Oscar Awards for Best Picture Since 1927*

2004—Million Dollar Baby (Photo, best actress, Hilary Swank, Warner Bros.)
2003—Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2002—Chicago
2001—A Beautiful Mind
2000—Gladiator
1999—American Beauty
1998—Shakespeare in Love
1997—Titanic
1996—The English Patient
1995—Braveheart
1994—Forrest Gump
1993—Schindler's List
1992—Unforgiven
1991—The Silence of the Lambs
1990—Dances with Wolves
1989—Driving Miss Daisy
1988—Rain Man
1987—The Last Emperor
1986—Platoon
1985—Out of Africa
1984—Amadeus
1983—Terms of Endearment
1982—Gandhi
1981—Chariots of Fire
1980—Ordinary People
1979—Kramer vs. Kramer
1978—The Deer Hunter
1977—Annie Hall
1976—Rocky
1975—One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1974—The Godfather Part II
1973—The Sting
1972—The Godfather
1971—The French Connection
1970—Patton
1969—Midnight Cowboy
1968—Oliver!
1967—In the Heat of the Night
1966—A Man for All Seasons
1965—The Sound of Music
1964—My Fair Lady
1963—Tom Jones
1962—Lawrence of Arabia
1961—West Side Story
1960—The Apartment
1959—Ben-Hur
1958—Gigi
1957—The Bridge On the River Kwai
1956—Around the World in 80 Days
1955—Marty
1954—On the Waterfront
1953—From Here to Eternity
1952—The Greatest Show On Earth
1951—An American in Paris
1950—All About Eve
1949—All the King's Men
1948—Hamlet
1947—Gentleman's Agreement
1946—The Best Years of Our Lives
1945—The Lost Weekend
1944—Going My Way
1943—Casablanca
1942—Mrs. Miniver
1941—How Green Was My Valley
1940—Rebecca
1939—Gone With the Wind
1938—You Can't Take It With You
1937—The Life of Emile Zola
1936—The Great Ziegfeld
1935—Mutiny On the Bounty
1934—It Happened One Night
1932/33—Cavalcade
1931/32—Grand Hotel
1930/31—Cimarron
1929/30—All Quiet On the Western Front
1928/29—The Broadway Melody
1927/28—Wings

*Often "best pictures" are soon forgotten while the "losers" achieve long-term recognition. For example, in 1976, Rocky won over Network and All the President's Men, (both widely acclaimed), and in 1941, How Green Was My Valley won over Citizen Cane. The latter is considered by many film critics to be the best American film, not just of that year, but of all time. Therefore, the designation "best picture" must be taken within the context of Academy member preferences and politics, which have tended to lean towards mainstream, non-political, and non-controversial.

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