Dozens of gold-plated statuettes are handed out each year at the Academy Awards, but the award for best picture is the most coveted honor of all.
Only 86 movies have ever been named best picture, and while some are almost impossible to find copies of today, 19 are streaming now through Netflix and Amazon’s Prime Instant Video service.
If you have a subscription to one or both and are looking to brush up on past Oscar winners, add these titles to your queue:
“Wings” (1927)
Streaming via: Amazon
If you’re trying to relive Academy Awards history, why not start with the first movie to ever win best picture honors? This silent picture, set against the backdrop of World War I, is about a love triangle between two combat pilots and their hometown sweetheart. Lead actress Clara Bow was arguably the biggest movie star in the world at the time “Wings” was made and the film’s flight sequences are made more authentic by director William Wellman’s experience serving as an actual WWI pilot.
“It Happened One Night” (1934)
Streaming via: Amazon
This love story between stars Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert is one of Hollywood’s original — and best — romantic comedies. Critics loved the film and the Academy as well, as it remains one of only three movies to ever win the “big five” Oscars (best picture, best director, best actor in a leading role, best actress in a leading role and best screenplay).
“All About Eve” (1950)
Streaming via: Netflix
Sixty-five years after it won six Oscars — of a record-setting 14 nominations — “All About Eve” is still praised by critics and audiences. It was among the first 50 movies selected for preservation by the National Film Registry and in 1998, was named the 16th best film of all time by the American Film Institute. This attitude-packed film is about a famous stage actress whose life is invaded by an ambitious fan.
“The Greatest Show on Earth” (1952)
Streaming via: Amazon, Netflix
If you like epics but are bored by historical or war stories, you might love this best picture winner from 1952. It’s a massive look at the work that goes into a Ringling Bros. circus, featuring a large cast including Charlton Heston and James Stewart. “The Greatest Show on Earth” lived up to its name, earning an inflation-adjusted $501 million at the box office in North America.
“On the Waterfront” (1954)
Streaming via: Amazon
If you like gritty stories and intense acting, do yourself a favor and watch “On the Waterfront.” Marlon Brando won his first Oscar as a former boxer who struggles as a New Jersey dockworker because of corruption in his union. This movie may be over 60 years old but its story still holds relevance and Brando’s performance is among the best in movie history.
Actors Marlon Brando and Eva Marie Saint in the 1954 movie "On the Waterfront." (Columbia Pictures)
“Marty” (1955)
Streaming via: Netflix
One year after “On the Waterfront” took home best picture honors for a story about a blue-collar New Jersey man, “Marty” did the same for one about a blue-collar New York butcher. The title character, played by Oscar winner Ernest Borgnine, is romantic and sad, featuring a love story that many heartbroken outcasts can relate to.
“The Apartment” (1960)
Streaming via: Netflix
One of the edgiest best picture award winners of its day, “The Apartment” shocked audiences en route to winning five Oscars. The story is about a low-level employee of an insurance outfit who allows company executives to use his apartment for sexual encounters with their mistresses. Stars Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine were each nominated for Oscars but lost.
“Lawrence of Arabia” (1962)
Streaming via: Amazon
It doesn’t get any more epic than this. If you like historical movies and have about 4 hours to spare, fire up “Lawrence of Arabia.” Sure, it’s an intimidating film to sit down with but features some of the most beautiful cinematography you’ll ever see — and also one of the best musical scores put to film. It follows the legendary story of British military leader T.E. Lawrence, whose national identity became conflicted during his service in the Middle East during World War I.
“Patton” (1970)
Streaming via: Amazon, Netflix
Another epic about a controversial military figure, this time about American General George Patton and his leadership during World War II. Co-written by Francis Ford Coppola, the movie will certainly generate conversation among fans and detractors of the famous general. Actor George C. Scott’s intense performance as Patton earned the movie one of its seven Oscar wins.
“The French Connection” (1971)
Streaming via: Amazon, Netflix
If you like action movies, tough cops and car chases, this 1971 thriller might be your favorite best picture winner on this list. “The French Connection” is like a combination of “The Wire” and “Bullitt.” Its story revolves around a pair of New York City detectives, played by Gene Hackman and Roy Scheider, who investigate a drug-smuggling case. This was the first R-rated movie to ever win best picture honors.
