Rewriting Oscar History: Who should have won every year?

鶹's Jason Fraley rewrites Oscar history (Jason Fraley)

Oscar Wilde once said, “The one duty we owe to history is to rewrite it.” That’s especially the case with the Academy Awards, where short-sighted Oscar politics often snub more deserving winners. Sometimes it’s hard to see the Forrest for the Shawshank ٰ,Raging masterpieces rarely connect with Ordinary People, and academics raise Kane over How Green Was My Valley.

Hindsight is 20/20, so which films, actors and directors were really most deserving each year?

I’ve decided to re-open the envelopes to level the playing field, remembering forgotten genres such as comedy, action and horror; honoring actors for their breakthrough roles rather than “career Oscars” for a life’s body of work; and removing tired dogmas that say mainstream hits can’t compete with high art or that foreign films should be relegated to separate categories.

It’s time to set the record straight.

2010s

2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010

2000s

2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | | | |

1990s

1980s

1970s

1960s

1950s

1940s

1930s

1920s

 

Jason Fraley

Hailed by The Washington Post for “his savantlike ability to name every Best Picture winner in history," Jason Fraley began at 鶹 as Morning Drive Writer in 2008, film critic in 2011 and Entertainment Editor in 2014, providing daily arts coverage on-air and online.

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