Best Picture 1967

This was a year and category that I have been looking forward to for sooooo long! It's full of classic films and minus one film, is close to the best category ever. There's even a whole book called Pictures at a Revolution by Mark Harris that goes in depth about this year and all these films as well as other ones. A great read and really fascinating to see what was going on at the time. I've purposefully held off on seeing some of these so now it's finally time to dive in and experience them for the first time.

1967 Best Picture

In the Heat of the Night

I feel like this is a forgotten winner. No one ever seems to talk about it in Best Picture discussions and when I thought about 1967, I had trouble remembering who even won. You can look at this year as one that changed the Hollywood landscape with some great films that pushed the medium and society forward. There's even been articles and a book written about this year and it's importance to film. Just as I'll explain about the others in their reviews, this film pushed the envelope on what viewers were used to and expected. The film is about a murder in a small Mississippi town. Sidney Poitier is rounded up because he's a black man alone in a bus station so obviously he is the one to have done it. Except that Poitier is a homicide detective from Philly who happens to be down there. He is eventually let go as a suspect and begrudgingly begins to help the local police chief who doesn't really want his help, either. The film is a murder mystery but really is about the racial tensions of a small town in the South. It's important for that reason as we see Poitier in a position of some authority able to stand up to racists and sort of strike back at them, sometimes literally. Rod Steiger's white police chief pushes back against Poitier in the beginning but we eventually see the two work together to solve the case and ultimately respect each other. The murder mystery aspect mostly takes a backseat to the racial tension and power dynamics throughout the film and so it's not a super fulfilling whodunit. Poitier comes off as perfect and solves a lot of the issues easily in order to get to more confrontations and explosive moments. The film is really compelling, though. I was hooked into figuring out who was responsible and to see what, if anything, would happen to Poitier's character. The acting is very good and Steiger won a Best Actor Oscar for his efforts. The music by Quincy Jones adds to the overall feel of the picture and it's got a nice theme song. I don't feel like I just watched an all-time film, though. I enjoyed it a lot but it hasn't even stuck with me after watching it and while it's a strong film message, I can't shake that maybe one of these other films should have won? I'm not sure but I am feeling underwhelmed even though it seems like an important film to have watched.

Bonnie and Clyde

This has become such an iconic film with a lot of moments that we remember. It also changed the Hollywood landscape forever as being one of the first films of it's kind with widespread popularity and critical acclaim. The fact that it came in the same year as a couple other films that changed the landscape is a sign the times were really changing. This film was one of the first to show visceral violence on screen. One of the first films to use squibs to show blood, it's a very bloody and violent film that is made all the better in not totally romanticizing the actions of this pair. I also like how their really is no romance at all in the film. Early on Beatty tries to bed Dunaway but it doesn't work and we learn he's impotent or at least in that moment is. This relationship aspect mostly simmers underneath the film and never comes to a boil. I actually would have loved to see this addressed as well as the other relationships in the film, too. There's a lot of emotional complexity that only gets scratched a little and is left to the actors to display what they can. The acting is brilliant. A great cast of Dunaway, Beatty, Gene Hackman, Estelle Parsons, and Michael J. Pollard. All were nominated and I agree with some over others but the acting is the strength of the film easily. It has some great dialogue and some scenes that are etched into film lore forever, namely the final death scene. I think some films just touch a nerve and hit a mood that people seem to want and this film does that. Compared to today's films, it's not that violent or shocking, but that this kind of film was in 1967 is pretty incredible. I'm glad to have finally seen it and can agree that it's a classic for sure.

Doctor Dolittle

Man, this film just sticks out like a gangrenous thumb. And it pisses me off knowing the story behind why it was nominated among these classic films. The story is that these huge, big money musicals were falling out of fashion and were box office flops. This film didn't do so hot when it came out and was a critical disaster as well. So naturally the studio, Fox, decided to lobby hard for it to get nominated at the Oscars so that the film could be re-released and recoup its money. That lobbying paid off as it now sits ignominiously among these truly great and all-time films. We could have had something else added like a Cool Hand Luke to what could have been arguably the greatest Best Picture group ever. Instead, it's a two and a half hour musical about a guy who talks to animals. And really it's not that entertaining. It did win Best Song and it is probably the only song you'll possibly have heard from the film. Fair enough. But the film is too long, and surprisingly, original cuts were even longer! The interesting sheen of seeing the animals wears off rather quickly as they just stand there while Rex Harrison talks at them. Harrison's performance is mild at best and it was reported that he took a while to decide to take the role and once he did never gave it his full attention and was a huge wanker on set. After the beginning it becomes a snooze fest. There's not any real action pieces, there's no love story (not that it would have helped), the supporting characters are pushed to the side until convenient, and the animals are your garden variety without anything wild or fun like tigers or bears or the like. The songs become increasingly dull and repetitive. Some of the animal effects/props are actually impressive, while others are laughably bad. The pink sea snail thing at the end is horrendous to look at and feels like some bad joke. There really isn't that much positives to find in this film. It's a rather forgettable musical whose only goal was to sell merchandise for Fox and make them money of which it did neither. It is absolutely one of the worst nominees in this category not only by virtue of being an obviously terrible standout in this group, but also because it's just plain boring and uninteresting even with a fun premise. Really wish I could go back in time and somehow convince Hollywood this wasn't worth voting for or lobbying for a nomination. One of the worst Best Picture nominees easily.

