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About This Quiz
There are lots of ways we recognize the "best" of something. Each year, in February, the "best" team in the National Football League is crowned Super Bowl champion. In college football each year, voters narrow down the "best" athlete and present him with the Heisman Trophy. The reward for a successful music career might come in the form of a Lifetime Achievement Award for being one of the "best." Even household objects, cars and restaurants make "Best of" lists and are given commendations for their effectiveness, gas mileage or award-winning hamburger.
So, it stands to reason that movies boast their own grading system for determining which movie was the "best" for a particular calendar year. The process of choosing an Oscar-winning Best Picture involves a complicated scoring system in which roughly 6,200 eligible voters rank movies based on what they call the "preferential system." Instead of choosing one favorite, for example, eight movies are ranked from most preferred to least.Â
Luckily for us, we didn't have to select any winners or favorites here. These are all straight-up "Best Picture" winners dating back to 1928. But we did leave you with a job to do. See how many of these top Hollywood hits you can guess from the clues given. Maybe we'll name you "best" at mastering movie trivia!
"Midnight Cowboy"
"My Fair Lady"
A "Best Picture" winner in 1965, "My Fair Lady" recounts the attempted transformation of a regular girl, played by Audrey Hepburn, into a cultured, high-society woman. Although we're not sure Audrey Hepburn ever needed any help in this category.
"Shakespeare in Love"
"The French Connection"
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"The Sound of Music"
One of the most classic songs from the time-tested movie, "The Sound of Music" is both a song from and the title of this 1965 "Best Picture" winner. Julie Andrews played the role of Maria Rainer, the governess of the large von Trapp clan.
"Patton"
"Terms of Endearment"
"Chariots of Fire"
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"Braveheart"
"Unforgiven"
"Dances With Wolves"
"Schindler's List"
"Schindler's List," which earned a "Best Picture" nod in 1994, tells the story of Oskar Schindler's efforts to save the lives of thousands by giving them jobs during World War II. It's made even more remarkable by the fact that Schindler was a German businessman.
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"Driving Miss Daisy"
"Forrest Gump"
Winner of "Best Picture" in 1995, "Forrest Gump" is something of a time capsule of major events during the 20th century. Tom Hanks played Gump, who recounts his experience of these events while sitting on a park bench awaiting a bus.
"Annie Hall"
"West Side Story"
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"Chicago"
"Chicago," adapted from the Broadway show of the same name, received the "Best Picture" award in 2003. It starred Catherine Zeta-Jones and Renée Zellweger as scorned women awaiting trial on Murderess' Row. A fair amount of singing makes this an atypical film.
"Argo"
"The Artist"
"The Hurt Locker"
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"Gladiator"
"American Beauty"
"Rain Man"
"Rain Man," starring Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman, was 1989's "Best Picture," a year after being Hollywood's highest-grossing film. In the movie, Cruise's character kidnaps the older brother he never knew (played by Hoffman), in an attempt to hijack a family inheritance.
"The English Patient"
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"Argo"
"Platoon"
"Titanic"
Awarded "Best Picture" in 1998, "Titanic" is a fictionalized movie about the real-life sinking of the RMS Titanic in 1912. Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet play star-crossed lovers aboard the Titanic's doomed excursion.
"Ordinary People"
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"Midnight Cowboy"
"The Godfather"
Garnering two "Best Picture" nods in 1973 and 1975, "The Godfather" franchise had a lock on Hollywood's highest awards in the early 1970s. "The Godfather" took home the trophy in 1973, with "The Godfather II" earning it in 1975.
"In the Heat of the Night"
"The Lost Weekend"
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"Gone With the Wind"
A sweeping saga set against the background of the Civil War, "Gone With the Wind" has something for everyone ... if you can make it through the film's more than 220 minutes. It earned "Best Picture" in 1940.
"How Green Was My Valley"
"All the Kings Men"
"Cimarron"
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"Gigi"
"Rebecca"
"Casablanca"
The winner of the "Best Picture" award in 1944, "Casablanca" is an iconic romance that starred big-time Hollywood names of the era — Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. Bogart delivers this famous line to Bergman in the film, and it frequently makes "Best of" lists for favorite movie quotes.
"Ben-Hur"
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"Gandhi"
"Gandhi" recounts the life story of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, earning "Best Picture" credentials in 1983. Gandhi used nonviolent resistance to help lead India to its independence, earning worldwide respect and acclaim.
