The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was formed in 1927 and held the first Academy Awards ceremony on May 16, 1929 at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel to recognize films made in 1927 and 1928. The Academy Awards is known interchangeably as the Oscars, taking the nickname from that of the Oscar award statuette designed by MGM art director Cedric Gibbons and sculpted by George Stanley. Bette Davis claimed that she was responsible for its name, as the statue’s posterior reminded her of her then husband’s, Harmon Oscar Nelson. However additional lore names Academy librarian Margaret Herrick responsible after noting that the statue reminded her of her Uncle Oscar.

Since that first ceremony recognizing the 1927/1928 films, a varied amount of films have been nominated per annual ceremony with one winner each time. My goal is to watch all of the Best Picture nominees (including the winners) from 1927/1928 to 1969, which is the year I regard as the endpoint of what I consider classic film, and then review them. I originally thought that I would begin this series around the upcoming Oscar season and conclude it about a year later…then I looked at the numbers. With 270 films in total to watch and review, some being hard to come by, I decided I am not only taking my time with this challenge and not setting an end date, I will also not be viewing (and reviewing them) in order (though I will try to, if possible).

At the start of this challenge, I have only seen about 62 out of the 270 films on this list in their entirety, many of which I haven’t seen in over a decade and can barely remember. This rather shameful 23% is another reason why I am so excited for this endeavor!

In addition to writing a review per film, I will also be writing a summary entry per year (or season) once every nominee for that year/season has been watched. Films and full years that have been summarized will include the link to the review. The full list of nominees and winners (source credit Wikipedia) for each year is below (winners are the first listed per year and also in bold).

