'Casablanca,' 'Gone with the Wind,' Among Favorite Best Picture Winners

by Tyler Glover

10. 12 Years a Slave

​“12 Years a Slave” won three Oscars (Picture, Supporting Actress and Adapted Screenplay). The film tells the true story of Solomon Northup, who was a free black man living in the North who was kidnapped and sold into slavery in the southern United States in 1841. He eventually is sold to a horrible owner, played by Michael Fassbender, and befriends a slave named Patsy, portrayed by Oscar winner Lupita Nyong'o. This film is a very difficult to watch masterpiece. I love that this film shows us the brutal torture that African American slaves had to endure but it is a difficult truth of the past. Films like this help us to never forget where we came from and remind us where we never want to go again.

9. Kramer vs. Kramer

​“Kramer vs. Kramer” won four Academy Awards including Best Actor for Dustin Hoffman and Best Supporting Actress for Meryl Streep. Hoffman plays Ted Kramer, an executive at an advertising agency that is assigned a new exciting project. He comes home to his wife, Joanna, to tell her about it only to find out she has packed her bags and is leaving him and their son, Billy. Weeks go by with Joanna missing in action and Ted and Billy have to learn their new normal together. It begins with some bitterness and resentment but just as they are getting used to their new lives, Joanna returns wanting full custody. Hoffman plays the struggle that this Dad faces so realistically. I watch scenes where he is frustrated at his son because of the stress of work and it hits home to me. Working dads have a lot put on them and patience can be a virtue that you feel you don't have anymore. Hoffman plays out all of this in a way that helps us all to relate and make us not feel alone. That really is what movies and performances by actors do for us. They make us feel not alone. The passion Hoffman has in the courtroom scenes fighting for his son like his life depends on it helps us to feel the love he has for his son. Hoffman's performance is the main reason this film makes this list for me. 

8. My Fair Lady

​The winner of Best Picture in 1964 is our next best of the best: "My Fair Lady." The film stars Audrey Hepburn as Eliza Doolittle, a woman who sells flowers on the street to make a living. One day, she stumbles upon a phonetics professor named Henry Higgins who bets a fellow colleague that he could work with Eliza and pass her off as a duchess at an embassy ball. "My Fair Lady" won eight Oscars and it is not hard to understand why. The production design, the costumes, the music, the performances, and the direction are all magnificent. When I first saw this film, I was around 10-years old and was in love with Hepburn's singing voice. The only problem with this was that it was not hers. I found out that Marni Nixon had actually done the vocals and Hepburn was lip syncing. She still gives an amazing performance but it did take away from the performance a little bit. I love watching films that show us a transformation of someone that may start with something as simple as a makeover but become about something even bigger and "My Fair Lady" is one of the best examples of that type of film. My favorite thing that I learned from this movie though definitely has to be that "the rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain."

7. Chicago

​The next best of the best is the musical "Chicago." I began following the Oscar race in 2001: the year "A Beautiful Mind" won and beat one of my favorite movies ever, "Moulin Rouge." I was so heartbroken by the loss but the very next year, "Chicago" came out and I was in love. Directed by Rob Marshall, "Chicago" tells the story of Roxie Hart, a woman who kills her lover after learning he is married and not interested in helping her career to excel. He only wanted one thing. After Roxie is arrested, she meets one of her idols in jail, Velma Kelly, who was also arrested for murder. They both share the same lawyer, Billy Flynn, who is famous for never losing a case and uses the media as a way to tell a certain narrative, even if it is not the truth. This film was nominated for 13 Oscars and won six. Renee Zellweger, John C. Reilly, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Queen Latifah were all nominated for their performances. The only exclusion from the main cast was Richard Gere, who played Billy Flynn. All of the music is sensational and has me singing even 17 years later. The highlight of the film is the number: "Cell Block Tango" where all of the inmates sing their story to Roxie explaining to her their reason for being in jail. One of the really ironic parts in the film is the only person seen to be hanged for her crimes is the only innocent one. This film is absolutely fabulous! With show-stopping numbers and a brilliant cast, "Chicago" definitely delivers on all levels.

