To start with, did you know that you can check out every Best Picture winner since 1927 from Samuels Library? (The only exception is the 1932/1933 winner Cavalcade, which is currently unavailable on DVD.)
Following the jump ("Read more"), you will find brief annotations for all 84 of these films.
2011 - "The
Artist"
A silent movie star meets a young dancer, but the arrival
of talking pictures sends their careers in opposite directions.
2010 - "The
King's Speech"
The story of King George VI of Britain, his impromptu
ascension to the throne, and the speech therapist who helped the unsure monarch
become worthy of it.
2009 - "The
Hurt Locker"
Forced to play a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse in the
chaos of war, an elite Army bomb squad unit must come together in a city where
everyone is a potential enemy and every object could be a deadly bomb.
2008 -
"Slumdog Millionaire"
A Mumbai teen who grew up in the slums becomes a
contestant on the Indian version of "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?"
He is arrested under suspicion of cheating, and while being interrogated,
events from his life history are shown which explain why he knows the answers.
2007 - "No
Country for Old Men"
Violence and mayhem ensue after a hunter stumbles upon a
drug deal gone wrong and more than two million dollars in cash near the Rio Grande.
2006 - "The
Departed"
Two men from opposite sides of the law are undercover
within the Massachusetts State Police and the Irish mafia, but violence and
bloodshed boil when discoveries are made, and the moles are dispatched to find
out their enemy's identities.
2005 -
"Crash"
Los Angeles citizens with vastly separate lives collide
in interweaving stories of race, loss and redemption.
2004 -
"Million Dollar Baby"
A hardened trainer/manager works with a determined woman
in her attempt to establish herself as a boxer.
2003 - "The
Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King"
In the final installment of the trilogy based on the
novels of J.R.R. Tolkien, Gandalf and Aragorn lead the World of Men against
Sauron's army to draw his gaze from Frodo and Sam as they approach Mount Doom
with the One Ring.
2002 -
"Chicago"
Murderesses Velma Kelly and Roxie find themselves on
death row together and fight for the fame that will keep them from the gallows
in 1920s Chicago.
2001 - "A
Beautiful Mind"
After a brilliant but asocial mathematician accepts
secret work in cryptography, his life takes a turn to the nightmarish.
2000 -
"Gladiator"
When a Roman general is betrayed and his family murdered
by an emperor's corrupt son, he comes to Rome as a gladiator to seek revenge.
1999 -
"American Beauty"
Lester Burnham, a depressed suburban father in a mid-life
crisis, decides to turn his hectic life around after developing an infatuation
for his daughter's attractive friend.
1998 -
"Shakespeare in Love"
A young Shakespeare, out of ideas and short of cash,
meets his ideal woman and is inspired to write one of his most famous plays.
1997 -
"Titanic"
A seventeen-year-old aristocrat, expecting to be married
to a rich claimant by her mother, falls in love with a kind but poor artist
aboard the luxurious, ill-fated R.M.S. Titanic.
1996 - "The
English Patient"
Based on the novel by Michael Ondaatje, at the close of
WWII a young nurse tends to a badly-burned plane crash victim. His past is
shown in flashbacks, revealing an involvement in a fateful love affair.
1995 -
"Braveheart"
When his secret bride is executed for assaulting an
English soldier whom tried to rape her, a commoner begins a revolt and leads
Scottish warriors against the cruel English tyrant who rules Scotland with an
iron fist.
1994 -
"Forrest Gump"
Forrest Gump, while not intelligent, has accidentally
been present at many historic moments, but his true love, Jenny, eludes him.
1993 -
"Schindler’s List"
In Poland during World War II, Oskar Schindler gradually
becomes concerned for his Jewish workforce after witnessing their persecution
by the Nazis.
1992 -
"Unforgiven"
Retired Old West gunslinger William Munny reluctantly
takes on one last job, with the help of his old partner and a young man.
1991 - "The
Silence of the Lambs"
A young FBI cadet must confide in an incarcerated and
manipulative killer to receive his help on catching another serial killer who
skins his victims.
1990 -
"Dances with Wolves"
Lt. John Dunbar, exiled to a remote western Civil War
outpost, befriends wolves and Indians, making him an intolerable aberration in
the military.
1989 -
"Driving Miss Daisy"
An old Jewish woman and her African-American chauffeur in
the American South have a relationship that grows and improves over the years.
1988 - "Rain
Man"
Selfish yuppie Charlie Babbitt's father dies and leaves a
fortune to Raymond, the institutionalized savant brother that Charlie didn't
know he had. Together they set out on a cross-country journey of discovery.
1987 - "The
Last Emperor"
A dramatic history of Pu Yi, the last of the Emperors of
China, from his lofty birth and brief reign in the Forbidden City through his
abdication, his exploitation by the invading Japanese, and finally to his
obscure existence as just another peasant worker in the People's Republic.
1986 -
"Platoon"
A young recruit in Vietnam faces a moral crisis when
confronted with the horrors of war and the duality of man.
1985 - "Out
of Africa"
Based on the book by Karen Blixen, in 20th century
colonial Kenya a Danish baroness/plantation owner has a passionate love affair
with a free-spirited big-game hunter.
