Oscar day is here! Last year I celebrated by doing a live blog of the awards, but since I now have Twitter and will most likely be joining the festivities there, I’ve decided to share a couple of retrospective lists instead. This is the last of four lists. Previously: 10 favorite Best Actor winners, 10 favorite Best Actress winners and 10 favorite Best Director winners

The following are my 15 favorite Best Picture winners, in chronological order.

(Image: the170)
(Image: the170)

1. Wings (1st winner)
Dir. William A. Wellman | Starring Clara Bow
Other nominations: Effects (won)

(Image: Doctor Macro)
(Image: Doctor Macro)

2. It Happened One Night (7th winner)
Dir. Frank Capra | Starring Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert
Other nominations: Actor in a leading role (won), actress in a leading role (won), directing (won), adapted screenplay (won)

(Image: yesandyes.org)
(Image: yesandyes.org)

3. Gone with the Wind (12th winner)
Dir. Victor Fleming | Starring Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh
Other nominations: Actress in a leading role (won), actress in a supporting role (won), art direction (won), color cinematography (won), directing (won), film editing (won), screenplay (won), actor in a leading role, special effects, score, sound recording; The film also received a Technical Achievement Award and an honorary award for its use of “coordinated equipment” and use of color

(Image: dashandapinch.com)
(Image: dashandapinch.com)

4. Casablanca (16th winner)
Dir. Michael Curtiz | Starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman
Other nominations: Directing (won), screenplay (won), actor in a leading role, actor in a supporting role, black and white cinematography, film editing, score

(Image: Doctor Macro)
(Image: Doctor Macro)

5. The Best Years of Our Lives (19th winner)
Dir. William Wyler | Starring Myrna Loy, Dana Andrews, Fredric March
Other nominations: Actor in a leading role (won), actor in a supporting role (won), directing (won), film editing (won), score (won), screenplay (won), sound recording; Harold Russell also received an honorary award “for bringing hope and courage to his fellow veterans” with his performance

(Image: Doctor Macro)
(Image: Doctor Macro)

6. All About Eve (23rd winner)
Dir. Joseph L. Mankiewicz | Starring Bette Davis and Anne Baxter
Other nominations: Black and white costume design (won), actor in a supporting role (won), directing (won), sound recording (won), screenplay (won), actress in a leading role (x2), actress in a supporting role (x2), black and white set decoration, black and white cinematography, film editing, score

(Image: Doctor Macro)
(Image: Doctor Macro)

7. On the Waterfront (27th winner)
Dir. Elia Kazan | Starring Marlon Brando, Eva Marie Saint, Karl Malden
Other nominations: Actor in a leading role (won), actress in a supporting role (won), black and white set decoration (won), black and white cinematography (won), directing (won), film editing (won), screenplay (won), actor in a supporting role (x3), score

(Image: toutlecine.com)
(Image: toutlecine.com)

8. Marty (28th winner)
Dir. Delbert Mann | Starring Ernest Borgnine and Betsy Blair
Other nominations: Actor in a leading role (won), directing (won), screenplay (won), actor in a supporting role, actress in a supporting role, black and white set decoration, black and white cinematography

(Image: conciliara.com)
(Image: conciliara.com)

9. West Side Story (34th winner)
Dir. Jerome Robbins/Robert Wise | Starring Natalie Wood
Other nominations: Actor in a supporting role (won), actress in a supporting role (won), color set decoration (won), color cinematography (won), color costume design (won), directing (won), film editing (won), score (won), sound (won), adapted screenplay

(Image: Fanpop)
(Image: Fanpop)

10. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (48th winner)
Dir. Milos Forman | Starring Jack Nicholson
Other nominations: Actor in a leading role (won), actress in a leading role (won), directing (won), adapted screenplay (won), actor in a supporting role, cinematography, film editing, original score

(Image: Alienation Mentale)
(Image: Alienation Mentale)

11. Schindler’s List (66th winner)
Dir. Steven Spielberg | Starring Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes
Other nominations: Set decoration (won), cinematography (won), directing (won), editing (won), original score (won), adapted screenplay (won), actor in a leading role, actor in a supporting role, costume design, makeup, sound,

(Image: drafthouse.com)
(Image: drafthouse.com)

12. Forrest Gump (67th winner)
Dir. Robert Zemeckis | Starring Tom Hanks
Other nominations: Actor in a leading role (won), directing (won), visual effects (won), editing (won), adapted screenplay (won), actor in a supporting role, set decoration, cinematography, sound editing, makeup, original score, sound

(Image: onsecrethunt.com)
(Image: onsecrethunt.com)

13. Titanic (70th winner)
Dir. James Cameron | Starring Kate Winslet and Leo DiCaprio
Other nominations: Set decoration (won), cinematography (won), costume design (won), directing (won), sound editing (won), visual effects (won), editing (won), original score (won), original song (won), sound (won), actress in a leading role, actress in a supporting role, best makeup

(Image: In the Frame)
(Image: In the Frame)

14. American Beauty (72nd winner)
Dir. Sam Mendes | Starring Kevin Spacey
Other nominations: Actor in a leading role (won), cinematography (won), directing (won), screenplay (won), actress in a leading role, editing, original score

(Image: filmofilia.com)
(Image: filmofilia.com)

15. The Artist (84th winner)
Dir. Michel Hazanavicius | Starring Jean Dujardin and Berenice Bejo
Other nominations: Costume design (won), directing (won), original score (won), actor in a leading role (won), editing, art direction, cinematography, actress in a supporting role, original screenplay

Share your favorite Best Picture-winning films in the comments! Who are you rooting for in tonight’s show?

This post was written for the 31 Days of Oscar blogathon.

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