Leigh Paatsch’s best of the best Oscars awards
IF you look at the winners of every Academy Award who would make the ultimate Oscars winners list. Film critic Leigh Paatsch decides. Tell us if you agree?
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WHO would win the ultimate Oscar, the best of the best.
Film critic Leigh Paatsch has studied every Academy Award ceremony in history and decided which film, which actor, actress, director, would win the best of the best Oscars.
Follow all the live action on the red carpet for the 2014 Oscars here tomorrow morning as all the stars step out for their big day.
BEST OF THE BEST ... BEST PICTURES
And the winner is ...
1. THE GODFATHER (1972) / THE GODFATHER PART 2 (1974)
“I believe in America. America has made my fortune.”
It just had to be a dead heat, didn’t it? These are the two years where, above all others, Oscar got it absolutely right. Francis Ford Coppola’s twin Mafia sagas — adapted from the best-selling novel by Mario Puzo — was far beyond the mere gangster flicks many of the era were expecting. The direction is lyrical, the acting flawless, and the story as a whole speaks volumes about the best and worst of human nature.
Worthy nominees ...
3. CASABLANCA (1942)
“Of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world, she walks into mine ...”
Bogart and Bergman as the ultimate lovers who were never meant to be. Remarkably, this classic romantic drama was ranked by its own studio as a quickie B-movie that would come and go in a flash. How wrong they were.
4. SCHINDLER’S LIST (1993)
*All you have to do is tell me what it’s worth to you. What’s a person worth to you?*
Directed by Steven Spielberg in career-best form, this powerful adaptation of the Thomas Keneally novel stared long and hard at the horror of the Holocaust. As difficult as it was to watch, it was impossible to forget. A lasting monument to a terrible tragedy.
5. GONE WITH THE WIND (1939)
“As God is my witness, I’m going to live through this, and when it’s all over, I’ll never be hungry again.”
Ever wondered why they call it the big screen? The answer can be found in this rousingly entertaining and truly epic Civil War drama, which kicked down the door for the large-scale event pictures we still love to this very day.
Honourable mentions ...
6. LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (1962)
7. ALL ABOUT EVE (1950)
8. ANNIE HALL (1977)
9. UNFORGIVEN (1992)
10. TRAFFIC (2000)
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BEST PICTURES TO NEVER WIN BEST PICTURE
1. CITIZEN KANE (1940)
2. 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968)
3. SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN (1952)
4. RAGING BULL (1980)
5. PSYCHO (1960)
WORST PICTURES TO WIN BEST PICTURE
1. FORREST GUMP (1994)
2. KRAMER VS KRAMER (1979)
3. DRIVING MISS DAISY (1989)
4. THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING (2003)
5. ORDINARY PEOPLE (1980)
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BEST OF THE BEST ... BEST ACTORS
And the winner is ...
1. Robert De Niro in Raging Bull (1980)
“I’ve done a lot of bad things, Joey. Maybe it’s comin’ back to me. Who knows? I’m a jinx maybe. Who the hell knows?”
It might have been just another biopic of a boxer. But Robert De Niro had other ideas. In preparing to play the ex-champion pug Jake LaMotta, De Niro famously put his body on the line. The fight scenes alone took two months to film. Then shooting was held over for nearly a year while the actor stacked on the kilos to depict LaMotta in his later years as a bloated wash-up. The physical transformation was astounding, but the psychological intensity De Niro injected into his character was just as impressive. A performance that keeps hitting you well after the final bell has sounded.
Worthy nominees ...
2. Marlon Brando in On the Waterfront (195*)
“I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender. I coulda been somebody. Instead of a bum, which is what I am.”
Brando’s intense, withdrawn and emotionally unstable display rewrote the movie acting textbook. There has never been another performance quite like it, though so many remain in its debt.
3. Jack Nicholson in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
“Which one of you nuts has got any guts?”
Too sane for the real world. Too crazy for an insane asylum. Nicholson had the life experience to understand this paradox better than anyone. The sweet sight of an actor revelling in the role they were born to play.
