Five Masterpieces, One Oscar: Was the Academy Wrong in 1975?

[BootinUp]

Excerpt from a substack article by Jim Fields

1975 was an amazing year for American movies. At the Oscars, the five nominees for Best Picture of 1975 (in alphabetical order) were: Barry Lyndon, Dog Day Afternoon, Jaws, Nashville, and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.

These were all great films. Each one was directed by an auteur of American cinema: Stanley Kubrick, Sidney Lumet, Steven Spielberg, Robert Altman, and Milos Forman.

I was in high school back then and already a huge film nerd. On the night of the Academy Awards, I sat glued to the television in breathless anticipation, waiting to see which movie would be crowned the best of the year.

As you might know, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest swept the awards show, winning a total of 5 Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director (Milos Forman), Best Actor (Jack Nicholson), Best Actress (Louise Fletcher), and Best Adapted Screenplay (Lawrence Hauben and Bo Goldman).

It was only the second time in film history that a single film won Oscars in every major category.

Did the Academy get it right? Or did One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest simply win because it was the easiest film to love, overshadowing four films that were arguably more daring, more original, and more lasting?

Let’s take another look.

https://open.substack.com/pub/jimfields/p/best-picture-nominees-1975-oscars

[Fiendish Thingy]

1. Yes, the academy got it right

Ive never seen Barry Lyndon, but despite its reknown for period spectacle, it’s generally considered one of Kubrick’s secondary works.

Nashville, although a biting look at American culture, is an acquired taste for many folks (my wife hated it, said it was pointless and had no plot).

Jaws was the first true Blockbuster movie, great acting and directing, an excellent horror film.

Dog Day Afternoon was a good film, carried largely by the talents of Pacino and Cazale.

Cuckoo’s Nest is the whole package - a compelling story based on Ken Kesey’s actual experiences, perfect casting, outstanding writing and directing, anchored by Jack Nicholson’s performance.

While the other films may have been “daring” or groundbreaking in their own ways, that doesn’t necessarily make them deserving of the Oscar. They are nevertheless unforgettable, and are part of a large group of iconic films unrecognized by the academy.