Top 10 Exceptional Films that Missed the Oscar Gold

Regarded as one of the greatest films of all time, leading IMDb's list of the best films, The Shawshank Redemption ended up empty-handed at the 1995 Oscars.

The Shawshank Redemption, adapted from Stephen King's work, follows Andy Dufresne, a skilled banker wrongly imprisoned for his wife's murder. In prison, he faces a society devoid of humanity, where the strong bully the weak, and inmates seem almost hopeless. As an intellectual and determined individual, he strives against injustice, advocates for human rights, and meticulously plans an escape to find the freedom he rightfully deserves.

Even today, The Shawshank Redemption is hailed as one of the greatest films of all time. At the 1995 Oscars, it received 7 nominations, including Best Picture. However, the film failed to secure any awards. In the same year, another outstanding film, Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction, lost the Best Picture award to Forrest Gump. All three films are considered modern cinematic masterpieces. Despite missing out on all 7 Oscar categories, The Shawshank Redemption, voted by the audience as the greatest film of all time, claims the top spot in the Top 10 Exceptional Films that Missed the Oscar Gold.

Details:

• Release Year: 1994
  
• Genre: Humanitarian
  
• Director: Frank Darabont
  
• Stars: Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman, Bob Gunton

In the recent Oscar ceremony of 2020, The Irishman directed by the seasoned Martin Scorsese surprisingly went home empty-handed, despite being nominated for all 10 Oscars.

The Irishman, based on the biography 'I Heard You Paint Houses,' revolves around hitman Frank Sheeran, a hired gun for the mafia. The film features performances from veteran actors such as Robert De Niro, Al Pacino (famous for his role in 'The Godfather'), and Joe Pesci. Since its release on Netflix, The Irishman has garnered widespread acclaim from critics.

At the 2020 Oscars, The Irishman was considered a heavyweight contender, with 10 nominations, trailing closely behind Joker. The film received nominations in all major categories, including Best Picture. However, in 2020, the prestigious Best Picture award went to the South Korean film Parasite, leaving The Irishman empty-handed. As a result, The Irishman has become one of the Top 10 Best Films that Missed the Oscar Gold, with a total of 11 nominations.

Details:

• Release Year: 2019
  
• Genre: Biography, Crime
  
• Director: Martin Scorsese
  
• Stars: Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci
  

For Hollywood film enthusiasts, Alfred Hitchcock is undoubtedly a legendary director, often considered the author of cinematic textbooks for aspiring filmmakers. Surprisingly, this legendary director never once took home an Oscar.

Psycho is Alfred Hitchcock's most famous film. The plot revolves around a murder at the Bates Motel, where the killer is a cunning psychopath. Psycho is regarded as the foundation of the suspenseful thriller genre, with its surprising plot twists and innovative cinematography, influencing later directors. The film made a significant impact, becoming the scariest film of 1960 with its infamous shower murder scene. Recently, the TV series Bates Motel was created based on Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho.

Psycho received four Oscar nominations in 1960, including Best Director for Alfred Hitchcock, but it didn't win any awards.

Details:

• Release Year: 1960
  
• Genre: Crime, Drama
  
• Director: Alfred Hitchcock
  
  
• Stars: Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh, Vera Miles
  

Another legendary Hollywood director often hailed as the greatest of all time is Stanley Kubrick, and he too has films that made it to the Top 10 Best Films Never to Win an Oscar. A Clockwork Orange, considered one of Stanley Kubrick's masterpieces, explores the psychological aspect of crime, focusing on a juvenile delinquent undergoing rehabilitation. A group of scientists subjects the criminal to psychological experiments, turning the violent offender haunted by crime images into a fearful and nonviolent individual. However, this method becomes terrifying when, in the name of a noble purpose, it controls human minds, reducing the protagonist to a life less than human.

A Clockwork Orange received four Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, but lost in all categories. Alongside other Kubrick classics like 2001: A Space Odyssey, Dr. Strangelove, Spartacus, A Clockwork Orange stands out as one of the legendary director's finest works. Another critically acclaimed film by Stanley Kubrick, The Shining, also failed to win an Oscar.