4. Marlon Brando in The Godfather Part I (1972)
“I’m gonna make him an offer he can’t refuse.”
Another master class in sheer screen presence from the great Brando. The horror and the honour that goes hand-in-hand with life in the Mafia was suggested by his every move.
5. Daniel Day-Lewis in There Will Be Blood (2007)
“It is an abomination to consider that any man, woman or child in this magnificent country of ours should have to look upon a loaf of bread as a luxury.”
An astonishing piece of acting. Showing a fearless commitment to character, Day-Lewis proved one man’s future dream will always be someone else’s next nightmare.
Honourable mentions ...
6. Gregory Peck in To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
7. Daniel Day-Lewis in My Left Foot (1989)
8. Peter Finch in Network (1976)
9. Anthony Hopkins in The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
10. Gary Cooper in High Noon (1952)
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BEST PERFORMANCES TO NEVER WIN BEST ACTOR
1. Orson Welles in Citizen Kane
2. Robert De Niro in Taxi Driver
3. Peter Sellers in Dr Strangelove
4. Clark Gable in Gone with the Wind
5. Peter O’Toole in Lawrence of Arabia
WORST PERFORMANCES TO WIN BEST ACTOR
1. Ernest Borgnine in Marty
2. Cliff Robertson in Charly
3. Tom Hanks in Forrest Gump
4. Rex Harrison in My Fair Lady
5. Al Pacino in Scent of a Woman
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BEST OF THE BEST ... BEST ACTRESSES
And the winner is ...
1. Vivien Leigh in Gone with the Wind (1939)
“Home. I’ll go home. And I’ll think of some way to get him back. After all ... tomorrow is another day.:
Chosen from a talent pool of thousands for what remains the most hotly-contested part in motion picture history, Leigh turned in an incredible performance. On screen for nearly all of GWTW’s 220 minutes, Leigh attacked her task selflessly, nailing the indestructibly capricious heroine Scarlett O’Hara with great feeling and complexity. Her character is hard to like, but easy to love. Seven decades on, this is still a high watermark for the craft.
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Worthy nominees ...
2. Meryl Streep in Sophie’s Choice (1982)
“Don’t you see? We are dying. I longed desperately to escape, to pack my bags and free, but I did not.”
La Streep has been nominated in this category an incredible 15 times for just two wins to date. But what a haunting, multi-layered performance to triumph with. Exudes a damaged, yet indefatigable grace from start to finish.
3. Helen Mirren in The Queen (2006)
“I doubt there is anyone who knows the British people more than I do, Mr. Blair, nor who has greater faith in their wisdom and judgment.”
So much more than a mere impersonation of a contemporary historical figure, which would have been a tough enough assignment in its own right. Strong, dignified, but fragile too.
4. Jane Fonda in Klute (1971)
“Don’t feel bad about losing your virtue. I sort of knew you would. Everybody always does.”
Almost 40 years later, Fonda’s hooker-with-a-heart-of-stone still strikes the viewer as a fearless piece of acting. One of Oscar’s bravest choices, considering Fonda’s controversial war activism at the time.
5. Holly Hunter in The Piano (1992)
[silence]
Hunter’s devastating portrayal of a mute single mother doing it hard in 19th century New Zealand refused to play the sympathy card for a moment. One of the toughest-to-watch Oscar-winning performances.
Honourable mentions ...
6. Diane Keaton in Annie Hall (1977)
7. Sissy Spacek In Coal Miner’s Daughter (1980)
8. Natalie Portman in Black Swan (2010)
9. Jodie Foster in The Accused (1988)
10. Claudette Colbert in It Happened One Night (1934)
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BEST PERFORMANCES TO NEVER WIN BEST ACTRESS
1. Ingrid Bergman in Casablanca
2. Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s
3. Kathleen Turner in Body Heat
4. Katharine Hepburn in The Philadelphia Story
5. Rita Hayworth in Gilda
WORST PERFORMANCES TO WIN BEST ACTRESS
1. Nicole Kidman in The Hours
2. Katharine Hepburn in Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?
3. Helen Hunt in As Good As It Gets
4. Elizabeth Taylor in Butterfield 8
5. Gwyneth Paltrow in Shakespeare in Love
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BEST OF THE BEST ... BEST SUPPORTING ACTORS
And the winner is ...
