10 Movies That Didn't Win 'Best Picture' [1] Quiz

Answer: 12 Angry Men

Based around twelve jurors of a controversial murder case, "12 Angry Men" focuses on the conversations held, as the dozen attempt to hash out a unanimous vote in the case. As they go on, many of the jurors tear apart the evidence, realizing that not everything is as it seems for those involved.

The original, starring Henry Fonda, was added to the National Film Registry fifty years after its release. Forty years after its release, a remake was produced for television, starring Jack Lemmon, Tony Danza, and others. While "Bridge on the River Kwai" took home the 1957 'Best Picture', "Peyton Place", "Sayonara", and "Witness for the Prosecution" all followed the suit of "12 Angry Men" and didn't win. "Sayonara" is the only film of the five to take home any awards; it won four (including 'Best Actor in a Supporting Role').

Answer: False

While "Mary Poppins" was the first film in the Disney canon to garner a 'Best Picture' nomination, it inevitably lost the Oscar to "My Fair Lady". Along with it, "Becket", "Dr. Strangelove", and "Zorba the Greek" all failed to achieve the title. "Mary Poppins", starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke, is about a nanny who sees over the Banks family children. With a spoonful of sugar and the ability to fly with her umbrella, Mary Poppins charms the children and sings a series of memorable songs from "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" to "Chim Chim Cher-ee" (which won 'Best Original Song') in 1964. Coincidentally, "The Sound of Music", which won the 'Best Picture' Oscar in 1965, also starred Julie Andrews. Though she was nominated for Best Actress in more than once in the sixties, she only won for "Mary Poppins".

Answer: Star Wars: A New Hope

What eventually turned out to be the fourth episode in the popular sci-fi series, "Star Wars: A New Hope" was originally nominated for 'Best Picture' though none of its sequels appeared in the same category. In future awards ceremonies, the "Star Wars" series later earned nominations in the Special Effects field.

The first movie in the series to be released, it focused on Luke Skywalker and others setting out to save Princess Leia from Darth Vader's Death Star. "Annie Hall", the winner for this year, was written and directed by (and starred) Woody Allen. Though Allen won 'Best Director' and 'Best Screenplay' for this film, he did not win 'Best Actor' (though he was nominated and his co-star, Diane Keaton, won 'Best Actress'). "Annie Hall" beat out "Star Wars: A New Hope", "The Goodbye Girl", "Julia", and "The Turning Point" to win this year's award.

Answer: Raiders of the Lost Ark

"Raiders of the Lost Ark", directed by Steven Spielberg, was the highest-grossing film of 1981, yet it ended up losing the 'Best Picture' Oscar to "Chariots of Fire", one year before "Gandhi" won. "Gandhi", starring Ben Kingsley in the title role (for which he won 'Best Actor'), followed the later days of Gandhi's life, in which talks of peace were in progress, until his eventual assassination.

The film itself won eight Academy Awards and was notable for being extremely accurate, historically. "E.T.", also released by Spielberg in 1982, was up for the 'Best Picture' award but lost.

A Spielberg film would not win this award until 1993 ("Schindler's List"). "E.T." walked away with four awards (two for sound, two for visual effects). Also up for 'Best Picture' that year were "Tootsie", "Missing" and "The Verdict".

Answer: Moonstruck

"Moonstruck", starring Cher and Nicholas Cage, won both 'Best Actress' for Cher and 'Best Supporting Actress' for Olympia Dukakis. Set in Brooklyn Heights, the film follows the lives of Italian-Americans and the specific events occurring for Loretta (Cher's character) as new love falls into her life.
While "Moonstruck" took home four awards, "The Last Emperor" took nine, including 'Best Director' for Bernardo Bertolucci (who never received much Western praise for his other works). This film followed the life of China's last emperor, Puyi, before the Republic of China was declared in 1912. Oddly, the film did not receive a single nod for acting, though star Peter O'Toole has had eight nominations for 'Best Actor' (for "Lawrence of Arabia", "Becket", and "Venus", to name a few).
Also up for the award of 'Best Picture' in 1987 were "Fatal Attraction", "Hope and Glory", and "Broadcast News".

Answer: The Silence of the Lambs

"Beauty and the Beast", critically, became one of the most successful animated films in the nineties, and it became the only full-length animated movie to appear in the 'Best Picture' category (about a decade later, 'Best Animated Film' was released).

