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| Her is in good company. |
Though Spike Jonze received three nominations for Her this year, his film joins the growing list of Best Picture nominees that missed in Best Director. Here's hoping he has a shot at winning on Sunday, as none of the overlooked filmmakers below won an Oscar for the film listed.
Grand Illusion (1938)
Jean Renoir's masterful film had to settle for a lone Best Picture nomination, which remains one of my favorite Oscar nods of all time.
The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Victor Fleming won a directing Oscar for Gone with the Wind, but he arguably deserved two nominations for making two of the year's finest films.
The Magnificent Ambersons (1942)
Orson Welles found some love the year after he won an Oscar for the controversial Citizen Kane. His direction wasn't recognized this time, though.
The Red Shoes (1948)
Some (myself included) consider it Powell and Pressburger's crowning achievement. Of course, the Oscars don't always reward filmmakers for their best work.
The Conversation (1974)
Francis Ford Coppola's year was almost perfect. He won an Oscar for directing The Godfather Part II, but he was still very deserving of a nod for his "other" film.
Jaws (1975)
Spielberg was beaten by Fellini! In this case, the former filmmaker was the more deserving nominee, creating a blockbuster that bettered the latter's art-house film.
Taxi Driver (1976)
Like the previous example, Scorsese, unfortunately, wasn't recognized for his landmark film. In retrospect, it was a win for the film to even make the Best Picture lineup.
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
Frank Darabont only snagged a writing nod, but a directing nod sounds likes a no-brainer. Still, it paved the way for Krzysztof Kieslowski to get his only Best Director nomination.
Moulin Rouge! (2001)
Baz Luhrmann's most successful film at the Oscars found him only nominated as a producer in the Best Picture category. It's too bad, as he did a better job than the Best Director winner.
Atonement (2007)
Joe Wright directed a period romance to rival the best of past Oscar bait. He was passed over for Jason Reitman and Julian Schnabel, the latter of which I have no problem with.
Great post! Some of these truly baffle me. There's so many great films here.
ReplyDeleteThanks! I know, right?
DeleteI remember 2007 praying to the Oscar gods that Joe Wright get nominated and then...he didn't! I would still give him that directing win in a heartbeat over anyone nominated for Oscar that year.
ReplyDeleteAnd amen to The Red Shoes, The Conversation, Moulin Rouge! and, well, ALL OF THESE!
2007 is such a tough year. I'd give it to Schnabel, but Wright, the Coens and PTA are very deserving.
DeleteSo many snubs!!
Wow I had no idea Atonement didn't get Director nomination, other than for cinematography and score that would be the most deserved nomination.
ReplyDeleteYeah, it annoys me that Wright still isn't an Oscar nominee. He at least deserved to be in over Reitman that year.
DeleteThis always mystified me! Bummer about Spike Jonze not getting Best Director nod, but wow Wright wasn't nominated either?? Reitman was nominated for Up in the Air that year wasn't it? Yeah I'd rather see Wright in place of him. Also bummed about Baz, that was quite an excellent work he did in Moulin Rouge!
ReplyDeleteNo, that was the year Reitman was nominated for directing Juno. I still can't believe they left out Wright. :(
DeleteCool idea for a post, and a fantastic list of movies!
ReplyDeleteThanks!
DeleteGreat list. It's so hard to comprehend that The Wizard of Oz and Gone With the Wind came out in the same year from the same director. Wow.
ReplyDeleteThanks! It doesn't happen much, but I love it when one director has two great films out the same year.
DeleteFine company indeed. The Spielberg-Jaws, Scorsese-Taxi Driver omissions are still rather baffling.
ReplyDeleteI can somewhat understand the Scorsese omission, but the Spielberg one is very odd. It's also strange that both films only received four nominations apiece.
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