The Best Picture winners do not always match the fan expectations. These 12 movies were all but guaranteed of on Oscar. People call these Oscar snubs a daylight robbery.
Citizen Kane – Beaten By “How Green Was My Valley”
It was 1942. Citizen Kane was sure to win the Oscars that year. The award went to How green was My Valley. Even if you haven’t watched Citizen Kane, you must have heard its name. It is basically the most important movie of all time, having had major influence on modern cinema. It is also known for the first ever true Oscar snub.
To Kill A Mockingbird – Beaten By “Lawrence Of Arabia”
Now we will not go so far as to say David Lean’s Lawrence Of Arabia was a bad movie. Despite it’s obvious white savior tropes, it was a product of that specific era and is revered as a cult classic. But in 1963, during the heights of the Civil Rights movement, To Kill A Mockingbird was a more relevant movie. It has stood the test of time to this day.
Star Wars – Beaten By “Annie Hall”
In an interview in 2015, George Lucas said that none of his friends except Steven Spielberg, thought Star Wars was going to bomb. In 1978, this movie was poised to win many accolades in the Oscars. But Annie Hall bagged the prize instead. The blockbuster curse has gripped Hollywood ever since.
Apocalypse Now – Beaten By “Kramer Vs. Kramer”
In 1980, Apocalypse Now gave us a take on war and violence never before seen in the history of cinema. The war movies that came before it almost always glorified and romanticized it. Apocalypse Now was the first movie of its kind that showed us the grimmer side of war. And it was outright robbed at the Oscars.
Raging Bull – Beaten By “Ordinary People”
Many think Martin Scorsese‘s greatest masterpiece is Taxi Driver. We beg to differ. Scorsese’s greatest work is Raging Bull. The movie featured Robert De Niro starring as boxer Jake LaMotta as he descended into the realms of madness and chaos. Ordinary People was definitely the inferior choice in 1981.
Goodfellas – Beaten By “Dances With Wolves”
Kevin Costner‘s Dances With Wolves is a movie that has not aged well. On the other hand, Goodfellas has aged like fine wine. Even in 1991 when the latter was snubbed, the people believed it to be a daylight robbery.
Fargo – Beaten By “The English Patient”
Fargo entails the stories of characters hailing from the violent but terribly under-represented American Midwest. It was so successful that it even spanned an FX TV Series. How did the slow-paced romantic story that is The English patient won the Oscar for Best picture in 1997 is something we will never know.
Saving Private Ryan – Beaten By “Shakespeare In Love”
Spielberg seldom makes a war movie. But when he did, he gave us Saving Private Ryan. To be honest the very first few scenes of the movie – the infamous D-Day landing, should have reserved its Oscar win. Shakespeare In Love won it in 1999. And we are still angry at how things turned out to be.
The Sixth Sense – Beaten By “American Beauty”
The Sixth Sense is probably the greatest M Night Shyamalan movie, closely followed by Unbreakable. And the movie comes with the literal greatest plot twist of all time in Hollywood history. Some critics of the Oscars said American beauty won instead of M Night Shyamalan in 2000 because the Oscars Committee would never let a newcomer make it before seasoned veterans of the industry.
Gangs Of New York – Beaten By “Chicago”
The music and dance numbers were good in Chicago. But was it good enough to beat Martin Scorsese’s Gangs of New York, a tale so viscerally intense people still talk about it 18 years later? 2003 was a weird year indeed.
Brokeback Mountain – Beaten By “Crash”
Both movies highlighted social issues. Crash showcased xenophobia and racism in society. Brokeback Mountain showed how two men can fall in love. But the award went to the former in 2006 because the Oscars Committee, according to the rumors, was uncomfortable with Brokeback Mountain’s premise. The committee consisted of mostly old men those days.
Get Out – Beaten By “The Shape Of Water”
Guillermo Del Toro’s The Shape Of Water was visually stunning. But was it good enough to beat Jordan Peele’s Get Out in 2018? Highly doubtful. The general consensus is that The Shape Of water was superior to many movies but isn’t as great as people make it out to be. Get Out on the other hand delivered from the start to finish.
