For those who work your means by way of each film to have gained Greatest Image on the Academy Awards, you are inevitably going to come across a good few downbeat movies. Going again to the earliest Oscar ceremonies, even, you’ve bought the likes of Wings and All Quiet on the Western Entrance, with the previous being a romantic melodrama set throughout World Warfare I, and the latter additionally being a World Warfare I film, however a significantly extra harrowing one; extra dramatic/tragic than melodramatic.
Each varieties of films could be tearjerkers, or usually unhappy, so it’s for that purpose that among the films under are emotionally intense historic dramas, and others don’t inform true tales, however show transferring due to what they cope with and what they discover thematically. It’s laborious to rank these, since what one finds unhappy could be subjective, and evaluating real-life tales to completely fictional ones is just a little difficult as properly, however an try was made regardless. Sorry if that try makes you unhappy.
10
‘Unusual Folks’ (1980)
It was spectacular that Robert Redford gained a Greatest Director Oscar for his first directorial effort, Unusual Folks, and the film additionally gained Greatest Image. It’s, to place it bluntly, a household drama about grief, as a result of it revolves across the aftermath of a younger man’s loss of life, along with his dad and mom and now sole surviving brother struggling to keep up any sense of normalcy following such a tragedy.
Raging Bull got here out the identical 12 months, and would possibly’ve been a extra deserving winner, but when that film had gained, it in all probability wouldn’t be right here, because it’s only a complete lot heavier in a type of empty and despairing means, fairly than being a considerably extra approachable tearjerker the way in which Unusual Folks is. It’s nonetheless not a simple movie to observe, by any means, however it says sufficient about perseverance and easy methods to grapple with grief to maintain it feeling extra bittersweet, fairly than simply outright bitter.
9
‘Casablanca’ (1942)
Good outdated Casablanca. It’s an actually tough to beat movie, nonetheless you select to outline it, because it does every little thing a film of its time may presumably do, after which just a little extra, by some means. It’s about an apathetic and heartbroken man who, in the early levels of World Warfare II, spends his time within the titular metropolis being usually depressing, however then he’s reconnected with the lady he loves, and finds himself torn between doing what he desires and what’s seemingly proper for the larger good.
It does all that with extra nuance – or a minimum of care on a writing entrance – than you would possibly count on for a movie of its age. Casablanca hits all of the emotional beats it does largely as a result of it’s flawlessly written, and so every little thing else type of flows and likewise excels from there. Out of all of the Greatest Image winners from the primary half of the 20th century, it’s fairly presumably probably the most transferring.
8
‘Gladiator’ (2000)
As an epic and an motion film rolled into one, Gladiator finally ends up being fairly broad and perhaps even a bit standard by way of the story it tells, however a minimum of it tells that story successfully. It’s basically a revenge story set throughout the period of the Roman Empire, however in case you’re after strict historical past, that’s not likely what this desires to be about. Some historic figures play a component within the narrative, although the protagonist is fictional.
A lot of Gladiator, even with its historic setting, is fictional, which is presumably okay in case you’re extra after spectacle, motion, and a well-paced viewing expertise.
A lot of different issues are fictional, which is presumably okay in case you’re extra after spectacle, motion, and a well-paced viewing expertise. The place it goes emotionally might sound apparent, and never simply in hindsight, both, but it’s all within the execution, like so many films that work wonders with concepts or narrative beats that, on paper, won’t sound all too thrilling.
7
‘All the things In all places All at As soon as’ (2022)
Picture through A24
You need to admire the ambition right here, above the rest, and even in case you’re not notably wild concerning the film itself. All the things In all places All at As soon as is the Greatest Image winner that matches into probably the most genres in Oscar historical past, and it feels prefer it does so fairly comfortably. There’s a great excuse to do this right here as properly, since All the things In all places All at As soon as is all concerning the multiverse and differing selves in numerous universes.
It will probably bounce between being a martial arts film, an existentialist comedy, and a genuinely touching household drama (plus so many different issues) at just about any level it desires, and it nonetheless feels coherent. Nicely, coherent in its personal means. It’s utter chaos by the requirements of some other film, Greatest Image-winning or in any other case, however All the things In all places All at As soon as efficiently establishes its personal guidelines then performs by them, all of the whereas proving able to catching you off-guard with all of the emotional scenes due to how playful it’s elsewhere. You could be moved by a pair of rocks sitting in the midst of nowhere, pondering existence and the which means – or lack thereof – of life. Folks with sausages for fingers being unhappy. Is that allowed? In All the things In all places All at As soon as, apparently so. There’s additionally a Ratatouille spoof that’s hilarious, then heartbreaking, after which hilarious once more. It truly is an every little thing type of film.
