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Whether the Academy Awards are actually the world's most prestigious award in cinema is up for debate. But ask any filmmaker: Even just being nominated for an Oscar is an honor. But how long does that honor really last?
Since 1929, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences have recognized achievements in the craft of moviemaking. From technical awards like Best Visual Effects and Best Sound to more nebulous categories like Best Director and Best Picture, the Oscars exist as a sort of de facto barometer for where cinema, at its current form, is at its current best.
But like all things voted by large committees, not all Oscar-nominated and Oscar-winning movies stand the test of time. For a variety of reasons, some movies vanish into the ether, remembered only by those who loved it the most. (Or, just as likely, discovered it in a late-night Wikipedia rabbit hole.) Here are 32 movies that were nominated for Oscars that you've probably never heard of.
32. Hollow Man (2000)
Essentially Paul Verhoeven's own version of the Universal classic The Invisible Man, Hollow Man stars Kevin Bacon as a narcissistic scientist who undergoes an experiment that turns his whole body invisible. When it becomes impossible to reverse his condition, he embarks on a killing spree against his coworkers, most of all his ex-girlfriend (Elisabeth Shue). While the movie has become a footnote in the careers of everyone involved, it did earn one Oscar nomination for Best Visual Effects. It lost to Ridley Scott's Gladiator.
31. The Front Page (1931)
One of the first movies to ever receive the coveted Oscar nomination for Best Picture is the 1931 screwball comedy The Front Page, set in the world of crime journalism. Adapted from a Broadway play, The Front Page follows an investigative journalist Hildy Johnson (Pat O'Brien) who tracks down an escaped accused murderer (George E. Stone). While Hildy hopes to land the scoop of a lifetime, he finds out that this public enemy may actually be innocent. The Front Page, directed by Lewis Milestone, lost the Best Picture trophy to the film Skippy, but it was remade multiple times into different movies, including the classic His Girl Friday (1941).
30. Women Talking (2022)
Based on the 2018 novel by Miraim Toews – itself based on the horrific real-life assaults at a Mennonite community in Bolivia from 2005 to 2009 – Women Talking follows women at an isolated colony as they deal with the sudden knowledge that they've been victims of assault by men for years. Although Women Talking bombed at the box office, it drew acclaim for the performances of its cast, among them Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, and Frances McDormand. The movie competed for Best Picture at the 95th Academy Awards; it lost to the madcap sci-fi Everything Everywhere All at Once, which virtually sucked up all the attention in the room that year.
29. Hold Back the Dawn (1941)
Directed by Mitchell Leisen, Hold Back the Dawn is a romantic drama that follows a Romanian gigolo (Charles Boyer) who marries an American woman (Olivia de Havilland) simply to gain entry into the United States, only to actually fall in love with her. (The story is based on Ketti Frings' 1940 novel.) Although Hold Back the Dawn has faded from memory, it was nominated for numerous Academy Awards in 1942, including Best Actress for de Havilland, Best Writing (later renamed Best Adapted Screenplay), Best Cinematography, Best Score, and Best Picture.
28. W.E. (2011)
Madonna isn't just a global pop music legend. With 2011's W.E., she is also a movie director. The story follows a dissatisfied New York housewife, Wally (Abbie Cornish) who is drawn to the marriage and love story between the former Duke of Windsor, Edward VIII (played in the movie by James D'Arcy) and American woman Wallis Simpson (Andrea Riseborough). But while attending an auction of their belongings, Wally starts to see their seemingly idyllic life was not so perfect as she believed. Although critics gave W.E. overwhelmingly negative reviews, it did receive one Oscar nomination for Best Costume Design.
