The 10 worst Oscar snubs of all time

Notoriously, Orson Welles’s 1941 masterpiece failed in its bid for Best Picture, losing to John Ford’s How Green Was My Valley—a film we’re sure you return to on a yearly basis. Citizen Kane, meanwhile? Totally forgotten.

Ang Lee’s magnificent American tragedy has become a crucial gay-cinema landmark, and the fact that it was embraced worldwide by mainstream audiences in 2005 is gratifying in itself. As for Oscar voters? They chose Crash instead.

For all of this giant’s achievements—classic after classic, including films like Dr. Strangelove, Barry Lyndon and The Shining—he only won a single shared Oscar, for 2001’s visual effects. He was never named Best Director; history says otherwise.

Who’s he? Some might say a pretty damn good director. Oscar has a different opinion. The Master of Suspense never won the statuette for directing (despite being nominated five times), even though his Rebecca won Best Picture in 1940.

It’s the most significant movie of the past 26 years. Without it, there would be no Sopranos, no Quentin Tarantino. It’s probably Martin Scorsese’s all-time best, with tough competition from Taxi Driver and Raging Bull. But according to AMPAS, Kevin Costner’s Dances with Wolves is the superior film.

In poll after poll, David Lynch’s dark 2001 Hollywood fantasia takes the top spot as not merely a great film but the best movie of its decade. But the Oscars see it differently; Lynch lost his Best Director bid to A Beautiful Mind’s Ron Howard. And even though she played a dazzling double role, Naomi Watts wasn’t even nominated.

How can it be that this industry-revising genius has never won an Oscar? Early triumphs like Alien and Blade Runner may have come too soon for stingy AMPAS voters, but Gladiator or The Martian should have garnished Scott a personal statuette, after decades of excellent work. Nope.

The classic scored six Oscar nominations, even one for special effects and those flying monkeys. As for the actor responsible for its most magical moment (singing “Over the Rainbow”), Garland had to make do with a special “Academy Juvenile Award.” Half the size of an actual Oscar, the bullshit token (basically a toy) would be the only Academy Award Garland would ever win.

We have to agree with Spike Lee: He wuz robbed. His incendiary original script formed the backbone of what is now an undeniable NYC classic. But Oscar voters apparently preferred Dead Poets Society—a shame on several levels.

It’s astounding that this actor has never won an Oscar, despite iconic turns in Dangerous Liaisons, Fatal Attraction, The Natural and The Big Chill. Close was nominated for all four of them, but had to console herself with just being brilliant.