6. Titanic

​The next film is what I consider to be this generation's "Gone With The Wind." It is the epitome of an Oscar movie. Beautiful sets, elegant costumes and two performances that would change the course of the careers of Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. Reports had been made that "Titanic" was going to be the biggest flop ever and it ended up being a worldwide phenomenon. At the time, it became the highest grossing movie at the box office ever with $1.1 billion in revenue. It tied "All About Eve" with the most Oscar nominations with 14. It also holds the record for the most Oscar wins with 11, a record it holds with "Ben-Hur" and "The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King." It would have beaten the record for most nominations if DiCaprio hadn’t been snubbed. The film tells the story of Rose, who is a wealthy socialite traveling with her mother and fiancee, Cal aboard the RMS Titanic. Aboard the ship, she meets poor boy Jack Dawson who saves her from falling off the ship and she begins to fall in love with him but their romance will soon be tested when the Titanic hits an iceberg and the ship begins to sink. This film is so iconic. The best moment in the film to me is when Rose meets Jack at the front of the boat. She stands in front of him and holds her arms out. He stands behind her and holds her arms and she closes her eyes. Then she opens them up and says, "I'm flying, Jack. I'm flying!" One of the most romantic scenes on film ever. 

5. The Artist

​The next film may have been released in 2011 but it could have been made in 1928. It is a major throwback to old Hollywood films. It’s only the second silent film to win Best Picture after "Wings" prevailed at the very first Oscar ceremony in 1928. At the time of the film coming out, some critics viewed it as a gimmick and nothing more. I completely disagree with this. If it was a gimmick, though, it worked on me. Set between the years of 1927 to 1932, "The Artist" tells the story of George Valentin, a big movie star during the silent era of movies. However, with the rise of the "talkies," George starts to feel his thriving career begin to falter. One of the newest big stars is Peppy Miller, who George made a connection with one night at a movie premiere. George is married but there is an attraction there. After George loses lots of money due to a failed movie project, his wife leaves him and he begins to fall into despair but the movie has a very happy ending that puts a smile on your face. When watching Jean Dujardin and Berenice Bejo in these roles, you would think you are watching a real-life couple. The way they look at each other reminds me of the way I look at my wife. The difference is mine is real life and theirs is pretend. To be able to have that with someone on the screen really shows your gift as an actor to play a part. Make us believe it! In total, "The Artist" won five Oscars: Picture, Director, Actor, Costume Design, and Original Score. 

4. Gone with the Wind

​The next film is what my mind immediately goes to when I think of what an Oscar movie truly is. It is EPIC! It has amazing direction, brilliant performances, beautiful costumes, and an elaborate production design that puts you in the movie. It is set against the backdrop of important moments in history and giving life to those who lived during these moments. When you hear about the number of people who died in the Civil War, you do not think about what a normal day was like for that person and what the new normal for their loved ones will be. Movies like this even if fictionalized help us to imagine what that feels like. "Gone With The Wind" is all of these things. It won 10 Academy Awards and at the time, these wins set the record for the most wins for a film. One thing about this film I love so very much is that one of those wins was for Hattie McDaniel, who became the first African American actor or actress to win an Oscar. She took home the Best Supporting Actress Academy Award. "Gone With The Wind" is set in the southern United States during the Civil War and Reconstruction. It tells the story of Scarlett O'Hara, a very strong-willed daughter of a plantation owner. The film follows her as she pursues a romantic relationship with Ashley Wilkes, who is married to his cousin, Melanie Hamilton. Even though she loves Ashley, she ends up settling to marry Rhett Butler. The biggest standout in this whole film is the performance of Vivien Leigh who plays Scarlett. She plays her with such passion and electricity. When she is on the screen, it is difficult to look away. 

3. It Happened One Night

​“It Happened One Night” is one of the few romantic comedies to claim Hollywood's top prize. This film was the first movie to win Best Picture, Director, Actor, Actress and Screenplay also known as the "Big Five." Only two other films have accomplished this feat: "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest" and "Silence of the Lambs." "It Happened One Night" tells the story of a spoiled rich girl named Ellen who has married a man her father disapproves of behind his back. Her father wants to have the marriage annulled because he believes her new husband is only interested in their money. Ellen runs away from home and boards a bus to reunite with her husband in New York. Along the way, she meets Peter who is a recently fired newspaper reporter. Peter realizes who Ellen is and gives her a choice: If she will give him an exclusive on her story, he will help her reunite with her husband. If not, he will tell her father where she is. Along this trip, Ellen and Peter begin to fall in love. This film is one of the most charming movies I have ever watched and very deserving of the Big Five Oscars. The screenplay is filled with witty banter that makes me laugh hysterically. The performances of Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert are nothing short of spectacular. It may have only happened one night, but once you watch this movie, you will want to make this movie one to watch many nights in the future.