Year Film Studio/Producer
1927/28 Wings Paramount Famous Lasky
The Racket The Caddo Company
7th Heaven Fox Film Corporation
1928/29 The Broadway Melody Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Alibi Feature Productions
The Hollywood Revue of 1929 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
In Old Arizona Fox
The Patriot Paramount Pictures
1929/30 All Quiet on the Western Front Universal
The Big House Cosmopolitan
Disraeli Warner Bros.
The Divorcee Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
The Love Parade Paramount Famous Lasky
1930/31 Cimarron RKO Radio
East Lynne Fox
The Front Page The Caddo Company
Skippy Paramount Publix
Trader Horn Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
1931/32 Grand Hotel Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Arrowsmith Samuel Goldwyn Productions
Bad Girl Fox
The Champ Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Five Star Final First National
One Hour with You Paramount Publix
Shanghai Express Paramount Publix
The Smiling Lieutenant Paramount Publix
1932/33 Cavalcade Fox
42nd Street Warner Bros.
A Farewell to Arms Paramount
I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang Warner Bros.
Lady for a Day Columbia
Little Women RKO Radio
The Private Life of Henry VIII London Films
She Done Him Wrong Paramount
Smilin’ Through Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
State Fair Fox
1934 It Happened One Night Columbia
The Barretts of Wimpole Street Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Cleopatra Paramount
Flirtation Walk First National
The Gay Divorcee RKO Radio
Here Comes the Navy Warner Bros.
The House of Rothschild 20th Century
Imitation of Life Universal
One Night of Love Columbia
The Thin Man Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Viva Villa! Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
The White Parade Jesse L. Lasky (production company)
1935 Mutiny on the Bounty Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Alice Adams RKO Radio
Broadway Melody of 1936 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Captain Blood Cosmopolitan
David Copperfield Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
The Informer RKO Radio
The Lives of a Bengal Lancer Paramount
A Midsummer Night’s Dream Warner Bros.
Les Misérables 20th Century
Naughty Marietta Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Ruggles of Red Gap Paramount
Top Hat RKO Radio
1936 The Great Ziegfeld Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Anthony Adverse Warner Bros.
Dodsworth Samuel Goldwyn Productions
Libeled Lady Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town Columbia
Romeo and Juliet Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
San Francisco Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
The Story of Louis Pasteur Cosmopolitan
A Tale of Two Cities Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Three Smart Girls Universal
1937 The Life of Emile Zola Warner Bros.
The Awful Truth Columbia
Captains Courageous Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Dead End Samuel Goldwyn Productions
The Good Earth Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
In Old Chicago 20th Century-Fox
Lost Horizon Columbia
One Hundred Men and a Girl Universal
Stage Door RKO Radio
A Star Is Born Selznick International Pictures
1938 You Can’t Take It with You Columbia
The Adventures of Robin Hood Warner Bros.-First National
Alexander’s Ragtime Band 20th Century-Fox
Boys Town Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
The Citadel Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Four Daughters Warner Bros.-First National
Grand Illusion Realization D’Art Cinematographique
Jezebel Warner Bros.
Pygmalion Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Test Pilot Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
1939 Gone with the Wind Selznick International Pictures
Dark Victory Warner Bros.-First National
Goodbye, Mr. Chips Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Love Affair RKO Radio
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington Columbia
Ninotchka Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Of Mice and Men Hal Roach (production company)
Stagecoach Walter Wanger (production company)
The Wizard of Oz Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Wuthering Heights Samuel Goldwyn Productions
1940 Rebecca Selznick International Pictures
All This, and Heaven Too Warner Bros.
Foreign Correspondent Walter Wanger (production company)
The Grapes of Wrath 20th Century-Fox
The Great Dictator Charles Chaplin Productions
Kitty Foyle RKO Radio
The Letter Warner Bros.
The Long Voyage Home Argosy-Wanger
Our Town Sol Lesser (production company)
The Philadelphia Story Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
1941 How Green Was My Valley 20th Century-Fox
Blossoms in the Dust Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Citizen Kane Mercury
Here Comes Mr. Jordan Columbia
Hold Back the Dawn Paramount
The Little Foxes Samuel Goldwyn Productions
The Maltese Falcon Warner Bros.
One Foot in Heaven Warner Bros.
Sergeant York Warner Bros.
Suspicion RKO Radio
1942 Mrs. Miniver Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
49th Parallel (aka The Invaders) Ortus
Kings Row Warner Bros.
The Magnificent Ambersons Mercury
The Pied Piper 20th Century-Fox
The Pride of the Yankees Samuel Goldwyn Productions
Random Harvest Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
The Talk of the Town Columbia
Wake Island Paramount
