--- description: From 'How Green Was My Valley' beating 'Citizen Kane' to 'Crash' beating 'Brokeback Mountain' title: Oscars: Most Controversial Best Picture Winners image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [awards](/tag/awards/) ## awards Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # The 12 Most Controversial Best Picture Oscar Winners of All Time  by [Eliana Dockterman](/author/eliana-dockterman/)  ## Eliana Dockterman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Correspondent Feb 26, 2016 10:20 PM CUT  by [Eliana Dockterman](/author/eliana-dockterman/)  ## Eliana Dockterman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Correspondent Feb 26, 2016 10:20 PM CUT Before you get too worked up about your favorite movie of the year losing the Best Picture [Oscar](http://time.com/4635815/2017-oscars-nominations-list/ "undefined") on [Sunday night](http://time.com/4235711/oscars-2016-guide/ "undefined"), know that the Academy has a long history of [snubbing deserving films](http://time.com/4644540/oscar-nominations-2017-snubs-surprises/ "undefined"). Blame the politics of Hollywood. Studios launch massive campaigns to lobby for their movies. The political climate can sway voters. And the Academy’s lack of diversity can impact not only who is nominated but who gets the win. The result: A movie deemed a “classic” decades down the road leaves the ceremony without any statues. In hindsight, some of the Academy’s choices can seem downright absurd. Here are the 12 most controversial best picture Oscar winners of all time, from oldest to newest. **MORE** [These 21 Famous Actors Have Never Won an Oscar](http://time.com/3669168/oscar-snubs/ "undefined") ### _How Green Was My Valley_ (1942)  Canadian actor Walter Pidgeon and Irish-born American actress Maureen O'Hara acting in the film 'How Green Was My Valley'. USA, 1941 (Photo by Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images) Mondadori Portfolio/Getty Images [_How Green Was My Valley_](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002YUB2OW/ref=as%5Fli%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timemovies-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B002YUB2OW&linkId=af063d9b763b4775e4b27628f1b34071 "undefined") upset what’s now widely regarded as the greatest film of all time, [_Citizen Kane_](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GJBD1EG/ref=as%5Fli%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timemovies-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B00GJBD1EG&linkId=b5fa563cb34b9a7d6379f8312bd625c4 "undefined"). [**_Watch it now_**](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002YUB2OW/ref=as%5Fli%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timemovies-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B002YUB2OW&linkId=af063d9b763b4775e4b27628f1b34071 "undefined") ### _Around the World in 80 Days_ (1957)  Cantinflas and David Niven waving from balloon in a scene from the film 'Around The World In Eighty Days', 1956\. (Photo by United Artists/Getty Images) United Artists/Getty Images Cinephiles list this among one of the most controversial Best Picture picks ever. The movie beat both Cecil B. DeMille’s [_The Ten Commandments_](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000J0XJC2/ref=as%5Fli%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timemovies-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B000J0XJC2&linkId=82e2c17326d4190ddd8a4bb686b94590 "undefined") and the film adaptation of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical [_The King and I_](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00480H3UI/ref=as%5Fli%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timemovies-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B00480H3UI&linkId=a80c06113d05959240ec0c17f5ccf683 "undefined"). [**_Watch it now_**](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004IDBEUK/ref=as%5Fli%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timemovies-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B004IDBEUK&linkId=23b0ed1d697b102c46cab99df93d8916 "undefined") ### _Rocky_ (1977)  American actor Sylvester Stallone strikes at a punching bag in a boxing ring while his coach, Burgess Meredith (1908 - 1997), watches during training at a gymnasium in a still from the film, 'Rocky,' directed by John G. Avildsen, 1976\. Stallone wears a 'WIN "ROCKY" WIN' T-shirt. (Photo by United Artists/Courtesy of Getty Images) United Artists/Getty Images [_Rocky_](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0017VT5E8/ref=as%5Fli%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timemovies-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B0017VT5E8&linkId=39979a818ebf8dbed870d1c92ed3edd9 "undefined"), much like the film’s hero, was an underdog. Its surprising win over [_All The President’s Men_](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002M87VQ4/ref=as%5Fli%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timemovies-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B002M87VQ4&linkId=40ad815c6b1fe04e01b8c57e882d1ed2 "undefined") and [_Taxi Driver_](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007681WRY/ref=as%5Fli%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timemovies-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B007681WRY&linkId=671beaac0b7bd93f7131d71adba312be "undefined") will no doubt be referenced at this year’s ceremony with [_Rocky_ ](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0017VT5E8/ref=as%5Fli%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timemovies-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B0017VT5E8&linkId=39979a818ebf8dbed870d1c92ed3edd9 "undefined")creator and star Sylvester Stallone nominated for Best Supporting Actor for the seventh installment in the franchise, [_Creed_](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B017WRCYYI/ref=as%5Fli%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timemovies-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B017WRCYYI&linkId=67fd7ff8bd1bf1de4754f7c203e02edc "undefined"). [**_Watch it now_**](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0017VT5E8/ref=as%5Fli%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timemovies-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B0017VT5E8&linkId=39979a818ebf8dbed870d1c92ed3edd9 "undefined") ### _Kramer v. Kramer_ (1980)  Dustin Hoffman And Meryl Streep confront each other in a scene from the film 'Kramer vs. Kramer', 1979\. (Photo by Columbia Pictures/Getty Images) Columbia Pictures/Getty Images Though [_Kramer vs. Kramer_](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004L8A4NU/ref=as%5Fli%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timemovies-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B004L8A4NU&linkId=bbd5903b88ce05f1b4f1709fd13a4484 "undefined") had an all-star cast—Meryl Streep and Dustin Hoffman—many critics have argued that Francis Ford Coppola’s [_Apocalypse Now_ ](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0045INOD8/ref=as%5Fli%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timemovies-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B0045INOD8&linkId=50c72932aa1d6624c1348db47b02c36a "undefined")was a masterpiece that deserved the Best Picture Oscar. [**_Watch it now_**](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004L8A4NU/ref=as%5Fli%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timemovies-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B004L8A4NU&linkId=bbd5903b88ce05f1b4f1709fd13a4484 "undefined") ### _Ordinary People_ (1981)  Paramount Pictures Martin Scorsese’s [_Raging Bull_](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HQ1DSKU/ref=as%5Fli%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timemovies-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B00HQ1DSKU&linkId=2b251b2bdfb3b0a23d5d56550898c3fe "undefined")—now [ranked](http://www.afi.com/100years/movies10.aspx "undefined") #4 on AFI’s list of greatest films of all time—seemed a heavyweight going into the Oscar race. But Robert Redford’s directorial debut [_Ordinary People_ ](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0018RE7GM/ref=as%5Fli%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timemovies-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B0018RE7GM&linkId=7e978c80d8c291d4f47128b73aad41ef "undefined")won. It wasn’t until 2007 that a Scorsese film, [_The Departed_](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000NGTJTY/ref=as%5Fli%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timemovies-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B000NGTJTY&linkId=ba2ebff1404a8275b9ac0d20ddbaa967 "undefined"), finally nabbed a Best Picture Oscar. [**_Watch it now_**](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0018RE7GM/ref=as%5Fli%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timemovies-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B0018RE7GM&linkId=7e978c80d8c291d4f47128b73aad41ef "undefined") ### _Driving Miss Daisy_ (1990)  DRIVING MISS DAISY, from left: Morgan Freeman, Jessica Tandy, 1989, © Warner Brothers Warner Bros. Directors like Spike Lee have [lambasted the film](http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/01/15/spike-lee-blasts-selma-oscar-snubs-you-know-what-f-ck-em.html "undefined"). Even at the time, the choice was derided by the likes of the [New York _Times_](https://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/movies/bestpictures/daisy-ar2.html "undefined"), which asked whether the film has a “subtext that summons up a longing for the good old days before the civil rights movement.” It beat [_Dead Poets Society_](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0063WZWCA/ref=as%5Fli%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timemovies-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B0063WZWCA&linkId=ff917b16d50778027910a087fbc5feba "undefined"), [_Born on the Fourth of July_](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002KCWBGW/ref=as%5Fli%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timemovies-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B002KCWBGW&linkId=afc91b3c54bb836d84033d32600eb5f5 "undefined"), [_Field of Dreams_](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000I9S668/ref=as%5Fli%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timemovies-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B000I9S668&linkId=699012d13d59de487a7279d2dbb2a6e6 "undefined") and [_My Left Foot_](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0063WZWCA/ref=as%5Fli%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timemovies-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B0063WZWCA&linkId=fbec637cb68a228be522d70cf35f2bd1 "undefined"). [**_Watch it now_**](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003ULW608/ref=as%5Fli%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timemovies-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B003ULW608&linkId=6ff13de1e3b290e5afd4cb54ca0f189b "undefined") ### _Dances With Wolves_ (1991)  Orion Pictures Scorsese gets snubbed again. [_Goodfellas_](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0016YBFZ8/ref=as%5Fli%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timemovies-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B0016YBFZ8&linkId=42cc789bc95274319a417087f39a51e8 "undefined") fans were enraged when Kevin Costner’s [_Dances With Wolves_](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000IZXHO8/ref=as%5Fli%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timemovies-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B000IZXHO8&linkId=66eaf97c355154f4460ef2faad498ec9 "undefined") beat out the mob film. TIME’s Richard Corliss called [_Goodfellas_ ](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0016YBFZ8/ref=as%5Fli%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timemovies-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B0016YBFZ8&linkId=42cc789bc95274319a417087f39a51e8 "undefined")a “triumph” in his [review at the time](http://time.com/3833969/richard-corliss-movie-reviews/ "undefined"), saying it “offers the fastest, sharpest 2 1/2-hr. ride in recent film history.” [**_Watch it now_**](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000IZXHO8/ref=as%5Fli%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timemovies-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B000IZXHO8&linkId=66eaf97c355154f4460ef2faad498ec9 "undefined") ### _Forrest Gump_ (1995)  Paramount Pictures Years after winning, [_Forrest Gump_](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002QVZ71I/ref=as%5Fli%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timemovies-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B002QVZ71I&linkId=4f94c826e972b2330d0ff0a5c80273fd "undefined") remains beloved and endlessly quotable. (“Life’s like a box of chocolates.”) But plenty of people would rank two of that year’s losers, [_The Shawshank Redemption_](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001XUJNJ0/ref=as%5Fli%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timemovies-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B001XUJNJ0&linkId=c82cf6c4ac39371eb8e9f1efd4c7638c "undefined") and [_Pulp Fiction_](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005T3AYAE/ref=as%5Fli%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timemovies-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B005T3AYAE&linkId=d0547813222f5d87d3c9ac2ca2b781c9 "undefined")_,_ among the best and most re-watchable films in the history of cinema. TIME’s Richard Corliss wrote of [_Pulp Fiction_](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005T3AYAE/ref=as%5Fli%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timemovies-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B005T3AYAE&linkId=d0547813222f5d87d3c9ac2ca2b781c9 "undefined"), “It towers over the year’s other movies as majestically and menacingly as a gang lord at a preschool.” [**_Watch it now_**](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002QVZ71I/ref=as%5Fli%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timemovies-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B002QVZ71I&linkId=4f94c826e972b2330d0ff0a5c80273fd "undefined") ### _The English Patient_ (1997)  Miramax [The butt of a great _Seinfeld_ joke](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0697691/ "undefined"), romantic drama [_The_ _English Patient_](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IRX2RRG/ref=as%5Fli%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timemovies-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B00IRX2RRG&linkId=b07406a2e0f14a007b46469fd24863e7 "undefined") has been dubbed a near-sighted pick by critics in a year when [_Fargo_](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0030MBX56/ref=as%5Fli%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timemovies-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B0030MBX56&linkId=799de29e6f0b9056d52114608968f373 "undefined") and [_Jerry Maguire_](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0026KZ412/ref=as%5Fli%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timemovies-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B0026KZ412&linkId=d1bdbce6c9a5015f984e718fddbb8aa2 "undefined") were also nominated. (The Academy snubbed the Coen brothers for years. The first of their films to win Best Picture was [_No Country for Old Men_](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006H8JJXS/ref=as%5Fli%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timemovies-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B006H8JJXS&linkId=f7fb1117d47a78eb2ae49c607bc217d8 "undefined") in 2007.) [**_Watch it now_**](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IRX2RRG/ref=as%5Fli%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timemovies-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B00IRX2RRG&linkId=b07406a2e0f14a007b46469fd24863e7 "undefined") ### _Shakespeare in Love_ (1999)  Miramax [_Saving Private Ryan_](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DQJPRSM/ref=as%5Fli%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timemovies-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B00DQJPRSM&linkId=8e6a359e854c00c22b5bd89d24310efa "undefined")_‘_s loss to [_Shakespeare in Love_](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BB8Q13A/ref=as%5Fli%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timemovies-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B00BB8Q13A&linkId=a7b70b6916576cd83687b29c1739c0f4 "undefined") was the upset that launched a thousand essays. How could a film made by Steven Spielberg starring Tom Hanks and Matt Damon lose to a period rom-com starring the [now-queen of GOOP](http://goop.com/ "undefined")? Many analysts attribute [_Shakespeare in