1984 -
"Amadeus"
The incredible story of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, told in
flashback by his peer and secret rival Antonio Salieri - now confined to an
insane asylum.
1983 - "Terms
of Endearment"
Aurora and Emma are a mother and daughter who march to
different drummers. Beginning with Emma's marriage, Aurora shows how difficult
and loving she can be. The movie covers several years of their lives as each
finds different reasons to go on living and find joy.
1982 - "Gandhi"
A biopic about Mohandas K. Gandhi, the lawyer who became
the famed leader of the Indian revolts against the British rule through his
philosophy of non-violent protest.
1981 -
"Chariots of Fire"
Two British track athletes, one a determined Jew and the
other a devout Christian, compete in the 1924 Olympics.
1980 -
"Ordinary People"
The accidental death of the older son of an affluent
family deeply strains the relationships among the bitter mother, the
good-natured father, and the guilt-ridden younger son.
1979 -
"Kramer vs. Kramer"
A just-divorced man must learn to care for his son on his
own, and then must fight in court to keep custody of him.
1978 - "The
Deer Hunter"
An in-depth examination of the way that the Vietnam war affects
the lives of people in a small industrial town in the USA.
1977 - "Annie
Hall"
Neurotic New York comedian Alvy Singer falls in love with
the ditsy Annie Hall.
1976 -
"Rocky"
A small time boxer gets a once in a lifetime chance to
fight the heavyweight champ in a bout in which he strives to go the distance
for his self-respect.
1975 - "One
Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest"
Upon arriving at a mental institution, a brash rebel
rallies the patients to take on the oppressive Nurse Ratched, a woman more
dictator than nurse.
1974 - "The
Godfather Part II"
The early life and career of Vito Corleone in 1920s New
York is portrayed while his son, Michael, expands and tightens his grip on his
crime syndicate stretching from Lake Tahoe, Nevada to pre-revolution 1958 Cuba.
1973 - "The
Sting"
In 1930s Chicago, a young con man seeking revenge for his
murdered partner teams up with a master of the big con to win a fortune from a
criminal banker.
1972 - "The
Godfather"
The aging patriarch of an organized crime dynasty transfers
control of his clandestine empire to his reluctant son.
1971 - "The
French Connection"
A pair of NYC cops in the Narcotics Bureau stumble onto a
drug smuggling job with a French connection.
1970 -
"Patton"
A depiction of the World War II phase of the controversial
American general's career.
1969 -
"Midnight Cowboy"
A naive male prostitute and his sickly friend struggle to
survive on the streets of New York City.
1968 -
"Oliver!"
A musical adaptation about an orphan who runs away from
an orphanage and hooks up with a group of boys trained to be pickpockets by an
elderly mentor.
1967 - "In
the Heat of the Night"
An African American detective is asked to investigate a
murder in a racist southern town.
1966 - "A Man
for All Seasons"
The story of Thomas More, who stood up to King Henry VIII
when the King rejected the Roman Catholic Church to obtain a divorce and
remarriage.
1965 - "The
Sound of Music"
A woman leaves an Austrian convent to become a governess
to the children of a Naval officer widower.
1964 - "My
Fair Lady"
A misogynistic and snobbish phonetics professor agrees to
a wager that he can take a flower girl and make her presentable in high
society.
1963 - "Tom
Jones"
Tom Jones, the adopted son of a British country squire,
is a love-'em-and-leave-'em lady charmer who goes blithely from bed to bed,
while managing to get into enough other mischief to come within moments of
being hanged.
1962 -
"Lawrence of Arabia"
The story of T.E. Lawrence, a flamboyant and
controversial British military figure and his conflicted loyalties during his
World War I service in the Middle East.
1961 - "West
Side Story"
A musical adaptation of Romeo and Juliet set in New York City, where rival street gangs (the Jets and the Sharks) battle for territory and respect. Is the love affair between former Jets leader Tony and Maria, sister to Sharks' leader Bernardo, doomed to failure?
A musical adaptation of Romeo and Juliet set in New York City, where rival street gangs (the Jets and the Sharks) battle for territory and respect. Is the love affair between former Jets leader Tony and Maria, sister to Sharks' leader Bernardo, doomed to failure?
1960 - "The
Apartment"
A man tries to rise in his company by letting its
executives use his apartment for trysts, but complications and a romance of his
own ensue.
1959 -
"Ben-Hur"
When a Jewish prince is betrayed and sent into slavery by
a Roman friend, he regains his freedom and comes back for revenge.
1958 -
"Gigi"
Weary of the conventions of Parisian society, a rich
playboy and a youthful courtesan-in-training enjoy a platonic friendship, but
it may not stay platonic for long.
1957 - "The
Bridge on the River Kwai"
After settling his differences with a Japanese PoW camp
commander, a British colonel co-operates to oversee his men's construction of a
railway bridge for their captors - while oblivious to a plan by the Allies to
destroy it.
1956 -
"Around the World in 80 Days"
Based on Jules Verne's novel, a Victorian Englishman bets
that with the new steamships and railways he can do what the title says.