In addition to winning 'Best Original Score', the film's title song, "Beauty and the Beast", won 'Best Original Song' (beating out two other entries from the same film). "The Silence of the Lambs" took home the awards for 'Best Picture', 'Best Director' 'Best Actor', and 'Best Actress' in 1991, beating out "Beauty and the Beast", "Bugsy", "JFK", and "Prince of Tides". One of the few horror/thriller films to be nominated for such an award, "The Silence of the Lambs" follows an FBI agent as she is commissioned to hunt down a serial killer.

After speaking with incarcerated cannibal, Hannibal Lector, she is soon set down the right path for solving the case. This film starred Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins.

Answer: Pulp Fiction

"Forrest Gump", starring Tom Hanks in a 'Best Actor' role, was nominated for thirteen awards, winning six. The film follows Forrest Gump as he retells the story of his life. As it turns out, this man, whose mental capabilities have restricted him through most of his life, has met many interesting people and influenced American history as we know it. "Pulp Fiction", made by Quentin Tarantino, was also a front-runner for 'Best Picture' in 1994 because of the fact that it won the Palme D'Or at Cannes.

Instead, Tarantino walked away with the 'Best Original Screenplay' Oscar. Many members of its cast (Travolta, Thurman, and Jackson) as well as Tarantino himself were nominated for their roles and the film put Tarantino's name on the movie map. "The Shawshank Redemption", "Four Weddings and a Funeral", and "Quiz Show" were also nominated in this ceremony.

Answer: The Full Monty

Known for its controversy behind the male striptease, "The Full Monty" was directed by British director, Peter Cattaneo (also nominated, but losing to James Cameron). Based around a group of men in Sheffield who develop a Chippendale-esque strip show to earn money to get themselves somewhere (and for one man to gain the right to see his son), "The Full Monty" stars Robert Carlyle (known for "The World is Not Enough", "28 Weeks Later", and "Eragon"). Winning the awards this year was "Titanic", well-known for its systematic sweeping of the 1997 Academy Awards ceremony. Winning eleven awards (but losing in acting), the film became one of the highest-grossing movies of the 20th century.

The film covers the Titanic's maiden, and final, voyage across the Atlantic, tying in the love affair of an upper-class British woman and a lower-class American boy. "Titanic" also beat "As Good as It Gets", "Good Will Hunting", and "L. A. Confidential" for the award.

Answer: Chicago

"The Two Towers" won awards in sound and visual effects, but many of the acting and costume/editing awards went to the musical, "Chicago", starring Renee Zellweger, Richard Gere, and Catherine Zeta Jones. Of thirteen awards, six were won (including Zeta Jones' win for 'Best Supporting Actress'). The film itself follows the corrupting power of stardom in a city where having your name up in lights means everything. The court case of Roxie Hart is examined from start to finish, as Billy Flynn is called in to be her lawyer and remove her charges. The film was notable for being the first musical to win the 'Best Picture' award since "The Sound of Music", nearly four decades before.
In 2002, "The Two Towers" was in the same boat as "Gangs of New York", "The Hours", and "The Pianist" for losing the 'Best Picture' Oscar.
In 2003, "Return of the King" took home eleven of the eleven awards it was nominated for (including 'Best Director' and 'Best Picture'). This film was not nominated for any acting awards though Ian McKellen was nominated for his role as Gandalf in 2001 (for "The Fellowship of the Ring"). The third film became one of the highest-grossing films ever made after its theatrical release.

Answer: Juno

Listed as Roger Ebert's #1 film in 2007, "Juno", starring Ellen Page, Jennifer Garner, Michael Cera, and Jason Bateman, became one of the higher-grossing, initially limited-release movies of the year. Based around a girl dealing with teenage pregnancy, the adoption of her unborn child, and her relationship with the father, "Juno" explores many different aspects and standpoints on the issues of abortion and teen pregnancy (among other things).

The only award the film claimed was for its original screenplay (won by Diablo Cody). 'Best Actress' and 'Best Director' were also nominated. "No Country for Old Men" (and the other 'Best Picture' nominees for 2007) followed a similar suit in terms of releases. "No Country for Old Men" also won against "Michael Clayton", "There Will Be Blood", and "Atonement". None of these films were in the top ten highest grossing films for the year.