27. The Robe (1953)
In an era when Hollywood was all-in on Biblical epics, there was the 1953 epic The Robe. Directed by Henry Koster, The Robe follows the Roman soldiers who were responsible for the brutal crucifixion of Jesus. Richard Burton stars as a Roman named Marcellus who wins Jesus' robe in a dice game, only to lose it to his own slave (Victor Mature). Marcellus is soon haunted by disturbing visions, inspiring him to find the robe and find faith in the process. At the 26th Oscars, The Robe was nominated for – but did not win – Best Picture. But it still took home trophies for Best Production Design and Best Costume Design.
26. When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth (1971)
A fantasy adventure from legendary British studio Hammer Films, When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth imagines an alternate past where man and dinosaur lived in coexistence. The story follows a fisherman (Robin Hawdon) who rescues a beautiful young woman (Victoria Vetri) from being offered up as sacrifice to the dinosaurs, kicking off a runaway tale to escape vengeful tribes and even more vengeful girlfriends. With all its dinos running around, When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth earned itself an Oscar nomination for Best Visual Effects; it lost to Disney's Bedknobs and Broomsticks.
25. Atlantic City (1980)
Burt Lancaster and Susan Sarandon strike gold in Atlantic City, a critically acclaimed prestige picture released in 1980. Sarandon plays a young, troubled wife who leaves her dangerous husband (Robert Joy) and finds a new beginning in Atlantic City. She soon becomes involved with an aging gangster (Lancaster). Upon release, Atlantic City racked up numerous nominations at the 54th Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director (for Louis Malle), Best Screenplay, and Best Actor and Actress for Lancaster and Sarandon respectively. Unfortunately, luck was not on Atlantic City's side, as the movie ultimately did not win anything.
24. Shadow of the Vampire (2000)
Shadow of the Vampire, E. Elias Merhige's inventive homage to the silent film era, fictionalizes the making of F.W. Murnau's celebrated Gothic film classic Nosferatu. John Malkovich plays the real-life Murnau, his crew becoming uneasy towards lead actor Max Schreck (Willem Dafoe) and his transformation into Count Orlok during production. While Shadow of the Vampire earned positive reviews, it was not much of a box office hit, with a limited release in the U.S.. The movie had just two Oscar nominations at the 73rd ceremonies, one for Best Supporting Actor (for Willem Dafoe) and Best Makeup and Hairstyling. In 2024, Dafoe starred in Robert Eggers' more faithful remake of Nosferatu.
23. The Wings of the Dove (1997)
In one of Helena Bonham Carter's earliest starring movies, the actress plays a poor young woman, Kate, who lives in 1910 London subject to her wealthy aunt (Charlotte Rampling). Kate is in love with a struggling writer (Linus Roache), and hatches a plan to marry him and break free from her domineering aunt, and it involves a terminally ill American heiress (Alison Elliott). The Wings of the Dove earned enough positive reviews in 1997 to attract several Oscar nominations, albeit winning none, including Best Costume Design, Best Cinematography, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Actress (for Carter).
22. Gosford Park (2001)
Fans of Downton Abbey may know about Gosford Park. This 2001 whodunnit comedy from Robert Altman was the original source material for the smash hit series before spinning off into its own thing. Gosford Park stars an all-star ensemble cast (including Eileen Atkins, Bob Balaban, Charles Dance, Stephen Fry, Maggie Smith, to name a few) who play wealthy guests at an English country house party that ends in murder. Gosford Park was a critical and commercial success, racking up numerous awards nominations. At the 74th Academy Awards, Gosford Park was nominated for Best Picture and Best Director, though it lost both to A Beautiful Mind.
21. Love Story (1970)
Love means never having to say you're sorry. Written by novelist Erich Segal and directed by Arthur Hiller, Love Story follows a Harvard University student Oliver (Ryan O'Neal) who falls in love with middle-class Radcliffe College student Jenny (Ali MacGraw); the two marry despite the protests of Oliver's overbearing father. Their lives are further complicated when Jenny is stricken with a terminal illness. Love Story was The Notebook of its era, being a huge box office hit that is still one of the all-time highest grossing movies when adjusted for inflation. At the '71 Oscars, the movie was nominated for multiple awards (including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor and Best Actress for O'Neal and MacGraw) but won none of them.