1955 -
"Marty"
Marty is a 34-year-old butcher whose Italian family is
constantly after him to get married. He meets plain-looking schoolteacher
Clara. They are both lonely, unglamorous people who have resigned themselves to
their unloved lives. But they manage, in time, to grope their way to love.
1954 - "On
the Waterfront"
An ex-prize fighter turned longshoreman struggles to
stand up to his corrupt union bosses.
1953 - "From
Here to Eternity"
Based on the novel by James Jones, in 1941 Hawaii a
private is cruelly punished for not boxing on his unit's team. Meanwhile, his
captain's wife and second in command are falling in love.
1952 - "The
Greatest Show on Earth"
Follows the dramatic lives of trapeze artists, a clown,
and an elephant trainer against a background of circus spectacle.
1951 - "An
American in Paris"
Three friends struggle to find work in Paris. However,
things become more complicated when two of them fall in love with the same
woman.
1950 - "All
About Eve"
An ingénue insinuates herself in to the company of an
established but aging stage actress and her circle of theater friends.
1949 - "All
the King’s Men"
Based on the novel by Robert Penn Warren, this chronicles
of the rise and fall of a corrupt politician, who makes his friends richer and retains
power by dint of a populist appeal.
1948 -
"Hamlet"
This is Sir Laurence Olivier’s version of William
Shakespeare's tale of tragedy of murder and revenge in the royal halls of
medieval Denmark.
1947 -
"Gentleman's Agreement"
A reporter pretends to be Jewish in order to cover a
story on anti-Semitism, and he personally discovers the true depths of bigotry
and hatred.
1946 - "The
Best Years of Our Lives"
Three WWII veterans return home to small-town America to
discover that they and their families have been irreparably changed.
1945 - "The
Lost Weekend"
The desperate life of a chronic alcoholic is followed
through a four day drinking bout.
1944 - "Going
My Way"
Youthful Father Chuck O'Malley led a colorful life of
sports, song, and romance before joining the Roman Catholic clergy. O'Malley's
worldly knowledge helps him connect with a gang of kids looking for direction
and handle the business details of the church-building fund.
1943 -
"Casablanca"
Set in unoccupied Africa during the early days of World War
II: An American expatriate meets a former lover, with unforeseen complications.
1942 - "Mrs.
Miniver"
The Minivers, an English middle class family, experience
life in the first months of World War II. Their idyllic life is shattered in
September 1939 when England is forced to declare war on Germany and their son
joins the Royal Air Force.
1941 - "How
Green Was My Valley"
At the turn of the century in a Welsh mining village, the
Morgans raise coal-mining sons and hope their youngest will find a better life.
1940 -
"Rebecca"
Based on the novel by Daphne du Maurier, a naive young
woman marries a rich widower and settles in his gigantic mansion, only to find
the memory of the first wife maintaining a grip on her husband and the
servants.
1939 - "Gone
with the Wind"
Based on the novel by Margaret Mitchell, a manipulative
woman and a roguish man carry on a turbulent love affair in the American south
during the Civil War and Reconstruction.
1938 - "You
Can't Take It with You"
A man from a family of rich snobs becomes engaged to a
woman from a good-natured but decidedly eccentric family.
1937 - "The
Life of Emile Zola"
The biopic of the famous French muckraking writer and his
involvement in fighting the injustice of the Dreyfuss Affair.
1936 - "The
Great Ziegfeld"
This biography follows the ups and downs of Florenz
Ziegfeld, famed producer of extravagant stage revues.
1935 -
"Mutiny on the Bounty"
Fletcher Christian successfully leads a revolt against
the ruthless Captain Bligh on the HMS Bounty. However, Bligh returns one year
later, hell bent on avenging his captors.
1934 - "It
Happened One Night"
A spoiled heiress running away from her family is
assisted by a man who's actually a reporter looking for a story.
1932/1933 -
"Cavalcade" (currently unavailable on DVD)
A cavalcade of English life from New Year's Eve 1899
until 1933 seen through the eyes of well-to-do Londoners Jane and Robert
Marryot. Amongst events touching their family are the Boer War, the death of
Queen Victoria, the sinking of the Titanic and the Great War.
1931/1932 -
"Grand Hotel"
A group of very different individuals staying at a
luxurious hotel in Berlin deal with each of their respective dramas.
1930/1931 -
"Cimarron"
Based on the novel by Edna Ferber, a newspaper editor
settles in an Oklahoma boom town with his reluctant wife at the end of the
nineteenth century.
1929/1930 -
"All Quiet on the Western Front"
Based on the novel by Erich Maria Remarque, a young
soldier faces profound disillusionment in the soul-destroying horror of World War
I.
1928/1929 -
"The Broadway Melody"
Harriet and Queenie Mahoney, a vaudeville act, come to
Broadway where their friend Eddie Kerns needs them for his number in one of
Francis Zanfield's shows. Eddie was in love with Harriet but falls in love with
Queenie, who is also courted by Jock Warriner, a member of New York high
society.
1927/1928 -
"Wings"
Two young men, one rich and one middle class, who are in
love with the same woman become fighter pilots in World War I.
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