The Academy Awards has been an annual celebration of film since 1929. With 10 decades of exceptional movies and Best Picture winners, the Oscars are known for selecting influential and timeless flicks. With so many movies to binge, it's nearly impossible for movie buffs to choose their favorite.
However, each decade has reflected the culture of the time and helped grow the film industry. With lots of incredible films, there are some that will forever be influential and memorable. Here is the most influential Best Picture winner from each decade.
1920s: Sunrise (1927)
The Academy Awards began way back in the 1920s, and this was the most influential movie from that first decade of film celebration. This film tells a story of good and evil, of marriage and attraction.
With three Oscar wins and one more nomination, this movie is certainly a timeless and pinnacle moment of the Hollywood industry. For movie buffs who haven't dove into this classic, now is certainly the time.
1930s: Gone With The Wind (1939)
This movie is still well-known by all movie lovers, even though it premiered all the way back in the 1930s. This drama romance was set during the American Civil War and Reconstruction periods, making for a completely influential story in film and culture.
This is one of the most successful movies to this day and won eight Oscars to prove it, including for acting, writing, and direction. This flick will always be a Hollywood classic.
1940s: The Best Years Of Our Lives (1946)
While this decade was certainly a toss-up between Casablanca (1942) and The Best Years of Our Lives, the latter is arguably most influential because it tells an honest story of World War II veterans returning home from war.
During this decade, lives were irreparably changed for families and veterans and this Best Picture winner certainly stands out as the most influential from this time.
1950s: On The Waterfront (1954)
Marlon Brando is an actor that managed to make two films on this list, arguably for two of his best performances of all time. This crime drama thriller tells an incredibly intense and intriguing tale about corruption and recession during the 50s.
The movie won a whopping eight Oscars with four other nominations! This flick is one of the most popular movies from this decade, but it also became a huge influence for actors, directors, and the entire Hollywood industry.
1960s: Midnight Cowboy (1969)
The first of the new Hollywood movement to win Best Picture, this R-rated film certainly made history in the 1960s. While this drama had serious competition against The Sound of Music (1965), In the Heat of the Night (1967), and My Fair Lady (1964), this Dustin Hoffman flick stands out among the others.
With three Oscar wins, this New York City-based flick is all about fortune and friendship and certainly deserves recognition for being an influential and bold film.
1970s: The Godfather (I & II) (1972 & 1974)
While this decade also included The French Connection (1971), One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975), and Rocky (1976), there's really no competition against Francis Ford Coppola's crime drama.
With three Oscar wins with eight more nominations, this film will likely remain as one of the most iconic and popular movies ever made. Even with its competition, both of these films stole the 1970s.
1980s: Terms Of Endearment (1983)
This comedy-drama still stands as a popular and influential film and certainly was the most recognized from the 80s. With a feminine tale of love and family, this flick stars Shirley MacLaine, Debra Winger, and Jack Nicholson.
With five Oscar wins and six other nominations, this classic film certainly paved the way for film and culture - especially in regards to tragedy, family, and love.
1990s: Schindler's List (1993)
This decade was full of classic films, including The Silence of the Lambs (1991), Dances With Wolves (1990), Titanic (1997), Forrest Gump (1994), Shakespeare in Love (1998), and many, many more, it was almost impossible to pick the most influential flick.
While the 1990s is, on its own, an influential time period, this flick might just take the number one spot. Steven Spielberg impressed everyone by releasing a huge grossing film, Jurassic Park, in the same year as this devastating and pinnacle historical film. With tough competition, this important cultural film narrowly beat out Titanic, but deserves to take the title of the most influential 90s film, with seven Oscar wins.
2000s: No Country For Old Men (2007)
The 2000s brought a new wave of incredible films and included winners like Slumdog Millionaire (2008), Chicago (2002), and Million Dollar Baby (2004).
Directed by the Coen brothers No Country For Old Men had an incredible cast for a violent and manic film. It certainly paved the way for crime dramas and the Coen brothers' success. With four Oscar wins, this film takes the 2000s.
2010s: Parasite (2019)
Moonlight (2016) was a close contender for this decade, but the first-ever international film to take home Best Picture deserves immense recognition. Not only is this film worthy of influence, but it's also an incredibly powerful story of class and wealth.
This Bong Joon Ho directed film won four Oscars and received two other nominations. With its story, culture, and film-making, this film is the newest most influential Best Picture winner.