20. Queen Margot (1994)
Directed by Patrice Cheréau, Queen Margot adapts the 1845 Alexandre Dumas novel to follow French royal heir Margot (Isabelle Adjani) during a politically tumultuous 16th century France. While Margot is strategically married off to the King of Navarre, she begins an affair with her true love, a Protestant soldier (Vincent Perez), which jeopardizes her scheming and ambitious mother's grand plans. Although Queen Margot won a few César Awards (the French equivalent of the Oscars) and Cheréau nominated for the Palme d'Or at the '94 Cannes Film Festival, the movie was only nominated for (and did not win) Best Costume Design at the 67th Academy Awards.
19. You Can Count on Me (2000)
Kenneth Lonegran's directorial debut was a knock out of the park, with his 2000 family drama You Can Count on Me earning nominations for Best Screenplay and Best Actress (for lead Laura Linney) at the 73rd Academy Awards. The movie follows single mother Sammy (Linney), whose quiet but pleasant life – living in the Catskills with her son Rudy (Rory Culkin) – is rocked by the arrival of her brother Terry (Mark Ruffalo). In his review published in November 2000, the late critic Roger Ebert called You Can Count on Me "one of the best movies of the year," a reputation the movie still held in 2016 when a BBC poll ranked it as one of the greatest movies of the 21st century.
18. Under Fire (1983)
Nick Nolte, Gene Hackman, and Joanna Cassidy team up in the red-hot political thriller Under Fire, set in the waning years of the Nicaraguan Revolution circa 1979. The movie follows a pair of American news journalists (who are also having an affair) who sacrifice professional integrity in the name of survival. Although the movie is entirely fictional, it was loosely inspired by the murder of ABC journalist Bill Stewart by Nicaraguan troops on June 20, 1979, whose death was caught on camera by a network cameraman. Despite its critical and commercial success, the movie was nominated for just one Oscar, for Best Original Score (for Jerry Goldsmith).
17. The Red Violin (1998)
With a story spanning centuries, François Girard's The Red Violin follows its title subject – an enchanted red violin – as it falls into the hands of various owners from around the world. Beginning in 1680s Italy, The Red Violin zigzags to Vienna then Oxford then Shanghai before ultimately landing in Montreal in 1997. Its international ensemble cast is led by Carlo Cecchi, Jean-Luc Bideau, Sylvia Chang, and Samuel L. Jackson. Rather fittingly, The Red Violin was nominated for one Oscar, for Best Original Score at the 72nd Academy Awards.
16. Prizzi's Honor (1985)
One of director John Huston's final directorial works, Prizzi's Honor stars Jack Nicholson and Kathleen Turner who play mob assassins who are hired to kill each other only to wind up falling in love instead. (Think of it like Mr. and Mrs. Smith, set in the world of organized crime instead of international spies.) Prizzi's Honor was part of Huston's own career renaissance, earning critical and commercial acclaim, not to mention several Oscar nominations at the 58th Academy Award ceremonies. Among its accolades: Nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (for Nicholson), and Best Adapted Screenplay.
15. Dark Victory (1939)
Dark Victory sure had its work cut out for it. The movie, a drama in which Bette Davis plays a socialite who deals with the news of an inoperable brain tumor, was released the same year that undeniable classics like Gone with the Wind, The Wizard of Oz, Stagecoach, and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington were also nominated for Oscars, including Best Actress (for Davis) and Best Picture (losing to Gone with the Wind). Despite how much Dark Victory has been eclipsed by its contemporaries, it still enjoys prestige, recognized by AFI in 2002 and 2006 on different "100 Years" lists.