Yankee Doodle Dandy Warner Bros.
1943 Casablanca Warner Bros.
For Whom the Bell Tolls Paramount
Heaven Can Wait 20th Century-Fox
The Human Comedy Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
In Which We Serve Two Cities Films
Madame Curie Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
The More the Merrier Columbia
The Ox-Bow Incident 20th Century-Fox
The Song of Bernadette 20th Century-Fox
Watch on the Rhine Warner Bros.
1944 Going My Way Paramount
Double Indemnity Paramount
Gaslight Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Since You Went Away Selznick International Pictures
Wilson 20th Century-Fox
1945 The Lost Weekend Paramount
Anchors Aweigh Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
The Bells of St. Mary’s Rainbow Productions
Mildred Pierce Warner Bros.
Spellbound Selznick International Pictures
1946 The Best Years of Our Lives Samuel Goldwyn Productions
Henry V Two Cities Films
It’s a Wonderful Life Liberty Films
The Razor’s Edge 20th Century-Fox
The Yearling Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
1947 Gentleman’s Agreement 20th Century-Fox
The Bishop’s Wife Samuel Goldwyn Productions
Crossfire RKO Radio
Great Expectations J. Arthur Rank-Cineguild
Miracle on 34th Street 20th Century-Fox
1948 Hamlet J. Arthur Rank-Two Cities Films
Johnny Belinda Warner Bros.
The Red Shoes J. Arthur Rank-Archers
The Snake Pit 20th Century-Fox
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre Warner Bros.
1949 All the King’s Men Robert Rossen Productions
Battleground Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
The Heiress Paramount
A Letter to Three Wives 20th Century-Fox
Twelve O’Clock High 20th Century-Fox
1950 All About Eve 20th Century-Fox
Born Yesterday Columbia
Father of the Bride Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
King Solomon’s Mines Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Sunset Boulevard Paramount
1951 An American in Paris Arthur Freed
Decision Before Dawn Anatole Litvak and Frank McCarthy
A Place in the Sun George Stevens
Quo Vadis Sam Zimbalist
A Streetcar Named Desire Charles K. Feldman
1952 The Greatest Show on Earth Cecil B. DeMille
High Noon Stanley Kramer
Ivanhoe Pandro S. Berman
Moulin Rouge John Huston, John Woolf and James Woolf
The Quiet Man John Ford and Merian C. Cooper
1953 From Here to Eternity Buddy Adler
Julius Caesar John Houseman
The Robe Frank Ross
Roman Holiday William Wyler
Shane George Stevens
1954 On the Waterfront Sam Spiegel
The Caine Mutiny Stanley Kramer
The Country Girl William Perlberg
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers Jack Cummings
Three Coins in the Fountain Sol C. Siegel
1955 Marty Harold Hecht
Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing Buddy Adler
Mister Roberts Leland Hayward
Picnic Fred Kohlmar
The Rose Tattoo Hal B. Wallis
1956 Around the World in 80 Days Michael Todd
Friendly Persuasion William Wyler
Giant George Stevens and Henry Ginsberg
The King and I Charles Brackett
The Ten Commandments Cecil B. DeMille
1957 The Bridge on the River Kwai Sam Spiegel
12 Angry Men Henry Fonda and Reginald Rose
Peyton Place Jerry Wald
Sayonara William Goetz
Witness for the Prosecution Arthur Hornblow Jr.
1958 Gigi Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer / Arthur Freed
Auntie Mame Jack L. Warner
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof Lawrence Weingarten
The Defiant Ones Stanley Kramer
Separate Tables Harold Hecht
1959 Ben-Hur Sam Zimbalist
Anatomy of a Murder Otto Preminger
The Diary of Anne Frank George Stevens
The Nun’s Story Henry Blanke
Room at the Top John Woolf and James Woolf
1960 The Apartment Billy Wilder
The Alamo John Wayne
Elmer Gantry Bernard Smith
Sons and Lovers Jerry Wald
The Sundowners Fred Zinnemann
1961 West Side Story Robert Wise
Fanny Joshua Logan
The Guns of Navarone Carl Foreman
The Hustler Robert Rossen
Judgment at Nuremberg Stanley Kramer
1962 Lawrence of Arabia Sam Spiegel
The Longest Day Darryl F. Zanuck
The Music Man Morton DaCosta
Mutiny on the Bounty Aaron Rosenberg
To Kill a Mockingbird Alan J. Pakula
1963 Tom Jones Tony Richardson
America America Elia Kazan
Cleopatra Walter Wanger
How the West Was Won Bernard Smith
Lilies of the Field Ralph Nelson
1964 My Fair Lady Jack L. Warner
Becket Hal B. Wallis
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb Stanley Kubrick
Mary Poppins Walt Disney and Bill Walsh
Zorba the Greek Michael Cacoyannis
1965 The Sound of Music Robert Wise
Darling Joseph Janni
Doctor Zhivago Carlo Ponti
Ship of Fools Stanley Kramer
A Thousand Clowns Fred Coe
1966 A Man for All Seasons Fred Zinnemann
Alfie Lewis Gilbert
The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming Norman Jewison
The Sand Pebbles Robert Wise
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Ernest Lehman
1967 In the Heat of the Night Walter Mirisch
Bonnie and Clyde Warren Beatty
Doctor Dolittle Arthur P. Jacobs
The Graduate Lawrence Turman
Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner Stanley Kramer
1968 Oliver! John Woolf
Funny Girl Ray Stark
The Lion in Winter Martin Poll
Rachel, Rachel Paul Newman
Romeo and Juliet Anthony Havelock-Allan and John Brabourne
1969 Midnight Cowboy Jerome Hellman
Anne of the Thousand Days Hal B. Wallis
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid John Foreman
Hello, Dolly! Ernest Lehman
Z Jacques Perrin and Ahmed Rachedi

Check back in to see which films have been reviewed! If they have, the title will be a link to the post.

*****

Sources:

Wikipedia 

Oscars.org