(Nearly) A Century of Celluloid: My Journey Through the Winners of Every Best Picture Oscar (1929-2023)

The golden statue, the emotional speeches, the iconic red carpet – the Oscars have captivated me for as long as I can remember. About 18 years ago at home in the UK, I started staying up late to watch the Hollywood ceremony unfold. The 'Sky TV' programme that followed the ceremony had a great host (Alex Zane) and panel who were true film enthusiasts. They used to predict who the winners in each category would be and tally up their scores throughout the night. The show would flip back and forth all night between the UK studio and the ceremony taking place in Hollywood, and the panel would bring up some great stories from the history of cinema. The competition was always close and their predictions were often spot on.

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I have always craved a deeper appreciation of the stories that Hollywood deemed 'its finest', without ever doing much about it. So after watching the 2023 ceremony last year, I embarked on an ambitious quest: to watch every single Best Picture winner, from 1929 to 2023, before the next Oscars ceremony (next weekend!!).

Having grown up through the 90s and 2000s, I was already familiar with most of the post-1990 winners. But pretty much everything before then (other than the Godfathers and Rocky!) was a mystery to me. As a self-titled 'film buff', I thought it was a bit rich for me not to have seen so many of these 'Best Pictures'!

As I set about the challenge, I had no particular order to watch the movies in. It was mostly driven by availability! Which ones could I watch for 'free' on my existing subscriptions versus those I would have to cough up rental fees for. I therefore bounced around between eras, genres and quality, watching a 1930's biopic one day and a sweeping 1980's epic the next. The only other rules were; I had to re-watch any that I hadn't seen for more than 20 years and save the first film (Wings, 1929) till last!

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As I watched the movies, I would give them a score out of ten. I also had the idea of having my own award ceremony at the end….dare I call them “Reece's Pic-ses”!!?

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So I set off with a bang, 1944 winner, Casablanca, and over the next 40 weeks or so, ploughed through 63 films. I'm not going to lie….there's some absolutely shocking winners out there….but there are also true gems, hidden and unhidden! Of the films that I hadn't seen before the challenge, I loved 1974's 'The Sting'. With its witty dialogue and intricate con, it became an instant favourite. Peter O'Toole's captivating performance as T.E. Lawrence in 1963's Lawrence of Arabia transported me to the vast deserts of Arabia, while Sir Ben Kingsley's embodiment of Mahatma Gandhi in 1983's Gandhi was a masterclass in cinematography and pacing.

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But it wasn’t just the epic sagas that resonated. The understated brilliance of 1947's 'The Best Years of Our Lives', chronicling the lives of returning WWII veterans left a lasting impression. The sharp wit and social commentary of 1951's 'All About Eve' offered a great look into some of the shadier sides of Hollywood. I also greatly enjoyed 1936's 'Mutiny on the Bounty', proving that classic storytelling (and truth being stranger than fiction!) never goes out of style.

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Some of the films that truly resonated were often unexpected ones, usually challenging my perspectives or left me thinking about them several weeks after the credits had rolled.? These included the likes of 'All Quiet on the Western Front' (1931), 'Gentleman's Agreement' (1948), Kramer vs Kramer (1980), No Country for Old Men (2008) and Green Book (2019).

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There were numerous examples of incredible set design, cinematography and production, given the available technology at the time. Additionally, there were many individual scenes of great acting, dancing, singing or skill. A couple of scenes I enjoyed were a musical number on a revolving stage from The Great Ziegfeld (1937), a ridiculously impressive flamenco-dancer in Around the World in 80 Days (1957), a re-creation of the Oklahoma Land Rush in Cimarron (1932) and the Amputee Veteran skillfully overcoming his daily challenges in The Best Years of Our Lives (1947).

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Many films somehow managed to pick up the award against stiff (and arguably better!) competition. The more famous of which include Shakespeare in Love triumphing over Saving Private Ryan, Rocky over Taxi Driver, How Green Was My Valley over Citizen Kane, Chicago over Gangs of New York, My Fair Lady over Mary Poppins (Julie Andrews had the last laugh!) and Driving Miss Daisy versus literally ANY of the other nominees (Born on the Fourth of July, Dead Poets Society, Field of Dreams and My Left Foot!).