14. Hell or High Water (2016)
Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan unleashed an unofficial trilogy of dark neo-Westerns set on the modern American frontier, including 2015's Sicario and 2017's Wind River. In the middle of them came 2016's Hell or High Water, a critically acclaimed crime drama where Chris Pine and Ben Foster play bank robbers desperate to save their family ranch who escape two determined Texas Rangers (Jeff Bridges and Gil Birmingham). In 2017, during the controversial ceremony that ended with a mix-up between La La Land and Moonlight, Hell or High Water was quietly among the Best Picture nominees.
13. I Wanted Wings (1941)
I Wanted Wings, an inspiring aviation movie released when the United States had not yet officially entered World War 2, was also the movie that made Veronica Lake's Hollywood career take flight as one of the most popular stars of the 1940s. The movie follows three totally different men – a playboy (Ray Milland), a football jock (Wayne Morris), and a mechanic (William Holden) – who become pilots in the Army Air Corps. Although the movie now, ahem, flies under most people's radars, it still has an Oscar to its name: the Best Visual Effects trophy at the 14th Academy Awards.
12. The Absent-Minded Professor (1961)
Imagine a world where Flubber, the Robin Williams movie about sentient green goo, was an Oscar-nominated movie. Well, that's technically the real world. Because the 1961 sci-fi comedy The Absent-Minded Professor, directed by Robert Stevenson and the movie that 1997's Flubber was a remake of, collected a whopping three nominations at the 34th Academy Awards in 1962. It was nominated for Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, and perhaps unsurprising, Best Special Effects. Although it didn't win any, being remade with Robin Williams is its own honor.
11. News of the World (2020)
Paul Greengrass' Western drama News of the World, which stars Tom Hanks as an elderly Civil War veteran who must escort a young girl back to her only living family, was released in pandemic-era theaters in December 2020 before ending up on premium VOD and various streamers (like then-named HBO Max) throughout 2021. All this to say: News of the World didn't have the kind of release befitting the stature of a star like Tom Hanks. Which is why the movie feels forgotten despite its many Oscar nominations at the 2021 ceremony. The movie was nominated for Best Cinematography, Best Original Score, Best Sound, and Best Production Design.
10. The Prince of Tides (1991)
Barbara Streisand sits in the director's chair for The Prince of Tides, a 1991 romantic drama where Streisand co-stars with Nick Nolte. Nolte plays a football coach from South Carolina, Tom, who reluctantly travels to New York to meet with his troubled sister's psychiatrist, Susan (Streisand). Amid the difficulties of confronting his family's traumatic past, Tom strikes up a romance with Susan. The Prince of Tides has a small legacy, being referenced as a punchline in shows like The Simpsons, The Office, and Ted Lasso. It was also nominated for numerous Oscars at the 64th Academy Awards, including Best Picture. It lost to Silence of the Lambs.
9. The Black Hole (1979)
Emerging in Disney's "Dark Ages," the live-action sci-fi The Black Hole was once one of Disney's most expensive movies ever produced with a budget of over $20 million. (A big deal in 1979.) The story follows the crew aboard a spaceship, the USS Palomino, who stumble upon another ship once deemed missing – and happens to have the missing father of crew member Kate (Yvette Mimieux) aboard. The spectacular failure of The Black Hole permanently marks a creative losing streak suffered by Disney between the late 1970s and 1980s, though the movie did get itself nominated for Best Cinematography and Best Visual Effects at the 52nd Academy Awards.
8. Dragonslayer (1981)
At the height of widespread "Satanic panic" over heavy metal music and Dungeons & Dragons, Matthew Robbins' 1981 fantasy gem Dragonslayer breathed fire into cinemas everywhere. The second co-production between Disney and Paramount, the movie tells of a young wizard (played by Peter MacNicol) who steps up to challenge the fearsome dragon Vermithrax. The movie was nominated for Best Visual Effects (losing to Raiders of the Lost Ark) and Best Original Score (losing to Chariots of Fire). Despite its losses, it has earned its reputation as one of the greatest fantasy movies ever made, with the likes of Guillermo del Toro and George R.R. Martin among its fans.
