TrekBBS Academy Awards #23: Best Picture, 1979

[Star Treks]

23rd in a series of polls examining the opinion of you, the TrekBBS users. Which of the original five Academy Award nominees actually should have won? Up next: Best Picture, 1979... which nominee deserved the award most? Comments encouraged.

 

[Mistral]

When you look back, a movie like Kramer v Kramer doesn't seem that significant but AN is still an amazing movie.

 

[Emher]

Apocalypse Now. A fantastically well edited film and a milestone in modern cinema.

 

[TheArsenal]

Good. Another year I've seen all the films. Despite all the problems it had making it to the screen, Apocalypse Now shows none of it and is my pick for the best that year.

 

[Aragorn]

I'm certain this poll will go the same (obvious) way as the poll with Raiders of the Lost Ark.

 

[Star Treks]

In its defense, Kramer vs. Kramer is a very fine film. Good writing, great acting. In hindsight, perhaps Apocalypse Now was a better choice, but that shouldn't take away from a solid character piece, and one of Hoffman's best performances.

 

[Harvey]

Apocalypse Now stands as one of the greatest American films of all time. Easy choice.

 

[CorporalClegg]

This is going to be a landslide.

 

[Othello]

As much as I love Apocalypse Now Kramer vs Kramer was amazing.

 

[CaptainCanada]

Kramer vs. Kramer. Apocalypse Now is good, but I find it rather uneven.

 

[Aragorn]

Sylvester Stallone did a Kramer vs. Kramer type movie. Only with truckers and arm wrestling as the backdrop.

 

[Out Of My Vulcan Mind]

For comparison, the top-rated English language feature films on IMDB eligible for Oscars in 1979 are:

Apocalypse Now (8.6)
Alien (8.5)
Life of Brian (8.2)
Manhattan (8.1)
Being There (8.0)
Kramer vs. Kramer (7.7)
Breaking Away (7.6)
Escape from Alcatraz (7.6)
The Muppet Movie (7.6)
The Warriors (7.6)
All That Jazz (7.5)
A Little Romance (7.4)
The China Syndrome (7.3)
The Wanderers (7.3)
...And Justice for All (7.2)
The Black Stallion (7.2)
The In-Laws (7.2)
Norma Rae (7.2)
Time After Time (7.2)
The Great American Chase (7.1)
The Onion Field (7.1)

I haven't seen All That Jazz or Breaking Away yet. Of the other three, Apocalypse Now and Kramer vs. Kramer are both excellent films. Pacino gave two bravura performances that year between Kramer vs. Kramer and ... And Justice for All.

I'll cast my vote for Kramer vs. Kramer, but Apocalypse Now comes a close second.

If you haven't seen The Onion Field you should check it out - excellent film.

Edit to correct: IMDB has The Great Santini as a 1979 release, but it was eligible for the 1980 Oscars.

 

[Star Treks]

I would have nominated both Alien and Manhattan. Two bona fide classics.

 

[Piper]

That list begins and ends with Apocalypse Now. None of the others come close.

 

[Mistral]

All That Jazz was Roy S at his best. Breaking Away was boring-no 2 ways about it.

I'd still have to say AN, but Alien!!!!! Whoosh! What a movie!

 

[J.T.B.]

Pacino gave two bravura performances that year between Kramer vs. Kramer and ... And Justice for All.

Did Pacino have something to do with Kramer vs. Kramer? I had forgotten about ...And Justice for All, that was pretty good.

Apocalypse Now is at times uneven, unbelievable, absurd, and bizarre. And that works pretty much perfectly for its portrayal of US involvement in Vietnam. Kramer vs. Kramer was a fine film, but to me Apocalypse Now is working on a level above the rest.

Being There, what a great movie. I like that Hoffman won for a "straight" role, instead of a "gimmicky" role like in Midnight Cowboy, Tootsie or Rainman, but I've always wished Sellers had won that one in what turned out to be his last year.

--Justin

 

[Out Of My Vulcan Mind]

Did Pacino have something to do with Kramer vs. Kramer? I had forgotten about ...And Justice for All, that was pretty good.

Oh, geez, my mind playing tricks on me. Kramer vs. Kramer was of course Dustin Hoffman, not Pacino.