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Summary
The Academy looks down on the western genre ; some western chef-d’oeuvre have lost out on Best Picture in favor of lesser non - western picture . Like skill fiction and horror , the western writing style has n’t always had the easy time at the Academy Awards . Even when the western dominated Hollywood filmmaking and all the biggest flick stars and filmmakers were flocking to the genre , it was tough for a western to gain any Academy Award nominations . And if a western pic has miraculously earn an Oscar nod , it ’s uncommon that it actually take home the prestigious prize .
It ’s not impossible for a western film to achieve Oscar glory . Some westerns have even taken home the Best Picture award – likeClint Eastwood ’s masterful deconstruction of the musical style ’s myth , Unforgiven , or the Coen brother ’ bleak neo - western gemNo Country for Old Men – but those western Oscar victories are few and far between . It ’s more unwashed that a western that deserves to pull ahead Best Picture loses to one of its fellow nominees that hails from a more Academy - friendly writing style .
westerly photographic film traditionally rely on shootouts and train robbery to keep the audience think of . But not every westerly needs action to be exciting .
10High Noon
Lost to The Greatest Show on Earth in 1953
Cecil B. DeMille’sThe Greatest Show on Earthwon Best Picture overHigh Noonat the 1953 Academy Awards . WhileThe Greatest Show on Earthhas batch of spectacle – including a jaw - dropping train crash sequence that was recreated by Sammy Fabelman inThe Fabelmans – High Noonis a deep exploration of poignant themes . It touches on the human momentum of “ fight or flight ” as Marshal Will Kane nervously awaits a affaire d’honneur that will determine his fate .
9Django Unchained
Lost to Argo in 2013
At the 2013 Oscars ceremony , Quentin Tarantino’sDjango Unchainedlost Best Picture to Ben Affleck’sArgo . WhileArgois a hunky-dory political thriller with an endearing sense of liquid body substance , it did n’t revolutionize a cinematic strain likeDjango Unchaineddid . Tarantino used the operatic vehemence and unworthy villains of the spaghetti western subgenre to explore the darkest chapter of American history . He used Sergio Leone - style gore to play up the ugliness and inhumanity of slaveholding and offer upthe thrilling retaliation fantasy of an X - slave becoming a ill-famed gunslingerand going from plantation to plantation to exact vengeance .
8Giant
Lost to Around the World in 80 Days in 1957
Michael Anderson ’s adaptation ofAround the World in 80 Daysbeat George Stevens ’ epic westernGiantto Best Picture in 1957.Around the World in 80 Daysis a fun ride , butGiantis a film of much more substance . There is an overt romanticism inGiantthat may have be it some Oscar votes , but this years - spanning saga of a Texas cattle rancher adapt to alter times is one of the quintessential American epics .
7How The West Was Won
Lost to Tom Jones in 1964
Tony Richardson’sTom Joneswon Best Picture over the straggle western epicHow the West Was Wonat the 1964 ceremonial . Tom Jonesis a fine made clowning , butHow the West Was Won – an occasional collaboration between pioneering westerly directors John Ford , Henry Hathaway , and George Marshall , cover the total chronicle of the Old West – isthe kind of ambitious cinematic heroic poem that the Best Picture award was invented for . It ’s like ifThe Lord of the Rings : The Return of the Kinghad lose toSeabiscuit .
6True Grit
Lost to The King’s Speech in 2011
Tom Hooper’sThe King ’s Speechwon Best Picture overthe Coens ’ refashion ofTrue Gritin 2011 , and whileThe King ’s Speechis a great enough movie to merit the award , True Gritis arguably even greater . The Coens lean into the desolation that Henry Hathaway ’s previous version only flirted with . They refocused the story on its original protagonist , 14 - year - previous Mattie Ross , which brought a unique perspective to the tired genre . At a time when the western was start extinct , Roger Deakins’True Gritcinematography reminded audiences of the fear that the musical style can inspire at its very best .
5Stagecoach
Lost to Gone with the Wind in 1940
Victor Fleming ’s sweeping wild-eyed epicGone with the Windwon Best Picture over John Ford ’s seminal westernStagecoachat the 1940 Oscars . These flick have both aged ill , with the former glorifying thrall and sexual ravishment and the latter portray Native Americans as barbarian , butStagecoachis arguably the fine ( and much more tightly edited ) film . WhileGone with the Windis also a germinal motion-picture show and enjoyed one of the first ever blockbuster box post runs , Stagecoachlaid a lot of the groundwork for what would become the quintessential American film writing style .
4Brokeback Mountain
Lost to Crash in 2006
Paul Haggis’Crashwinning Best Picture over Ang Lee’sBrokeback Mountainat the 2006 Academy Awards ceremonial occasion lead toone of the bighearted tilt in Oscars history . These movies both revolve around the prejudices faced by a marginalized community , but one does so with a lot more subtlety and beauty than the other . Crashbangs its audience over the head with the simplistic subject matter that racial discrimination is bad , whereasBrokeback Mountainis a devastating tragic love news report about two men who go down in making love at a time when society would n’t allow them to be together .
3The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre
Lost to Hamlet in 1949
At the 1949 Oscars , Laurence Olivier’sHamletwon Best Picture over John Huston’sThe Treasure of the Sierra Madre . Olivier gives an unforgettable performance in the title role of Hamlet , butThe Treasure of the Sierra Madreis a better small-arm of filmmaking overall . It’sa stunning cinematic personation of greed and paranoia , as three men discover a fortune in gold and slow ferment against each other as they become dire that one of them could make off with more than his mediocre share . The Treasure of the Sierra Madreis as close as a movie can get to perfect .
2Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid
Lost to Midnight Cowboy in 1970
George Roy Hill’sButch Cassidy and the Sundance Kidlost Best Picture to John Schlesinger’sMidnight Cowboy . It ’s typical of the Academy to award the dark movie possible;Midnight Cowboyis a gritty , harrowing portrayal of life on the street , whereasButch Cassidy and the Sundance Kidis a light-hearted crony comedy . But the Einstein ofButch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid ’s screenplay , written by William Goldman , is that it sneaks genuine human drama into its nipping banter . Goldman upend all the westerly tropesforthe first true anti - westerly : a tale of outlaws operate from danger .
1Shane
Lost to From Here to Eternity in 1954
Fred Zinnemann’sFrom Here to Eternitybeat George Stevens’Shaneto Best Picture in 1954.From Here to Eternityis a touching wartime romance that combines the history of Pearl Harbor with an iconic Hollywood making love account , butShaneis a timeless masterpiece;a New myth whose message about violence and human nature will hold up forever . Shanehas collide with landscape photography , courtesy of Loyal Griggs , but what really makes this movie Best Picture material is its deconstructionism of the gun archetype . Shane is both a classic Hollywood hero and an exploration of those trigger - happy heroes ’ turbulent psychological science .