Love_](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BB8Q13A/ref=as%5Fli%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timemovies-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B00BB8Q13A&linkId=a7b70b6916576cd83687b29c1739c0f4 "undefined")_‘_s win to producer Harvey Weinstein’s lobbying. TIME’s Richard Corliss [wrote](http://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2054194,00.html "undefined") of the showdown: “Prepare, then, for the final battle: of making war vs. making love, of 1944 vs. 1593, of Spielberg’s Hollywood vs. Weinstein’s Manhattan, of the most successful director in history vs. the round mound of the movie underground. In one word, from another 1998 blockbuster: Armageddon!” [**_Watch it now_**](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BB8Q13A/ref=as%5Fli%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timemovies-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B00BB8Q13A&linkId=a7b70b6916576cd83687b29c1739c0f4 "undefined") ### _Crash_ (2006)  Crash year: 2005 director: Paul Haggis Sandra Bullock Lionsgate Often cited as the least-deserving best picture winner, [_Crash_](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002WQB0Q8/ref=as%5Fli%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timemovies-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B002WQB0Q8&linkId=ad45720e7fbe0725b4d75c326a695572 "undefined") beat the trail-blazing gay love story [_Brokeback Mountain_ ](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000I9TXK6/ref=as%5Fli%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timemovies-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B000I9TXK6&linkId=044235c4aba6b1e4a5433398b4aad1bb "undefined")in 2006\. The movie has [been dinged](http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2009/12/worst-movie-of-the-decade/32759/ "undefined") by the likes of Ta-Nehisi Coates for trading in on white guilt without actually offering any substance. Even the film’s director Paul Haggis [has said](http://www.hitfix.com/whats-alan-watching/even-the-director-of-crash-wouldnt-have-voted-for-it-for-best-picture/ "undefined") he didn’t think [_Crash_](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002WQB0Q8/ref=as%5Fli%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timemovies-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B002WQB0Q8&linkId=ad45720e7fbe0725b4d75c326a695572 "undefined") deserved an Oscar. A [2015 poll of Academy voters](http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/recount-oscar-voters-today-would-773522 "undefined") asking them to reassess past decisions had members reversing their decision and giving the award to Ang Lee’s [_Brokeback_](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000I9TXK6/ref=as%5Fli%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timemovies-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B000I9TXK6&linkId=044235c4aba6b1e4a5433398b4aad1bb "undefined"). [**_Watch it now_**](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002WQB0Q8/ref=as%5Fli%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timemovies-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B002WQB0Q8&linkId=ad45720e7fbe0725b4d75c326a695572 "undefined") ### _The King’s Speech_ (2011)  Una foto di scena del film ''Il discorso del re'' (Titolo originale ''The King?s Speech'') del regista Tom Hooper con Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter. La pellicola ha conquistato dodici candidature agli Oscar. ANSA / UFFICIO STAMPA EAGLE PICTURES The Weinstein Company Many critics have argued that writer Aaron Sorkin and director David Fincher were both at their peak when they made [_The Social Network_](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008Y6Q38A/ref=as%5Fli%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timemovies-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B008Y6Q38A&linkId=f29c07af2bb65bb57fea2f8407cd32ca "undefined"), and that that movie should have beat the classic prestige drama [_The King’s Speech_](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004X4R49Y/ref=as%5Fli%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timemovies-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B004X4R49Y&linkId=2b0edcb5a7b5931842f295b623608b94 "undefined"). The rise of Facebook and Mark Zuckberg in the last five years have only cemented the impression that the social media movie was more original and urgent than yet another Harvey Weinstein-produced historical picture about a brilliant white guy. [**_Watch it now_**](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004X4R49Y/ref=as%5Fli%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timemovies-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B004X4R49Y&linkId=2b0edcb5a7b5931842f295b623608b94 "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4239180/oscars-best-picture-controversy/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4239180/oscars-best-picture-controversy/"},"headline":"The 12 Most Controversial Best Picture Oscar Winners of All Time","datePublished":"2016-02-26T22:20:36.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T05:00:20.763Z","description":"From How Green Was My Valley beating Citizen Kane to Crash's win over Brokeback Mountain","url":"https://time.com/4239180/oscars-best-picture-controversy/","keywords":["awards"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Eliana Dockterman","jobTitle":"Correspondent","url":"https://time.com/author/eliana-dockterman/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/awards/","name":"awards"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4239180/oscars-best-picture-controversy/","name":"The 12 Most Controversial Best Picture Oscar Winners of All Time"}}]}] ```