1. Kevin Spacey in The Usual Suspects (1995)
It is impossible to imagine this classic mystery (*who is Keyser Soze?*) could possibly have worked its magic without the deceptively manipulative influence of Spacey. The entire film is driven by the police interrogation of his character, a low-level crim with a highly persuasive way of expressing himself. Got to love Spacey’s handling of that unforgettable finale, where a simple stroll along a footpath tells us everything the cops never found out.
Worthy nominees ...
2. Robert De Niro in The Godfather Part II (1974)
3. Christopher Walken in The Deer Hunter (1978)
4. Javier Bardem in No Country for Old Men (2007)
5. Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight (2008)
Honourable mentions ...
6. Benicio Del Toro in Traffic (2000)
7. Frank Sinatra in From Here to Eternity (1953)
8. Ben Johnson in The Last Picture Show (1971)
9. Frank Sinatra in From Here to Eternity (1953)
10. Martin Landau in Ed Wood (1994)
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BEST OF THE BEST ... BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESSES
And the winner is ...
1. Anna Paquin in The Piano (1993)
Still only nine years old when filming commenced, the unheralded New Zealand youngster came up with a magnificent performance. Appearing in more scenes (and speaking more lines) than her adult co-stars Holly Hunter and Harvey Keitel, Paquin literally held The Piano together at some crucial junctures. This was no novelty Oscar win. This is acting of the highest class, irrespective of age.
Worthy nominees ...
2. Kim Hunter in A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
3. Eva Marie Saint in On the Waterfront (1954)
4. Cate Blanchett in The Aviator (2005)
5. Vanessa Redgrave in Julia (1977)
Honourable mentions ...
6. Kim Basinger in LA Confidential (1997)
7. Geena Davis in The Accidental Tourist (1988)
8. Angelina Jolie in Girl, Interrupted (1999)
9. Ruth Gordon in Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
10. Anne Hathaway in Les Miserables (2012)
BEST OSCARS HOSTS
1. BOB HOPE — Didn’t get the gig 17 times for nothing, you know. Always quick on the draw with the right quip.
2. BILLY CRYSTAL — Master of the witty opening monologue that could make, not break the night. Did the job in fine style on nine occasions. Probably got number ten in him still.
3. JON STEWART — Fast learner after a slow start. Brought some much-needed edge to some blunt shows. Been a while since his last gig at the podium though.
WORST OSCARS HOSTS
1. DAVID LETTERMAN — Tanked from the moment he opened his mouth. File marked *never again*.
2. CHEVY CHASE — As above. Except he got a second go. And did even worse.
3. JAMES FRANCO — Crashed and burned as co-host with Anne Hathaway in 2011. Seemed to not get his own in-jokes.
The 10 greatest filmmakers to never win a Best Director Oscar :
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Alfred Hitchcock (6 nominations): Rebecca (1940), Suspicion (1941), Lifeboat (1944), Spellbound (1945), Rear Window (1954), Psycho (1960).
Robert Altman (5): M*A*S*H* (1970), Nashville (1975), The Player (1992), Short Cuts (1993), Gosford Park (2001).
Stanley Kubrick (4): Dr Strangelove (1964), 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), A Clockwork Orange (1971), Barry Lyndon (1975).
Federico Fellini (4): La Dolce Vita (1960), 8 1/2 (1963), Satyricon (1969), Amacord (1973).
Sidney Lumet (4): 12 Angry Men (1957), Dog Day Afternoon (1975), Network (1976), The Verdict (1982).
Peter Weir (4): Witness (1985), Dead Poets Society (1989), The Truman Show (1998), Master and Commander (2003).
David Lynch (3): The Elephant Man (1980), Blue Velvet (1986), Mulholland Drive (2001).
George Lucas (2): American Graffiti (1973), Star Wars (1977).
Orson Welles (1): Citizen Kane (1941).
Sam Peckinpah (0).
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