"Malcolm"
"Martin"
"Mother Teresa"
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"No Country for Old Men"
"Gladiator"
"Slumdog Millionaire"
The "Best Picture" winner in 2009, "Slumdog Millionaire," involves a main character who appears on India's version of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" "Slumdog Millionaire" achieved extraordinary success despite very little marketing and promotional efforts.
"The Green Book"
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"The Silence of the Lambs"
The "Best Picture" of 1992, "The Silence of the Lambs" starred the super-creepy Anthony Hopkins as Dr. Hannibal Lecter. It's not often a film about a cannibal earns Hollywood's top prize ... thankfully.
"Dances With Wolves"
"Amadeus"
"Ordinary People"
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"The Departed"
"Chariots of Fire"
"Chariots of Fire" earned 1982's "Best Picture" award, telling the story of two runners in the 1924 Olympic games. The theme song from this film, an instrumental version by the same name, is still used in sports marketing and storytelling today.
"Kramer vs. Kramer"
"Crash"
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"The Phantom of the Opera"
"West Side Story"
The "Best Picture" winner in 1962, "West Side Story" was adapted from the Broadway musical. Both versions were inspired by the star-crossed love story penned by William Shakespeare, "Romeo and Juliet."
"Cats"
"Guys and Dolls"
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"Ben-Hur"
The 1960 winner of "Best Picture, "Ben-Hur" first turned to Marlon Brando then Burt Lancaster then Rock Hudson before employing Charlton Heston in the movie's lead role. Heston is probably best-known for playing Moses in "The Ten Commandments."
"Moses"
"Ten Commandments"
"Annie Hall"
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"Tom Jones"
"Oliver!"
"Rocky"
"Rocky" has spawned no fewer than eight movies since the initial "Best Picture" winner — "Rocky" — was awarded in 1977. Sylvester Stallone played Rocky Balboa in several of the films in the series that has spanned four decades.
"Marty"
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"Terms of Endearment"
"The Apartment"
"Driving Miss Daisy"
"Driving Miss Daisy" won "Best Picture" in 1990. Starring Jessica Tandy and Morgan Freeman who forge an unlikely friendship, the film tackles issues of racism and anti-semitism in the South.
"Lawrence of Arabia"
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"12 Years a Slave"
The "Best Picture" of 2014 was "12 Years a Slave," based on a memoir written more than 161 years prior. The book and the movie tell the story of Solomon Northup, who was born free but kidnapped and sold into slavery.
"The Hurt Locker"
"Out of Africa"
"Braveheart"
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"Annie Hall"
"The Last Emperor"
"Platoon"
Winning "Best Picture" in 1987 took "Platoon" more than a decade to accomplish ... seriously. Oliver Stone wrote the screenplay for this movie in 1969, but it would be 1986 before it was finalized into a film.
"The French Connection"
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"One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest"
"One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest" not only won "Best Picture" in 1976 but also "Actor in Lead Role," "Actress in Lead Role," "Best Director" and "Best Adapted Screenplay." It is one of the few movies ever made to accomplish this feat.
"The Deer Hunter"
"Argo"
"The Departed"
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"Crash"
"A Man for All Seasons"
"The King's Speech"
"Million Dollar Baby"
The 2005 winner of "Best Picture," "Million Dollar Baby" follows the story of a waitress, played by Hilary Swank, who begins training as a boxer. The movie also starred Clint Eastwood, who lent his producing and directing chops to the film as well.
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"The Shape of Water"
"Green Book"
The most recent "Best Picture" winner from 2019, "Green Book" was named for a guide called "Negro Motorist Green Book," a travel companion for African-Americans traveling the United States during the days of segregation.
"Moonlight"
"Spotlight"
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"Midnight Cowboy"
"Moonlight"
"Shakespeare in Love"
In 1999, "Shakespeare in Love" earned seven Academy Awards in total, including "Best Picture," "Best Actress," "Best Supporting Actress" and "Best Original Screenplay." The movie is about a fictional relationship between playwright William Shakespeare and Paltrow's character, Viola de Lesseps.
"The Sting"
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"A Man for All Seasons"
"The Greatest Show on Earth"
"The Greatest Show on Earth" earned "Best Picture" accolades in 1953, and included 1,400 members of the real-life circus family of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey's traveling show.