The Graduate

If you're looking at this group of nominees and you ask the normal movie goer which film won Best Picture, no doubt they'd say this film probably 90 times out of 100. I actually forgot this didn't actually win when I got to this year. It is indeed a classic but wow is the direction and style so incredible for this film. This was actually the first time I have seen this film, so I don't have any weird attachment to it or anything, I just adore Mike Nichols and what he does with this story and direction. I love so many of the iconic shots that we've seen over and over, but I also love those amazing shots that don't get clipped ad nauseam. There are so many great shots in this film like when Hoffman is in total darkness talking to Bancroft who is totally lit up. I love the handheld camera shots throughout the film because it feels fresh and new. This is simply a vibrant film that has so many amazing scenes that you can't even remember them all. And I'm not talking about all the quotable lines or the iconic shots. I'm talking about the moments in between that make you say wow even though it's just Hoffman laying on a pool float. You can definitely say that the film subject is pretty weird as Hoffman bangs Bancroft reluctantly at her urging, then goes out with her daughter and wants to marry her. It's totally 60s and it totally works. There are many iconic moments and it just says something about the 60s counter culture of the times. Many other brilliant things have been written and said about this film, but I can easily recognize that it's a classic and is one of those touchstones in film where people see it and then go on to be amazing directors or actors or whatever. It is an incredible film that everyone should see at least once, if not twice because it has that kind of appeal. A great American classic.

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner

Sidney Poitier. That's who's coming to dinner along with some other folks. Just wanted to get that tired joke out of the way now. This is another one of those films from this year that completely changed Hollywood and film forever. It features an interracial couple who are engaged to be married coming home to the white woman's parents for dinner where they'll meet the black man marrying their daughter and his parents. This is significant because it had been rarely portrayed on film, especially by such a venerable cast like this one. And the fact that only a couple months prior to its debut was interracial marriage, or miscegenation if you want to learn an interesting word, made legal in the US. While this film was being shot, it was actually illegal in 17 states! That's embarrassing and a shame because who the fuck cares who marries who? But the film itself is actually quite good. I've read a lot of recent reviews that call it dated or stagey and yeah, it is. It's from 53 years ago right now. I was actually thoroughly enjoying this and I have already seen it a couple of times. I was laughing and cringing and riveted to what would happen. I do hate that Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy have a black maid but I get it's point in the story. I like the performances and I like how they arrive to the big Tracy monologue at the end that makes the audience feel good (if they aren't a racist piece of shit). I feel like it still feels relevant to today. Mixed marriages aren't as controversial but they still cause a lot of drama in today's world for some people. That level of uncomfortability isn't as bad, but it still can be an issue. And this film tackled it over half a decade ago! I don't know if this was Best Picture worthy exactly, but I know that this is a very important film on the Oscar list.


Another year after 1968 that I've wanted to watch for a long time. It's considered a pivotal, classic year and it did not disappoint. There are four really great films and then one absolute stinker. Doctor Dolittle is not an Oscar quality film and had no business being nominated at all. The backstory of it lobbying to get nominated and Fox telling it's employees to vote only for it are bullshit and one of those things I hate about the Oscars. I just want the best films of the year in this category and that film is not it. Guess Who's Coming to Dinner is an Oscar worthy film even though I questioned it in my review. It is important and a good film and I'm fine with it being here. It would have been a fifth vote except for the stinker that was in this group. But I'd say it belongs for sure. Bonnie and Clyde really did change film forever with its violence and realistic look at the two robbers. It's a very good film that deserves its classic status and to be in this group. In the Heat of the Night is my runner up. I actually really enjoyed it because of the two leads and the fact that it is very frank and open about racism. It pushes the boundaries of film and was entertaining to boot. The Graduate ends up my winner as it is an all timer and the acting and direction from Mike Nichols is fresh and exciting and game changing. It's an amazing film that deserves an Oscar win. This was a great category to watch and I can only hope they keep being as great as this one was.

Oscar Winner: In the Heat of the Night
My Winner:  The Graduate
In the Heat of the Night
Bonnie and Clyde
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
Doctor Dolittle