by Nathaniel R
2003 & 2000. what a typical Oscar vintage looks like in terms of spread of quality.
It's 5 days until Oscar nominations are announced so let's have fun with the classic number 5... AKA the ideal size of an awards category. Most Oscar categories have varied in size at one time or another but for the bulk of the 93 year Oscar history five has been the preferred category size for the Academy. For fun let's name the best Best Picture quintets of all time (so only years 1944-2008 are eligible).
The average Best Picture lineup across many decades looks a lot like 2000 and 2003 pictures above, in that they're composed of the following: 2 perfect classics, 1 movie that's quite good, 1 respectable if unexciting choice, and 1 dud stinking up the room.
In short, it's quite difficult to pick the best vintage overall. Here are five BEST PIC shortlists I personally have a lot of affection for for various reasons...
 |
 |
 |
| 2007 | 1993 | 1979 |
| Atonement | Fugitive | All That Jazz |
| Juno | In the Name of the Father | Apocalypse Now |
| Michael Clayton | The Piano | Breaking Away |
| No Country | Remains of Day | Kramer vs Kramer |
|
There Will Be Blood
|
Schindlers List
|
Norma Rae
|
 |
 |
|
| 1975 |
5 best Oscar vintages? |
1972 |
| Barry Lyndon | Cabaret | |
| Dog Day Afternoon | Deliverance | |
| Jaws | The Godfather | |
| Nashville | The Emigrants | |
| One Flew Over... | Sounder |
Though I'd want to rescreen about 100 movies efore committing, haha. Oscar Fanatic problems.
But I'm sure your answer would be different so do tell! Other years that are fairly strong across the board if (sometimes) vague memory serves: 1947, 1948, 1959, 1974, 1976, 1978, 1980, 1984, 1985. As for years with more than 5 nominees. 2014 and 2016 might have also qualified as all time classic quintets had their been only 5. But it depends on which of the films made it of course!
I think secretly that one of the reasons people like the "expanded" fields of recent and earliest Oscar years is not because of better overall quality but because they find it easier to ignore the duds and it's thus easier to pretend that the entire list is a thing of beauty.