles love to witness.
8’Gone With the Wind' (1939)
Won Best Picture and 7 other Oscars
For anyone familiar with cinema as an art form and its history,Gone With the Windshould require no introduction. To this day, it’s still the highest-grossing film of all time after adjusting for inflation. At an unbelievable $4.3 billion dollars in box office revenue, it’s highly unlikely that any movie will ever be able to take its throne. It’s not just a financial juggernaut, though: In spite of its controversies (particularly due to how it depicts race, the Confederacy, and Antebellum America), it’s still one of the biggest and most important movies ever made. Certainly one ofthe most important Best Picture recipients.
At the time,Gone With the Windwas unprecedentedly huge, so it’sno surprise that the Academy recognized it with a not-too-shabby eight Oscars. Nowadays, it sparks conversation around how to judge films made in social and historical contexts very different from today’s. Due to that trajectory of its significance and due to just how unbelievably huge of a cinematic spectacle it is, it tends to be recognized as one of those motion pictures that everyone should see before they die.
Gone with the Wind
7’Parasite' (2019)
Won Best Picture and 3 other Oscars
The first-ever foreign-language winner of the coveted Best Picture Oscar,Parasitedeserved the honor through and through. Impeccably directed, brilliantly written, and with some fantastic performances, it’s the work of an auteur in full control of his craft. Indeed,Bong Joohn-ho(who also won Best Director and Best Original Screenplay at the 92nd Academy Awards)made inParasiteone of the most stunning works of art that cinema sawduring the 2010s.
Thanks to its thrilling story and the genius ways in which Bong juggles genres like suspense, comedy, and drama,Parasiteis one ofthe most entertaining Best Picture recipientsin recent memory. Perhaps of all time. Whatever the case, it’s a nearly flawless masterpiece. Add to that its historical significance in opening the door for more international films to win the Big Oscar in the future, and you get an essential movie if ever there has been one.
6’Titanic' (1997)
Without adjusting for inflation,Titanicbecame the highest-grossing movie of all time in 1997, and held the record for an admirably long time. It was a kind of pop-cultural phenomenon the likes of which the world hadn’t seen since the days of Classical Hollywood, and as such, it became the second-ever film to earn 11 Academy Awards. With 14 nominations, it’s tied as the movie that has receivedthe most Oscar nods.
Quite frankly,it’s impossible to blame the Academy for falling in love with Jack and Rose’s love story this madly.Titanicis an achievement of… well, titanic proportions, and that truly can’t be overstated. Its Best Picture win showed that the Academy was still willing to favor big cinematic epics, and it also showed that they were craving films that were pop culture eventsand"prestige" projects.
5’Casablanca' (1942)
Casablancais usually recognized not only as one of the most quotable movies ever written, but also as one of the best films made throughout Hollywood’s Golden Age —which automatically makes it one of the best films of all time. With time, it became a huge cult classic, which it very much still is to this day.
Casablancacan be seen today as studio filmmaking at its very best, and also as a reflection of Hollywood’s state of mind during World War II.
One ofthe best romance films to win an Oscar,Casablancacan be seen today as studio filmmaking at its very best, and also as a reflection of Hollywood’s state of mind during World War II. Consequently, it can also be seen as a reflection of the kinds of films the Academy looks for in times of crisis. For those interested in Oscars history, this link in the chain is one that cannot be missed.
Casablanca
4’It Happened One Night' (1934)
Won Best Picture and 4 other Oscars
Frank Caprawas one of Hollywood’s biggest legends, always delighted to break the rules and challenge the controversial Hays Code. As such,It Happened One Nightcan be seen as a direct response to Hays Code censorship, in ways that must be seen to be properly appreciated. It’s easily one of Capra’s best works, and it became the first of his movies to win Best Picture.
It Happened One Nightis nearly a century old, yet it still holds up astonishingly well as one of the greatest romantic comedies ever made. With a perfect script, Capra’s amazing direction, and a pair of exquisite performances by the legendaryClaudette ColbertandClark Gable(whose characterinspired none other than Bugs Bunny), it’s one of the best movies that have ever won Best Picture. It’s also arguablythe greatest Best Picture recipient of the first two decades or so of the Oscars' existence, making it essential viewing for cinephiles.
It Happened One Night
3’The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' (2003)
There had never been a Best Picture winner quite likeThe Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Being realistic, it’s likely that there never will be again. Then again,there aren’t many films as massive, thrilling, imaginative, and all-around flawlessas this one. It’s probablythe best fantasy movie ever made, a perfect way to close off the perfect adaptation of the work of legendary authorJ.R.R. Tolkien.
Return of the Kingisn’t just essential because it’s one of the best films ever made, though. It was also a historical landmark for the Oscars' trajectory, showing that genre movies (which had always been and continue to be often discriminated against by Academy voters) now had a fighting chance. Heck, they had more than a fighting chance, seeing asPeter Jackson’s masterpiece tied withBen-HurandTitanicas the most Oscar-winning film ever with 11 victories. To this day, it’s still the most recent film to earn such a number. The fourth one to achieve the honor will have some pretty huge shoes to fill.
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2’The Godfather Part II' (1974)
Won Best Picture and 5 other Oscars
Saying thatThe Godfather Part IIis the greatest sequel in cinema historyis a bit of a cliché nowadays; butit only became a cliché in the first place because it’s so true. Part prequel, part sequel, it’s one of the most gorgeously written and directed, as well as most intelligently constructed dramas ever put on film. This is about as close to true flawlessness as a film can come.
While its predecessor got to walk home with only three Oscars,Part IIdoubled that number with ease. It’s hardly a surprise, since it’s one of thebest crime movies ever to win Best Picture. The narrative is riveting, the characters are nuanced and compelling, the performances are incredible, and the production values are out of this world. The Academy doesn’t always get it right, but one thing is certain: Only once have they ever gotten itmoreright than withThe Godfather Part II.
The Godfather Part II
1’The Godfather' (1972)
What could possibly topThe Godfather Part II? Why, the greatest American masterpiece ever made, of course.The Godfatherhas a production history as interesting as the film itself, and one can only thank the universe that the movie eventually came into fruition, because cinema as a whole would simply not be the same without it.
The Godfathertruly is one of themost essential and timeless films ever made. From the direction, to the acting, to the writing, to the cinematography and editing,to absolutely everything else, this is a perfect movie through and through. If someone who has never watched a single Best Picture winner asked which one they should start with, you’d surely recommendThe Godfather. It’s hard to debate against the statement that it’s simply the most essential Best Picture winner ever conceived.
