Live Poll: Favorite Oscar-Nominated Best Picture Black & White Movie?

Thanks, I usually double check even the most obvious ones. As Oscar, doesn't seem to have most obvious nominees.Paper Moon just got enough votes to be rated in the Top 250 last year, currently at Top Rated Movies #238, peaking at #207, despite it being disadvantaged as a B&W. Meanwhile, in hindsight A Touch of Class (1973) doesn't seem so deserving of its spot among the Oscar nominees. I never realized Jodi Foster reprised the role in the TV series, Paper Moon (1974–1975).

It's been a personal challenge to watch all BP nominees of one year, so far I've done this for 10 years... I couldn't get that Touch of Class movie yet... but I'm looking forward to discovering it.

I am like you, if it highly rated or Oscar-nominated I make a point to try to see it. I don't care if it is an older film, B&W, foreign or subtitled or whatever. It can be can be challenge to keep up each year with worthy new films, never mind to work the backlog of ones that I somehow missed or came out before I was born. I haven't heard anything about A Touch of Class (1973), but I got think with five Oscar nominations it has to be worthy of watch.

Corrected, 'Judgement at Nuremberg' is listed once.

Please remove the duplicate that Ruby mentioned.

There is no set criteria for inclusion other than a Oscar-Nomination as Best Picture. But, factors like IMDb votes (well seen), popularity, MetaCritic Scores, AFI 100, IMDb ratings, iconic status, etc. all played a role.

Oscar-Nominated Best Picture movies from prior to the release of Gone with Wind and the Wizard of Oz in 1939 were considered, I just felt they weren't as strong individually and as a group among these combined factors as other movies. Captains Courageous (1937) was the only title from that period, I regretted not adding. I have since bumped Good Night, and Good Luck. (2005) to add it to the updated list.

I agree the 1920's and 1930's period is not well-represented with only It Happened One Night (1934) and Captains Courageous (1937) in the mix, but I believe it is justified. The quality of candidates from those fifteen years, pales in comparison, to movies that were produced between 1939-1964. This quarter century is the sweet spot of black & white movie production, in my opinion. If there is a particular movie you feel strongly about, suggest it and the movie whose place it should take to gain a spot on the poll list. Oscar-Nominated Best Picture B&W movies that were seriously considered and just missed being included are listed below:

(roughly ranked #31-40)
Wings (1927) 
All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)
The Philadelphia Story (1940)
A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
From Here to Eternity (1953)
Marty (1955)
Z (1969)
The Last Picture Show (1971)
The Elephant Man (1980)
Good Night, and Good Luck. (2005)

The poll could give the impression that it is a complete list, so you could add a word or two like "Which of these selected ..."

Vulture's Every Oscar Best Picture Winner, Ranked seems to support the contention that the period from 1927-1938 is the weakest decade of them all Oscar decades. Nine of eleven winning titles from the period are ranked in the bottom third of Oscar Best Picture winners.

Further revisions
added
All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)
Mrs. Miniver (1942)
The Lost Weekend (1945)
The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
From Here to Eternity (1953)

removed
The Longest Day (1962)
Roma (2018)

Which top ranked title on the list do suggest Roma (2018) is more deserving than and that Roma should replace to gain a spot on list and why?

I am not sure rating to which you refer. Captains Courageous (1937) 8.0 IMDb, 89% Rotten Tomato Audience Score and 91% Google is rated higher on than Roma (2018) 7.9 IMDb 75% Rotten Tomato Audience Score and 75% Google on all the audience measures. Critically speaking, Roma (2018)'s Rotten Tomato TOMATOMETER 96% seems to slightly edge Captains Courageous (1937)'s Rotten Tomato TOMATOMETER 93% rating. Whereas on other critics measures like Roma's Meta Critic's MetaScore 96 is not comparable since Captains Courageous (1937) not rated.

I am not moved by your argument of it being the flavor of the day or what awards it hasn't won yet. Roma is a U.S. production, despite being in Spanish, but If being a foreign film is a factor these other Best Picture nominees seem to have as compelling an argument as Roma for inclusion: 1938's Grand Illusion, 1969's Z and 2011's The Artist.  I think a wait-and-see approach is needed to see if Roma lives up to the hype on Oscar night.

