The Best Picture Project

Paul’s Folly: An Introduction

It sounded like a fun idea at first. Actually, it still is: what would it be like to watch every movie that won the Oscar for Best Picture in chronological order? It wouldn’t be my first time with the films. For some, it’s a recent revisit; for others, it’s been decades.

I’m not a binge watcher either, so I won’t attempt to do it overnight or even pledge to see one a week, but I will make it through the list. Call it a playful challenge or personal dare if you like, but let me start by saying I don’t think all of them were “best,” or even close to it, while others well deserved the honor.

Regardless, the only fact here is that a group of select peers working in motion pictures decided to give these films the top prize in their industry—whether it was due to legitimate merit or behind-the-scenes politics or a sign of the times (either fashion or reactionary), whether the film was a runaway hit, an odds-on favorite, or a little-known underdog out of nowhere that caused gasps around the globe when its name was announced at the podium.

I’m fascinated by the Oscars and their history and always have been. We’ve shared a love/hate relationship ever since I was a wee tot of the 1960s growing up in a college town in Kansas, watching the live broadcast at home with my parents—but you can read more about that here if you like.

This project is already underway, and I discovered after viewing only a handful of entries that I was witnessing the evolution of film, but even more remarkable, I saw a common thread in the struggle of artists and craftsmen to express themselves in their chosen medium. Everything was changing, not just the technology of the day. On the surface, I saw hairstyles, makeup, clothing, telephones, cars, gadgets, modes of transportation, and other trendy advancements come and go. Artistically, I saw methods of cinematic communication evolve: dialogue, acting styles, directing styles, editing, music, cinematography, sound design, and visual effects, all working in tandem in an attempt to improve the telling of a story—whether it was modern or period; drama, comedy, or musical.

It’s been a fascinating journey so far, and I’m barely out of the starting gate. I hope you’ll join me for the rest. Weigh in with your thoughts if you like. Argue with me (no name-calling, pal) or agree with me if you are so inclined. I won’t attempt to rank them from best to worst or reduce my opinion to a “who should have won instead” contest. That’s the easy route. The fact is, they did win. All of them. And I’m more interested in considering why. What does it say about film passions and movie trends or Hollywood politics throughout the years?

Consider this blog a big comfy couch in front of a 70″ HDTV. We’ve got virtual popcorn and your favorite beverage ready for the ride. Now dim the lights and crank up the sound—yes, even for a silent film—as we “start at the very beginning,” a very good place to start according to the 1965 winner The Sound of Music, with Wings, the first Best Picture for the then-seasonal calendar of 1927-28.

Enjoy!