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So after seeing every movie to have picked up the Best Picture Oscar, here are my overall awards. Let me repeat, MY!! Overall awards! (I am certainly expecting controversy, outrage and pushback here! :)) :

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Top Five Best/Worst Films Overall

The Departed (2006) / Moonlight (2017)

Forrest Gump (1995) / You Can't Take it With You (1939)

The Godfather: Part 2 (1975) / Chicago (2003)

Green Book (2019) / The Broadway Melody (1930)

Gladiator (2001) / Nomadland (2021)

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Best/Worst Movie of the Decade

1929-1939 - Mutiny on the Bounty (1936) / You Can't Take it With You (1939)

1940-1949 - Gentleman's Agreement (1948) / Mrs Miniver (1943)

1950-1959 - All About Eve (1951) / The Greatest Show on Earth (1953)

1960-1969 - Lawrence of Arabia (1963) / West Side Story (1962)

1970-1979 - The Godfather: Part 2 (1975) / Midnight Cowboy (1970)

1980-1989 - Rain Man (1989) / Terms of Endearment (1984)

1990-1999 - Forrest Gump (1995) / Shakespeare in Love (1999)

2000-2009 - The Departed (2006) / Chicago (2003)

2010-2019 - Green Book (2019) / Moonlight (2017)

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Memorable Quote of the Decade

1929-1939 - We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars - Cavalcade

1940-1949 - Frankly My Dear, I Don't Give A Damn - Gone With the Wind

1950-1959 - I Could Have Been Somebody, I Could Have Been A Contender - On the Waterfront

1960-1969 - The Rain in Spain Stays Mainly on the Plain - My Fair Lady

1970-1979 - I'm Gonna Make Him an Offer He Can't Refuse - The Godfather

1980-1989 - An eye for an eye will only make the whole world turn blind - Gandhi

1990-1999 - Life Is Like A Box of Chocolates, You Never Know What You're Gonna Get - Forrest Gump

2000-2009 - My Name Is Maximus Decimus Meridius... - Gladiator

2010-2019 - I don't want to survive, I want to live - 12 Years a Slave

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Reece's Pic-ses

Best Picture Overall - Gladiator

Best Director Overall -? David Lean (Bridge on the River Kwai and Lawrence of Arabia)

Best Actor Overall - Dustin Hoffman (Midnight Cowboy, Kramer vs Kramer and Rain Man)

Best Actress Overall - Bette Davis

Best Song - Consider Yourself - Oliver

Best Acting Scene - Robert DeNiro - Deer Hunter

Best Feel-Good Moment - "the speech" -The King's Speech

Saddest Moment - Braveheart Betrayal

Most Shocking Moment - Leo DiCaprio - The Departed

Best Insult - 'I'm the guy that does his job….you must be the other guy' - The Departed

Iconic Moment - This will always be up for debate….but I'm going with little girl dressed in red (if you picture the girl, you know the film!)

Tensest Moment - Ironically it's 50/50 between the Deerhunter Russian Roulette and No Country for Old Men Coin Toss

This cinematic odyssey wasn't just about awarding trophies (although I'd love to hear your thoughts, challenges or outright indignation!); it was about understanding the evolution of film, the cultural contexts that shaped each era, and ultimately, discovering the stories that have left an indelible mark on our collective consciousness. It was a humbling reminder of the power of movies to transport us, challenge us, and stay with us long after the final scene.

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So, what did I learn from this epic cinematic adventure? That even the most lauded films can sometimes miss the mark, while hidden gems can be found in the most unexpected corners of film history. That personal taste is subjective, and the true magic lies in the journey of discovery, not the destination. And most importantly, that the stories we tell on screen have the power to connect us across generations, cultures, and time, reminding us of our shared humanity and capacity for wonder.