As the 97th Academy Awards approach, UNILAD RANKED revisits some of the most controversial Oscar victories in history.
The 2025 Oscars are set to take place on Sunday, March 3, sparking online discussions about perceived snubs in this year’s nominations.
In anticipation, this week’s UNILAD RANKED highlights five Oscar wins that stirred significant controversy, listed from the earliest to the most recent.
In 1973, Marlon Brando was awarded the Best Actor Oscar for his role as Vito Corleone in “The Godfather” at the 45th Academy Awards. However, Brando did not attend the event. Instead, he sent Sacheen Littlefeather, president of the National Native American Affirmative Image Committee, to decline the award on his behalf.
Littlefeather, an Apache, explained that Brando was rejecting the award to protest “the treatment of American Indians today by the film industry and on television in movie reruns and also with recent happenings at Wounded Knee.”
The Wounded Knee Massacre, also known as the Battle of Wounded Knee, occurred in 1890, resulting in the deaths of approximately 300 Lakota people at the hands of US Army soldiers.
Littlefeather concluded her speech by saying, “I beg at this time that I have not intruded upon this evening and that we will in the future our hearts and our understandings will meet with love and generosity. Thank you on behalf of Marlon Brando.”
At the 67th Academy Awards, “Forrest Gump” won Best Picture over nominees like “Four Weddings and a Funeral,” “The Shawshank Redemption,” “Quiz Show,” and “Pulp Fiction.” Directed by Robert Zemeckis and featuring Tom Hanks, the win for “Forrest Gump” sparked debate.
Critics argued that Quentin Tarantino’s “Pulp Fiction,” which had won the Palme d’Or and received widespread acclaim, was a more modern and bold choice.
However, “Forrest Gump” achieved greater box office success, despite being deemed more mainstream.
One Twitter user remarked, “I am always amazed when anybody takes the Oscars seriously, for any reason. Forrest Gump beat Pulp Fiction. That’s all you need to know.”
Another commented, “It’s not hard to see why Forrest Gump captivated audiences and Oscars in 1995. But ‘Pulp Fiction’ is one of the best written and most revolutionary movies in cinematic history. Maybe Forrest Gump fit the Academy mold. But Pulp Fiction is the true classic.”
Tom Hanks addressed the controversy in a 2022 New York Times interview, acknowledging “Pulp Fiction” as a masterpiece but defending “Forrest Gump” for its memorable moments like the ‘magic legs’ scene, emphasizing its ‘undeniable heartbreaking humanity’ beyond just running to Duane Eddy’s ‘Rebel Rouser’.
Pulp Fiction fans coming for Forrest Gump (Miramax Films)
The 78th Academy Awards had nominees “Munich,” “Good Night, and Good Luck,” “Capote,” “Brokeback Mountain,” and “Crash” for Best Picture. Adapted from Annie Proulx’s 1997 short story, “Brokeback Mountain” featured Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger as Jack Twist and Ennis Del Mar, sheep herders who fall in love.
Despite the expectation of winning Best Picture, as director Lee was advised to stay near the stage, “Crash” ultimately took the award.
Although “Brokeback Mountain” won awards for Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Original Score, its loss for Best Picture provoked outrage. Lee suggested that its focus on a gay love story influenced the decision, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter.
A Facebook user commented, “The fact that Crash beat Brokeback Mountain for Best Picture at the 78th Academy Awards will always go down for me as one of the most inexplicable moments in The Academy’s history.”
Another added, “WRONGED by a mile…a stolen Oscar was absolutely the truth. The movie was spellbinding, touching and so loving. It was shocking to be topped by Crash. But it did win Oscars for Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Score. They just didn’t have the guts to honor it as Best Picture – though it surely was!”
“Life of Pi” made waves at the 85th Academy Awards, winning numerous awards but sparking controversy with two specific wins.
VFX supervisor Bill Westenhofer’s acceptance speech for Best Visual Effects was cut short, preventing him from discussing industry issues. Shortly after the Oscars, the VFX studio Rhythm & Hues, responsible for the film’s effects, filed for bankruptcy.
The Best Cinematography award for the film also faced backlash due to its reliance on digital effects. Cinematographer Christopher Doyle criticized the decision, telling Blouin News, “I’m trying to work out how to say this most politely, and no offense to – I don’t know [director Ang Lee] personally – but what a total f**king piece of s**t.”
Doyle described the win as “a f**king insult to cinematography,” arguing that it promoted a narrative that prioritized financial control over the art of cinema.
He continued, “That’s not cinematography […] You’ve lost cinema. This is not cinema and it’s not cinematography.”
The possibility of a film heavily utilizing AI winning in this category could spark even greater controversy.
The 89th Academy Awards became infamous for a mix-up rather than the actual Best Picture winner. Presenters Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway were mistakenly given the Best Actress envelope, leading them to announce “La La Land” as the winner instead of the correct recipient, “Moonlight.”
Moonlight producer Jordan Horowitz quickly corrected the error on stage, but the incident became widely referred to as ‘envelopgate’.
One Twitter user noted, “The most exciting oscars moment that wasn’t will smith’s slap.”
Other contentious Oscars moments include Bradley Cooper losing the Best Actor award to Rami Malek, “Shakespeare in Love” triumphing over “Saving Private Ryan” in 1999, and “Chariots of Fire” winning Best Picture in 1982.
What surprises might this year’s Oscars hold?