Movie Fan Zone

With the U.S. NCAA Basketball March Madness over and the NBA Playoffs about to begin in a few weeks time, it should be interesting to point out that upsets happen every year. In sports, it is a common occurrence. However, the same could be said with Hollywood’s biggest competition of them all: the Academy Awards.

Let’s take a look at our picks for the biggest upsets in the Best Picture race:

1999 – This was supposed to be the year that Steven Spielberg would be crowned once more come Oscar time with Saving Private Ryan, arguably the best war film of all time. Well, Spielberg got the nod for Best Director. However, in a big twist of fate, the dramedy of a fictionalized love story on the life of William Shakespeare got the statuette. Shakespeare In Love made a bigger blast than Normandy.

1942 – Ever said that Citizen Kane is the greatest film ever made? Well, it should be noted that Oscar voters did not even think that it was the best film of that year! That accolade was given to John Ford’s film How Green Was My Valley. That film is now criminally undermined for that award which it apparently “stole” from Orson Welles.

2006 – Gay cowboys were no match for racists. That was the outcome of last year’s Oscars when the heavily favored Brokeback Mountain lost the award to Crash. It had been attributed to the latter’s locale which was Los Angeles, the home of Hollywood. Of course, others have better conspiracy theories…

Â

Academy Awards, Oscars, Saving Private Ryan, Shakespeare In Love, Steven Spielberg, Citizen Kane, How Green Was My Valley, John Ford, Orson Welles, brokeback Mountain, Crash

[image from: wikipedia.com]