6
‘The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King’ (2003)
Picture through New Line Cinema
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King actually will get to hit the bottom operating, because it’s the third half in a trilogy, and moreover, it’s not the form of sequel that was solely made as a result of the primary film was profitable. The Lord of the Rings was helmed as one big three-part movie, and even when the opposite two would’ve been worthy Greatest Image winners, they had been “merely” nominated.
So, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King was a giant outdated win for the trilogy as a complete, or a minimum of you possibly can view it that means. Because it concludes every little thing, it manages to characteristic most of the most fun sequences of the entire trilogy, and it’s virtually inevitable that you’re going to be moved by some side of the multi-scene ending (or “epilogue” is perhaps the extra correct phrase) discovered right here.
5
‘West Aspect Story’ (1961)
Picture through United Artists
West Aspect Story would possibly properly be the saddest Greatest Image winner that’s not primarily based on a real story, or doesn’t have some type of historic occasion depicted at its middle (like being a few tragic prevalence in historical past, however with fictional characters collaborating). It’s as an alternative a spin on Romeo and Juliet, besides set in New York Metropolis throughout the Fifties.
Nicely, if you wish to be technical, that does make it set up to now in a means. And West Aspect Story is a few gang battle that’s imagined to mirror real-world prejudices and conflicts, simply not about particular real-world occasions. Such as you’d count on for one thing that reworks Romeo and Juliet, it’s unbelievably unhappy, and it’s the form of factor that doesn’t get any much less unhappy whenever you’re watching it for, say, the second, third, or fiftieth time.
4
’12 Years a Slave’ (2013)
Based mostly on the memoir of the identical identify, written by Solomon Northup, 12 Years a Slave is about Northup’s experiences after being kidnapped and bought into slavery between the years of 1841 and 1853. Nothing is sugar-coated and every little thing is brutal and heavy, all to emphasise the horror of the state of affairs, with the dedication to accuracy all through a lot of the movie clearly making it all of the extra harrowing.
It’s a type of Greatest Image winners that’s not a pleasant or cathartic form of tearjerker. 12 Years a Slave would possibly make you’re feeling extra hole over the rest, however that’s by design, and any form of completely different strategy seemingly wouldn’t have had fairly the identical influence. It’s a film that’s very a lot price watching the one time, and an unsurprisingly tough one to consider watching once more.
3
‘The Deer Hunter’ (1978)
The emphasis on historic accuracy was praised concerning 12 Years a Slave, so some would possibly query the concept of The Deer Hunter additionally rating fairly excessive right here. It captures the horror of battle usually talking in an impressively devastating method, particularly concerning the psychological influence of it on the troopers who survive their time in fight, however particularly concerning the Vietnam Warfare… sure, there are some severe liberties taken.
Perhaps that’s okay, to some extent, as a result of The Deer Hunter differs from 12 Years a Slave on account of it being about characters who didn’t actually exist in actual life, with the characters right here getting used to discover potential real-life experiences some U.S. troopers may need had earlier than, throughout, and after serving in Vietnam. Additionally, The Deer Hunter is unapologetically a tragedy in each means, even within the classical sense, so it commits all three hours of its runtime to being about as unhappy as an American-made Vietnam Warfare film may presumably be.
2
‘Titanic’ (1997)
See, one of many simple issues about Titanic is that it’s actually not afraid to be a tearjerker. It desires you to care concerning the central romance, after which it desires you to really feel a complete host of feelings when the younger folks in love – plus so many others – face the inevitable tragedy that’s at all times going to occur in a film known as “Titanic.” It’s not even a spoiler if you already know nothing about historical past, given the opening scenes have the wreck of the Titanic being explored.
With this movie, you’ve bought an impactful fictional story being instructed, through the 2 essential characters, after which there’s all of the harrowing real-world tragedy of Titanic, and a few characters right here who’re primarily based on precise folks. James Cameron discovered a means to kind of make two emotionally devastating films in a single (and at properly over three hours in size, it genuinely doubles the runtime of quite a few movies on the market).
1
‘Schindler’s Checklist’ (1993)
It wouldn’t have been straightforward to work on Schindler’s Checklist, it’s not straightforward to observe Schindler’s Checklist, and it’s not straightforward to speak about Schindler’s Checklist. It needs to be that means, although, and it’s comparable in its high quality and strategy to one thing like 12 Years a Slave, with each being about horrific instances in human historical past, with Schindler’s Checklist being set throughout World Warfare II and largely functioning as an exploration of the Holocaust.
In that sense, it’s unflinching, even when it additionally does try to focus on an act of heroism that occurred amongst all of the unspeakable horror. If it’s bittersweet, then Schindler’s Checklist isn’t evenly bitter and candy, for the reason that horrors inherent to this story are what stick out probably the most, and what the vast majority of the movie’s runtime is devoted to… although the distinction, a minimum of by the tip, does make sure the film is gloomy in a wide range of methods. It’s bought the time to hit you on various emotional fronts, too, since Schindler’s Checklist can be fairly an extended movie.