Ranking the First 95 Oscar Winners

In honor of the 96th Oscar ceremony last night, a web site came out yesterday with a ranking of the first 95 winners of the Best Picture Oscar. I have a strong reaction to this misguided ranking.

Four are clearly ranked way too high. These are, with the ranking in parentheses: Lawrence of Arabia (11), West Side Story (15), Rocky (19), and My Fair Lady (24). These are all mediocre films that had no business winning an Oscar, let alone being ranked in the top quarter of Oscar winners. Boo.

Forrest Gump at 75 is ranked way too low. This film is a wonderful achievement and deserves to be higher. Same with The Bridege on the River Kwai at 57, Patton at 40, No Country for Old Men at 39, and In the Heat of the Night at 26.