Best Picture Oscar winners not only receive recognition from the film industry, but also become part of cinema history.
However, no matter how powerful the award, the film that receives it is not always immune to criticism. There are cases where, despite winning the Oscar for Best Picture, these films have sparked controversy.
In this context, we decided to list the 5 worst winners of the Oscar for Best Picture. Check out our selection!
The worst Oscar winners
For the vast majority of audiences and critics, “Shakespeare in Love” did not deserve to win Best Picture at the 71st Oscar ceremony.
That’s because other nominees in the category that year, such as Steven Spielberg’s “Saving Private Ryan” and Terrence Malick’s “The Red Line,” were much more prestigious.
However, for experts, the film’s victory can be explained by the aggressive lobbying campaign carried out by Miramax, Harvey Weinstein’s production company.
Over the years, more and more negative reviews have emerged regarding the film “Crash.” Experts argue that the discussions of racism, xenophobia and social issues addressed in the film have proven superficial and simplistic over time.
Furthermore, the choice of “Crash” as best picture at the 78th Oscar ceremony is disputed due to its victory over a competitor that was much more acclaimed at the time and continues to be admired today: “Brokeback Mountain.”
Industry analysts suggest that “Brokeback Mountain” was ignored because of the Academy’s distrust in awarding a work that dealt with a gay relationship between the protagonists.
Director Tom Hooper and his film “The King’s Speech” cause a lot of controversy among critics and viewers. Many consider this film to be the worst Best Picture winner in the history of the ceremony.
However, the number of detractors of “The King’s Speech” is quite significant, and its victory in the Best Film category at the 83rd Academy Awards is one of the most contested in history.
In the year of the award, the film beat works such as “True Grit” by the Coen brothers, “The Social Network” by David Fincher, as well as “Inception” and “Black Swan”.
One of the most controversial Best Picture Oscar winners is Green Book. Based on true events, the film is set in 1962, in the context of the black civil rights movements in the United States.
The story follows the unlikely friendship between Tony Lip (Viggo Mortensen), a working-class Italian-American with racist attitudes, and Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali), a famous African-American pianist. Shirley hires Lip as a driver and security guard for a tour of the racially segregated South.
The film received praise for Ali and Mortensen’s performances, as well as the development of friendship and overcoming differences between the characters. However, it has been severely criticized by many who feel that the play promotes the “white savior” cliché, as well as not providing a worthy representation of Don Shirley’s career.
One film criticized for the way it deals with racial issues is “Driving Miss Daisy.” Furthermore, the film is little remembered today and has an irrelevant legacy.
The film stars Jessica Tandy as a stubborn older woman. Morgan Freeman plays an African-American driver hired by her son to help her after a driving accident
The post The 5 Worst Best Picture Oscar Winners appeared first on Olhar Digital.
Source: Olhar Digital
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