I am still confused by your reasoning, isn't a 7.9 rating less than 8.0 rating, making Roma the lower rated film of the two. Roma's page as of today has the highest page views on all the titles and exceeds Captains Courageous' page in traffic. It certainly will garner more votes due to that, but I am not sure that is a reason by itself to include a film. Plus, its limited availability outside of Netflix would seem to limit the number of poll takers who have seen or can see the "boycotted" film (Movie Theater Chains Will Snub the Oscar-Nominated 'Roma' | GQ). However, I did remove Captains Courageous from the poll list.

I have also changed the scope of question to "best" from 'favorite" to make it less about popularity and more about the superior film. Roma still has a strong case on that basis with its Meta Critic's MetaScore 96 and other high ratings. Plus, Roma's ten Oscar nominations isn't anything to snear at either. Johnny Belinda (1948),
Mrs. Miniver (1942),  A Streetcar Named Desire (1951),  The Song of Bernadette (1943), and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966) all had a dozen plus Oscar nominations and still didn't make the B&W poll list. While, Roma has a case for inclusion. I don't think it is the slam dunk you think it is, when compared to equally or more worthy titles that are also on the cusp on inclusion.

I think this topic has been covered above mostly

1) I prefer keeping the number of options to about thirty on all my polls, initially. I don't like being at thirty-five options, especially since the last five options mostly get a handful of votes, if any.

2) "There is no set criteria for inclusion other than a Oscar-Nomination as Best Picture, initially released entirely or mostly in black & white and a just added * minimum 30,000 IMDb votes.The vote threshold didn't change the list, but may explain or nullify dispute over lower voted title exclusions. But, factors like IMDb votes (well seen), popularity, MetaCritic Scores, AFI 100, IMDb ratings, iconic status, etc." are used to thin the pack of well-deserving movies

3) I indicate the list is not comprehensive by phrasing the question "these select Oscar-nominated Best Picture movies". There is no set formula for inclusion or exclusion, but the list is representative of B&W movies that are near the top of variety of lists. Therefore, is one of the most universally acclaimed, generally regarded or most cherished B&W films. The list is handpicked as it is the best way to juggle all these factors.

* Well-deserving movies were selected based on these combined factors: IMDb vote totals (well seen), popularity, Meta Critic Scores, AFI 100 rank, IMDb ratings rank, iconic status, and other top ranks on established all-time lists. (minimum 30,000 IMDb votes)

4) Oscar-nominees are used over Oscar-winners to determine the pool and to have a larger and better pool of options overall. As well as, some movies that didn't win the Oscar are far superior to a lot B&W Oscar winners, both in hindsight and even at the time of the loss. For Instance, five of the six top rated IMDb B&W movies are Oscar Best Picture losers: 12 Angry Men (1957), It's a Wonderful Life (1946), Casablanca (1942),Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964), The Great Dictator (1940). It easy to see most of these films being on a lot individual or industry top twenty-five films of all-time.

5) The last options to make the pool are always going to be debatable options in some poll takers eyes. If someone has a suggestion, I asked they not only make a suggestion, but also suggest another movie whose place it should take and some solid reasons why it is better. It is east say a movie was snubbed, but more difficult to say it is more deserving.

6) At thirty options, two hundred and four B&W Oscar-nominated films didn't make the final answer pool. In total, ninety-one B&W Oscar-nominated films movies are IMDb rated 7.8 or above. Bottom line: A lot great films are not going to make this answer pool, but I don't think they have an undeniable case for being a Top 25 Oscar-Nominated Best Picture movie.

7) IMHO, the only strong omitted candidates that could have an argument they were snubbed are a couple early movies that fall under 30,000 vote threshold. In the end, I did add Roma (2018) back in, as I thought it was on the cusp and maybe even more well-regarded in twenty years than it is now.

Poll Suggestion Ready for Publication

Thanks, just about every one is on the IMDb Top 250 or AFi 100. i would describe all as must see, although i think having 30,000 vote threshold helps. The floor eliminated some equally worthy films, that were much less universally seen by movie goers. Thanks for the comment and feedback.

It's a strong b/w work! :D

I would like to see The Lighthouse (2019)get an Best Cinematography Oscar nod first. The use of B&W and other techniques really sets the mood for both the characters and the tale.


I haven't seen the The Lighthouse (2016) movie, but from the two trailers you can see how effective the B&W choice is for 2019 Lighthouse movie.