With 92 films winning Best Picture, and 563 nominated, since the inception of the Academy Awards, it's easy to see how eventually a few winners would fall by the wayside. With some winners being considered unremarkable in retrospect, and some just being overshadowed by other films of the year, there's a large crop of Oscar winners ripe for a reevaluation.
Throughout the past two decades, nothing has been more popular than a remake, and a remake of these forgotten award winners is exactly what they need to either fix glaring issues or simply to bring light to a film that deserves more attention.
How Green Was My Valley
This John Ford classic has become synonymous with another film made in the same year, a film it beat out for Best Picture, Orson Welles' Citizen Cane. Widely considered the greatest film ever made, Kane has overshadowed Ford's film throughout the past 80 years since its release.
While not as innovative as Welles' film, How Green Was My Valley is a wonderful film in its own right, and one of John Ford's best, which is saying something given the man's unbelievable career output. With a quality director and a good script, a remake of this film could boost its profile beyond Citizen Kane's long shadow.
It Happened One Night
One of legendary director Frank Capra's best films, it's the first movie to win all five major Academy Awards. Even years later, the film is considered one of the greatest comedies of all time.
While it hasn't exactly been forgotten, the film itself is old enough that many young audience members may have never heard of it, which is a shame considering its overwhelmingly great quality. A respectful remake made by someone with old-fashioned comedic instincts could be a hit.
Tom Jones
A British comedy hit when it was first released in 1963, Tom Jones is widely considered one of the best comedies of the 1960s. Arriving just before the period of New Hollywood arrived and changed the industry forever, Tom Jones has been generally forgotten due to its light and whimsical nature.
A fresh take on the classic British story could be a perfect way to reintroduce the 1749 novel and the 1963 film to a young audience.
Wings
The first film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture, and the only silent film to win it up until 2011's The Artist, Wings is pretty much only remembered for its historic first Oscar win, beyond that it's not widely studied in film circles.
Despite being a massive hit at the time of its release, the aviation film deserves a second chance and a possible remake from someone capable of adding to already quality source material.
You Can't Take It With You
Another film by the incomparable Frank Capra, director of It's a Wonderful Life, this comedy is the lesser-known sibling to It Happened One Night and Mr. Deeds Goes To Town. Based on the play of the same name, the film is about a rich man who marries an unlikely woman.
A classically styled comedy for the era, this film doesn't quite hold up as well as some of Capra's other films, leaving the door wide open for an updated take on a classic premise.
The Greatest Show On Earth
Cecil B. DeMille's second to last film, The Greatest Show On Earth is a drama about a wide cast of performers in the Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus, all with various dramatic circumstances surrounding them.
Often considered one of the worst recipients of Oscar for Best Picture, the film is generally not terribly well regarded due to its focus on entertainment over art. A script rewrite with a stronger focus on character is really all a remake needs to surpass the original.
Gentleman's Agreement
Gregory Peck and Dorothy McGuire star in this 1947 award-winning drama based on the 1947 novel. At the time, this was an incredibly progressive and actually very controversial film about antisemitism.
Through a more modern lens, however, the film could use a more nuanced and contemporary narrative about the subject matter, making the film ripe for reintroduction to today's audiences.
Going My Way
With the repopularization of the movie musical over the past decade, this 1944 musical could be a perfect addition to the new crop of musicals popping up during awards season.
Starring the legendary Bing Crosby, Going My Way is about a new priest taking over a parish from an elderly priest played by Barry Fitzgerald. With a litany of quality songs that could easily be updated for a more modern take, a remake of this film could require very little changes and serve as a great introduction to a classically styled musical.
All Quiet On The Western Front
This 1930 war film directed by Lewis Milestone was a hit upon its release and praised for its anti-war messaging. Going on to win the Oscar for Best Picture and Best Director, the film wouldn't quite have a strong enough legacy to carry it through to the 21st century.
The film's anti-war message and focus on the horrors of war are timeless messages that could easily be adapted for a remake. And with more modern techniques of depicting WWI, it could have a stronger impact on its audience.
A Man For All Seasons
Winning the Oscar over classics like Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf, this British drama based on the play by Robert Bolt about the events that lead to the execution of Sir Thomas More was out of the limelight since its release in 1966.
A remake of the film could focus on being a modern adaptation of the play as opposed to being a strict remake of the film, leaving plenty of room for creativity by the hypothetical director.