“Let me get this straight. The one’s about a precocious computer geek who’s also a bit of an asshole.”
“Yeah.”
“And the other’s about King George VI.”
“Yeah.”
“And King George VI has a disability.”
“Well, he has a stutter. I mean, it’s not crippling or anything — ”
“But it’s an obstacle that needs to be overcome.”
“Yeah.”
“And I assume, at the end, he does. And becomes King.”
With the Oscar season officially here it seemed only logical to dedicate an installment of The Lists to the little golden guy. And as we push forward past the fests and into the thick of it, I figured the best idea would be a broad assessment of the Academy’s chosen best through the years, a bone of contention for a great many, as you read in this space and in the comments section year in and year out.
But I must say, putting this list together was a joy. The percentage of times I think the Academy has gotten it “right” is quite low, of course, but when I skimmed the cream of the crop I was left with, I felt, a wonderful collective representative of the finest of American cinema.
Of course, that should itself be seen as damning the organization with faint praise. After all, the Academy has failed to recognize a great many foreign classics with its top prize. And by a great many I mean any.
The most celebrated decade in cinema, the 1970s, has three representatives on the collective, each of them at the very top. The 1990s and 1980s came in right behind with two to show for themselves, while the 1930s, 1940s and 1960s each had one entry.
I’d say that’s a pretty decent cross-section.
It goes without saying a list like this is incredibly subjective, but I’d be very curious to hear the readership’s thoughts on 82 years of this award, so when you rattle through my list, be sure to offer up your own in the comments section. We have a diverse group here so I’m sure there will be a number of unique takes.
I decided to bump today’s poll an hour to give some extra lead time to the sad news of director Marc Rocco’s passing, but I don’t think it ultimately mattered much. The three survivors of last week’s slate were “Casablanca,” “The Matrix” and “Star Wars.” On to a new set of 10.
Again, the groupings in these polls are decided at random. So no yelling at your humble servant. But I expect more than a few to be dismayed at having to choose three from the sterling collective you’ll find in the left sidebar. C’est la vie.
Choose your trio and be heard! Two more weeks of round one after this and we’ll be moving on. Once again, for background on this series, click here.
This week’s “Most Influential” poll closes up shop at 2:00pm PST, so get your votes in if you haven’t already. The film leading the pack should come as no surprise, but I’m surprised to see “Casablanca” so high. “The Matrix” is just barely ahead of “Taxi Driver” for the third and final slot, while truly influential staples like “It Happened One Night” and “The Great Train Robbery” are apparently down for the count.