7. Amour (2012)
In this moving French-language drama from director Michael Haneke, an elderly couple and retired music teachers remain committed to each other and their comfort when one of them, Anne (Emmanuelle Riva) suffers a debilitating stroke that paralyzes part of her face. Amour earned critical acclaim from critics, winning the prestigious Palme d'Or at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. It was nominated for Best Picture at the 85th Academy Awards – it lost to Argo – but still took home Best Foreign Language Film that year.
6. Shine (1996)
Inspired by the life of Australian concert pianist David Helfgott, Shine tracks child piano prodigy David (played by Alex Refalowicz, Noah Taylor, and Geoffrey Rush at various ages in David's life) as he finds success as a musician but struggles with his mental illness; the movie posits that David's troubled childhood and overbearing father (Armin Mueller-Stahl), coupled with the newfound pressures of fame, contributed to his schizophrenia. At the 69th Academy Awards, Shine was nominated for Best Picture and Best Director (for Scott Hicks). Geoffrey Rush won the Oscar for Best Actor, for his performance as David.
5. The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared (2013)
This multilingual Swedish comedy, based on Jonas Jonasson's 2009 novel, has quite the mouthful of a title, which in theory should have made it hard to forget. Robert Gustafsson stars as Allan, an elderly explosives expert whose boredom at his retirement home inspires him to leave in dramatic fashion. In his memory, Allan reminisces on his life, which happens to include critical moments in world history. The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared didn't inspire much from critics beyond amusement, but it still earned itself an Oscar nomination for Best Makeup and Hairstyling at the 88th Academy Awards.
4. The Fisher King (1991)
In Terry Gilliam's realistic fantasy film The Fisher King, a vulgar radio shock jock (Jack Lucas) starts to reckon with his image after a listener feels inspired to carry out a mass murder in Manhattan. After one bad night, he meets a strange man (Robin Williams) who leads him on a mission to find the Holy Grail. (A sly reference to Gilliam's seminal medieval satire Monty Python and the Holy Grail? Maybe.) While mostly well-received by critics, The Fisher King wound up with several Academy Award nominations, and even one win for Best Supporting Actress (for Mercedes Ruehl). Williams was nominated, but did not win, Best Actor.
3. Ice Station Zebra (1968)
A frosty spy thriller released at the heyday of the genre, Ice Station Zebra – loosely based on Alistair MacLean's 1963 novel – concerns a sub containing a diverse crew of specialists who are tasked with recovering a Soviet satellite packed with data that could compromise U.S. military security. Ice Station Zebra didn't really have the mettle to mess with cinema's premier spy franchise, James Bond, earning only mixed reviews upon release. But at the 41st Academy Awards, the movie was a contender for Best Visual Effects, which lost to a movie that everyone can agree deserved it more: 2001: A Space Odyssey.
2. Match Point (2005)
Before Challengers, there was Match Point. From writer/director Woody Allen and a movie many critics considered a return to form, Match Point follows a former tennis player (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) who marries into a wealthy family, only for him to risk his social standing when he begins an affair with his brother-in-law's girlfriend (Scarlett Johansson). Though Allen has said in interviews he believes the movie to be one of the best of his career, the movie's only Oscar recognition was a nomination for Best Original Screenplay at the 78th Academy Awards. It lost to the more polarizing movie Crash.
1. Witness (1985)
Harrison Ford is world renowned for his roles in Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Jack Ryan, and box office blockbusters like The Fugitive and Air Force One. But in 1985, Ford starred in the one-off Witness, a critically acclaimed neo-noir that sees Ford play a police detective whose job of protecting a young murder witness leads him to hide away in a Pennsylvania Amish community. Witness was handsomely celebrated at the 58th Academy Awards. Although it didn't win nominations for Best Picture or Best Actor (for Harrison Ford), it still won Best Original Screenplay and Best Editing.
