grand illusion won the oscar for best picture in 1939.
who won the oscar for best picture in 1939?
grand illusion
independent producer david o. selznick, who had produced the previous year's big winner "gone with the wind" (1939), also produced the best picture winner in 1940, "rebecca" – and campaigned heavily for its win. selznick was the first to produce two consecutive winners of the best picture oscar. although "rebecca" had eleven nominations, it only won for best picture and best cinematography (black and white), marking the last time a film would win best picture but not win for either directing, acting, or writing.
13th academy awards
supporters of the film engendered considerable discussion after the film "crash" won the academy award for best picture. some critics accused the academy of homophobia for failing to award the oscar for best picture to "brokeback mountain." michael jensen noted that prior to the oscar ceremony, "brokeback mountain" became "the most honored movie in cinematic history", winning more best picture and director awards than previous oscar winners "the silence of the lambs" and "schindler's list" combined. he noted that, prior to "brokeback", no film that had won the writers guild, directors guild, and producers guild awards failed to win the academy award for best picture, and that only four times in the previous twenty-five years had the best picture winner not also been the film with the most nominations. he also noted that only once before had a film that failed to be nominated for the golden globe's best picture ("crash") won the academy award. "brokeback mountain" ranks 13th among the highest-grossing romance films of all time.
brokeback mountain