2. All About Eve

​“All About Eve” is just absolute perfection. It’s the most nominated film in Oscar history with 14 nominations, a record it holds with "Titanic" and "La La Land." It is a story centered around fame, the pursuit of it and retaining it once you get it. Bette Davis, in a role that should have won her the Best Actress Oscar, plays a famous but aging Broadway actress named Margo Channing. One night after one of her shows, she is introduced by her friend, Karen, to a fan named Eve Harrington. Eve has followed Margo's career and upon learning that Eve's husband died in World War II, Margo decides to take Eve in as an assistant. Margo is unaware that Eve is planning on using Margo to advance her own career as an actress. Over time, we learn Eve is a very manipulative and devious woman who will do anything for fame regardless of who she hurts in the process. The acting in this film is phenomenal. Four of the actresses in this film were nominated and George Sanders won Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Addison DeWitt, the theatre critic who becomes aware of Eve's manipulations. The two brightest spots though are Bette Davis as Margo Channing and Anne Baxter as Eve Harrington. Davis plays Margo with such a sophisticated charm. The way Davis holds a cigarette and walks around the room as if she owns it helps us see who Margo is and how she plays the part. We also see the more vulnerable and more fragile state of Margo when she is behind closed doors. One of the reasons I love this movie is because it shows how even we can play a part and act when we are in public that does not represent the person we truly are. Speaking of that, at the beginning of the film, Baxter plays Eve in a way that draws you in to her every word. You believe her story and you feel bad for Eve's misfortune, which makes it even more surprising when Eve flips the script. Baxter shocks you with the person Eve truly is because she has done such a good job playing pretend. For a movie about actors, there is definitely a lot of acting going on when the curtain is closed. With the issue of fame, the movie addresses how fame is something that continues on and continues to pass down. Margo was big, Eve becomes big, and then a fan at the end of the film breaks into Eve's house idealizing her in the way Eve idealized Margo. There are simply not enough words to explain the magnificent "All About Eve." If you ever get the chance to see it, just make sure to "fasten your seatbelts. It's going to be a bumpy night."

1. Casablanca

​To find the best of the best, one has to go all the way back to the 16th Oscar ceremony when "Casablanca" claimed the prize. The winner of three Academy Awards tells the story of Rick, an American who owns an upscale nightclub in the Morrocan city in 1941. During World War II, Casablanca was a place of refuge for those who were escaping the Nazis. Rick comes into possession of papers that would allow the holder to travel freely across Europe, even the areas occupied by the Germans. Rick becomes faced with a dilemma. Should he give the papers to the love of his life and her Czech Resistance leader husband so they can continue his cause in helping to defeat the Germans? Or should he allow her husband, Laszlo, to be arrested freeing up a reconciliation to his wife, Ilsa? The acting in this film is top notch. You can feel the pain that Humphrey Bogart's Rick feels by not being with his beloved. You can feel Ilsa's pain and regret with the whole situation. She believed her husband to be dead when she began a romance with Rick. One particular thing I love about this movie is the song "As Time Goes By." We all have those songs that connect us to people in life whether it be friends, family, or significant others. This song is Rick and Ilsa's song. "As Time Goes By" in this film is how "Teardrops On My Guitar" by Taylor Swift makes me feel today at a lost romance. I found happiness with someone else but every time I hear that song, I feel the heartbreak the same way Rick does when he tells his pianist, Sam, to stop playing it. Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bregman portray my absolute favorite couple in all film history. They have an amazing chemistry together. The way they look at each other really sells the story. When you see films where you really cannot believe that the actors are really a couple, it makes you really appreciate performances like this. These are actors doing a job but when watching this film, they are Rick and Ilsa, two former lovers who still long for each other. Another thing I love about "Casablanca" is the amazing script. "Casablanca" arguably has the most quotable lines from any movie in film history. The most memorable lines to me are: "Here's looking at you, kid." "We'll always have Paris." "Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine." "Play it, Sam. Play 'As Time Goes By." "Louie, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful relationship." "Casablanca" is simply the best of the best. One of my favorite things about movies is when people are put into real world events and we see how it affects people individually. When you hear about the topic of World War II, most of the time you hear about how many people died but you don't think about a mother who had to deal with burying her son for example. In this film, Rick and Ilsa would have ended up together more than likely if it wasn't for the war. Rick decides to let her go so Laszlo can finish working for the cause because Rick believes Laszlo would be distracted by his loss and hurt his cause. It ends with Rick watching her plane fly away and the nail being put into the coffin for their romance. With the best couple a film has ever had and a story of loss that still resonates 75 years later, "Casablanca" is THE best Best Picture Oscar recipient.