"The Greatest Showman"
"Circus World"
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"Amadeus"
"Unforgiven"
"Ransom"
"Braveheart"
The 1996 "Best Picture" winner, "Braveheart" portrayed William Wallace (played by Mel Gibson) leading the charge for Scottish independence against King Edward I of England. The film was based on a poem written by Henry the Minstrel.
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"Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban"
"The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King"
The third installation of "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" took home "Best Picture" hardware in 2004. The series is based on the books written by "The Hobbit" author J.R.R. Tolkien.
"The Empire Strikes Back"
"Hannibal"
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"American Beauty"
"A Beautiful Mind"
"A Beautiful Mind" was 2002's "Best Picture," a movie based on a book by Sylvia Nasar. The book, which featured the same name as the movie, tells the story of John Forbes Nash Jr. It also earned a Pulitzer Prize nomination.
"Terms of Endearment"
"On the Waterfront"
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"Dances With Wolves"
In 1991, "Dances With Wolves," which starred Kevin Costner, earned the "Best Picture" Academy Award. True to its real-life roots, much of the movie is filmed using the Lakota language and English subtitles.
"Field of Dreams"
"Tin Cup"
"Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves"
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"From Here to Eternity"
Winning the Academy Award for "Best Picture" in 1954, "From Here to Eternity" earned its name from a Rudyard Kipling poem which says, in part, individuals were "damned from here to eternity."
"Hamlet"
"The Bridge on the River Kwai"
"Lawrence of Arabia"
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"Oliver!"
"A Man for All Seasons"
"An American in Paris"
"An American in Paris" won "Best Picture" in 1952. It was born out of a piece of music written by George Gershwin, who helped pull together remaining music for the film along with his brother, Ira.
"The Best Years of Our Lives"
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"Grand Hotel"
"Mutiny on the Bounty"
"Mutiny on the Bounty" took home "Best Picture" honors in 1936. But, if imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, perhaps the biggest "award" was the parody staged in cartoon form with Bugs Bunny taking the lead.
"The Great Ziegfeld"
"Cavalcade"
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"All Quiet on the Western Front"
The "Best Picture" winner in 1931, the anti-war film, "All Quiet on the Western Front," has consistently made "Best Movie" lists since its release in 1930. The American Film Institute list, distributed in 1998, was voted on by 1,500 individuals in the movie industry from among 400 nominated films.
"Wings"
"The Broadway Melody"
"Grand Hotel"
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"The Artist"
"Birdman"
The 2015 "Best Picture" winner, "Birdman," was given an alternative name, "The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance," although most people knew it simply as "Birdman." The film also took home other awards including "Best Director."
"Superman"
"No Country for Old Men"
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"The King's Speech"
"The Artist"
"The Shape of Water"
The 2018 "Best Picture" winner, "The Shape of Water" tells the story of a woman who falls for a half-human, half-fish being held at a government laboratory. Surely that's something we can all identify with?
"Unforgiven"
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"Gentleman's Agreement"
"On the Waterfront"
"The Artist"
"Around the World in 80 Days"
The 1957 "Best Picture" winner, "Around the World in 80 Days" was the place to see and be seen, featuring cameos by some Hollywood A-listers such as Frank Sinatra, Edward R. Murrow, Red Skelton and Marlene Dietrich.
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"Out of Africa"
"Fargo"
"Argo"
"Argo" won the Academy Award for "Best Picture" in 2013, detailing the circumstances around the hostage crisis in Iran from 1979 to 1981. Despite the film's awards, some have called it somewhat inaccurate for embellishments made to the story.
"Spotlight"
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"Midnight Cowboy"
The only X-rated film to ever be given "Best Picture" accolades, "Midnight Cowboy" took home the honors in 1970. It's interesting to note that the category known as "X-rated" is now defunct.
"Rhinestone Cowboy"
"Tom Jones"
"The Apartment"
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"The Bridge on the River Kwai"
"The Bridge on the River Kwai" won the Academy Award for "Best Picture" in 1958. We're sure that's due to the love scene that directors were forced to add after the one-time head of Columbia Pictures insisted it is included.
"In the Heat of the Night"
"The Best Years of Our Lives"
"How Green Was My Valley"
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"Wings"
"Wings" has the distinction of receiving the first "Best Picture" award ever distributed, given at the Academy Awards celebration in 1929. It is also the only silent film to ever receive the honor.
"The Broadway Melody"
"It Happened One Night"
"The Life of Emile Zola"
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You Got:
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