Details:

• Release Year: 1971
  
• Genre: Drama, Crime
  
• Director: Stanley Kubrick
  
• Stars: Malcolm McDowell, Patrick Magee, Michael Bates
  

Another Alfred Hitchcock masterpiece gracing the Top 10 Best Films Never to Win an Oscar is Rear Window. The film revolves around a former war correspondent with a habit of using his camera lens to observe neighbors from his window. Unintentionally, he suspects one of them to be a murderer due to the person's peculiar behavior.

Rear Window, like other Hitchcock films, is a thrilling mystery. The film received four Oscar nominations in 1955, ranking 48th among Hollywood's top 100 films and even achieving a perfect 100/100 score from Meta Critics. However, Rear Window failed to secure any Oscar wins.

Details:

• Release Year: 1954
  
• Genre: Mystery, Thriller
  
• Director: Alfred Hitchcock
  
• Stars: James Stewart, Grace Kelly, Wendell Corey
  

The Great Dictator (translated: The Great Dictator) is a film by the 'king of comedy' Charles Chaplin. Released during the most intense period of World War II, the comedy, directed and starring Charles Chaplin, satirizes the fascist dictator Adolf Hitler. The film also features a legendary peace speech, considered one of the most poignant speeches in cinematic history.

This British film received 5 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, but failed to secure a win. Another famous comedy by Charles Chaplin, Modern Times, also did not win an Oscar.

Details:

• Release Year: 1940
  
• Genre: Comedy, War
  
• Director: Charles Chaplin
  
• Stars: Charles Chaplin, Paulette Goddard, Jack Oakie
  

Taxi Driver is Martin Scorsese's iconic film, considered a cinematic masterpiece. The film revolves around a former soldier who served in the Vietnam War, returning home to work as a taxi driver. However, the war has left him with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). Unable to lead a normal life, he descends into a world of crime and violence.

Taxi Driver received 4 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, but did not secure a win.

Details:

• Release Year: 1976
  
• Genre: Crime, Drama
  
• Director: Martin Scorsese
  
• Stars: Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster, Cybill Shepherd
  

Another film by Martin Scorsese, The Wolf of Wall Street, also missed out on the 2014 Oscars. This film is an adaptation of the memoir of Jordan Belfort, a notorious 'super broker' who manipulated Wall Street and was arrested for stock fraud. Upon its release, the film became a heavy contender for the Best Picture title, with expectations of winning an Oscar for the renowned actor Leonardo DiCaprio. However, the film did not secure any wins among the 5 Oscar nominations it received.

Details:

• Release Year: 2013
  
• Genre: Biography, Comedy
  
• Director: Martin Scorsese
  
• Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, Margot Robbie
  

When mentioning the Top 10 best films never to win an Oscar, one cannot overlook 12 Angry Men. Released in 1957, the film revolves around 12 jury members tasked with deciding whether to give a death sentence to the defendant. While the evidence remains unclear and incomplete, the majority of the members want to quickly conclude the case, partly because the defendant comes from a slum and has a criminal record. However, only one person wants to reexamine all the evidence, taking a stance contrary to the others. From here, the debate begins. The film highlights the value of deductive reasoning, demonstrating its importance in law and society, while emphasizing human rights.

Until today, 12 Angry Men remains one of the greatest films of all time on IMDb. The film received 3 Oscar nominations, including a nomination for Best Picture, but did not win. For many, this is one of the most regrettable instances of a film not winning Best Picture, similar to the year 1995.

Details:

• Release Year: 1957
  
• Genre: Drama, Humanitarian
  
• Director: Sidney Lumet
  
• Stars: Henry Fonda, Lee J. Cobb, Martin Balsam
  

And the last name to grace the Top 10 best films never to win an Oscar is Fight Club, also one of the cinematic classics. Fight Club revolves around the relationship between two diametrically opposed men who coincidentally meet on a flight and establish an underground fight club with implicit rules. Things take a dark turn as the club evolves, leading to consequences beyond control.

Fight Club ranks 11th on the list of the greatest films of all time on IMDb. The film received 1 Oscar nomination but did not win.

Details:

• Release Year: 1999
  
• Genre: Drama, Crime
  
• Director: David Fincher
  
• Stars: Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, Meat Loaf