Tonight I am re-watching Steven Spielberg being interviewed by James Lipton on Inside the Actors Studio, and as they were going through and discussing all of his many fantastic films (and straight up masterpieces like Close Encounters and Schindler's List), the final film they discussed was Saving Private Ryan, another one in the "masterpiece" category for my part, and as they were talking about it, the memory came flooding back like a bullet to the gut that SPR was denied the Best Picture Oscar that year in favor of Shakespeare in Love......I mean really, are you kidding me with this? The movies Wikipedia page even has a note that states that surveyed after the fact, a majority of Academy members regret the decision and would give it to SPR if the vote was done again today:
Name and discuss your own picks for "wtf were they thinking?" in regards to anything; movie, song, album, TV series, whatever it might be.
The film was nominated for eleven Academy Awards at the 71st annual ceremony, including Best Picture, Best Actor for Tom Hanks, and Best Original Screenplay. The film won five of these, including Best Cinematography, Best Sound, Best Sound Effects Editing, Best Film Editing, and Best Director for Spielberg, his second win in that category. In a controversial upset, the film lost the Best Picture award to Shakespeare in Love, joining a small number to have won the Best Director award without also winning Best Picture.[77][78] The Academy's decision not to award the film with the Best Picture Oscar has resulted in much criticism in recent years, with many considering it as one of the biggest snubs in the ceremony's history.[79][80] In a poll in 2015, Academy members indicated that, given a second chance, they would award the Oscar for Best Picture to Saving Private Ryan.[81] As of 2021, it is one of only three films to ever win the PGA, DGA, Golden Globe, and Best Director Oscar while not winning Best Picture at the Academy Awards, the others being Brokeback Mountain and La La Land.
Name and discuss your own picks for "wtf were they thinking?" in regards to anything; movie, song, album, TV series, whatever it might be.