“Annie Hall” (1977)
Streaming via: Netflix
If you think Hollywood romantic comedies are mostly just cheesy fluff, “Annie Hall” is the one for you. In addition to co-writing and directing the movie, Woody Allen stars as a neurotic who tries to figure out what went wrong in his relationship with a free-spirited Midwestern woman named Annie Hall (Diane Keaton). The story is told through flashbacks and Allen uses experimental devices such as animation and directly addressing the audience to keep the movie interesting from start to finish.
Diane Keaton and Woody Allen have a complicated romantic dynamic in "Annie Hall." (United Artists/MGM)
“Ordinary People” (1980)
Streaming via: Amazon, Netflix
Like family drama and movies that are mostly a downer? Add “Ordinary People” to your queue. It won four Oscars, including best picture, by taking an up-close look at a suburban family whose dynamic is rocked by a tragedy. Three of its actors were nominated for Oscars, including Mary Tyler Moore, who plays the family’s matriarch.
“Terms of Endearment” (1983)
Streaming via: Netflix
Another drama about family tension, this one from writer-director James L. Brooks (“Broadcast News,” “As Good as It Gets”) is specifically about a complex mother-daughter relationship. “Terms of Endearment” dominated the 1984 Academy Awards, winning five on 11 nominations. People who’ve had a love/hate dynamic with a parent will relate most to this one but if you’re just a fan of touching stories and great acting, add it to your queue.
“Rain Man” (1988)
Streaming via: Netflix
From a complex mother-daughter relationship to an even more complicated sibling relationship. “Rain Man” has a bit of everything, provoking tears and laughs in equal measure. Dustin Hoffman won an Oscar for his performance as an autistic savant named Raymond but Tom Cruise was snubbed by the Academy, playing his reluctant care-taking brother.
“The Silence of the Lambs” (1991)
Streaming via: Netflix
If you love psychological thrillers with top-notch villains and you somehow haven’t seen this 1991 Oscar winner, watch it on Netflix right away. Movies like “Seven” and basically any creepy crime films of the last 25 years owe a debt to “The Silence of the Lambs.” Lead actors Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins each won Oscars for their work in the movie that follows a young FBI trainee as she hunts down a serial killer with the help of an imprisoned cannibalistic sociopath named Hannibal Lecter.
“Forrest Gump” (1994)
Streaming via: Netflix
In 1994, this charming movie dominated at the box office and won six Oscars. It’s story has something for everyone, as its title character, played by Tom Hanks, becomes involved in many major pop culture and societal events in 1960s-1970s America. “Forrest Gump” has elements of war, historical drama, comedy and family movies in just over 2.5 hours.
Tom Hanks' character Forrest Gump is seen with John Lennon in this still from "Forrest Gump." (Paramount Pictures)
“The English Patient” (1996)
Streaming via: Amazon, Netflix
This WWII-set romantic drama cleaned up at the 1996 Academy Awards, winning nine trophies, including best picture. Through flashbacks, its plot recounts the life of a plane crash victim as he’s tended to by a young nurse. “The English Patient” is known for its powerful acting and moving storyline.
“Shakespeare in Love” (1998)
Streaming via: Amazon, Netflix
It’s not a true account of William Shakespeare’s life but this romantic period piece delighted audiences and critics in 1998, on its way to winning seven Oscars, including a surprising best picture honor. Its plot follows Shakespeare as he writes “Romeo and Juliet,” developing a heated affair with a cross-dressing actress. The cast is lined with talented actors, including Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Judi Dench and its Oscar-winning star Gwyneth Paltrow. It’s a more fun watch than many recent best picture winners.
“American Beauty” (1999)
Streaming via: Netflix
If you want a movie that will give you something to think about long after it’s over, add this suburban drama to your queue. Kevin Spacey won an Oscar for his portrayal as an uninspired middle-class husband and father in the grips of a mid-life crisis. The movie was written by Alan Ball, creator of the HBO series “Six Feet Under,” and shares a great deal of similarities in plot and tone with that show. “American Beauty” is sophisticated cinema that deals with sexual identity, materialism and liberation from the shackles of everyday life.
Clint Davis is a writer for the E.W. Scripps National Desk. Follow him on Twitter @MrClintDavis.
