Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
On Sunday, one of the nine films nominated will take home the award for Best Picture at the 89th Academy Awards. Always announced at the end of the night, this prestigious honor is everything a filmmaker hopes for. Whether you’re rooting for Arrival or making bets on Moonlight, it’s sure to be an interesting evening. While access to these newer flicks might be easy, the 88 winners from the years prior might seem more difficult to get ahold of. The good news? Most of these award-winners are available to stream online. Here’s where you can watch them.
(EDITOR’S NOTE: Due to the ever-changing availabilities of movies on various streaming platforms, we have not typed out which services are currently carrying these movies next to each entry. Instead, simply click on the orange hyperlink for each movie you are curious about, at which point you will be redirected to a page which displays the current, up-to-the-minute availabilities across literally hundreds of different streaming services.)
Wings (1927)
The Broadway Melody (1929)
All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)
Cimarron (1931)
Grand Hotel (1932)
Cavalcade (1933)
It Happened One Night (1934)
Perhaps one of the greatest romantic comedies in the history of film, It Happened One Night stars Clark Gable as Peter, a recently fired journalist and Claudette Colbert as Ellie, a very spoiled heiress. When Peter encounters Ellie running away from her family, he decides to help her – because she’s got just the story he needs. It Happened One Night was the first movie to win every one of the five major Oscars: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor, and Best Actress.
Mutiny on the Bounty (1935)
The Great Ziegfeld (1936)
The Life of Emile Zola (1937)
You Can’t Take It With You (1938)
Gone With the Wind (1939)
Rebecca (1940) [Currently unavailable to stream online]
How Green Was My Valley (1941)
Mrs. Miniver (1942)
Casablanca (1943)
Going My Way (1944)
The Lost Weekend (1945)
The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
Gentleman’s Agreement (1947)
Hamlet (1948)
All the King’s Men (1949)
All About Eve (1950)
An American in Paris (1951)
The Greatest Show on Earth (1952)
From Here to Eternity (1953)
On the Waterfront (1954)
Marty (1955)
Around the World in 80 Days (1956)
The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
Gigi (1958)
Ben-Hur (1959)
The Apartment (1960)
West Side Story (1961)
Maria, Maria, Mariaaaaa…. This classic musical spin on Romeo & Juliet gives us two young lovers, Tony and Maria, who come from rival New York City gangs. Though things begin in an exciting whirlwind, the tensions between the two groups inevitably come to a head and lead to to tragedy. It remains the musical film with the most Oscar wins (ten!), though La La Land may dethrone it come Sunday.
Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
Tom Jones (1963) [Currently unavailable to stream online]
My Fair Lady (1964) [Currently unavailable to stream online]
The Sound of Music (1965)
A Man for All Seasons (1966)
In the Heat of the Night (1967)
Oliver! (1968)
Midnight Cowboy (1969)
Patton (1970)
The French Connection (1971)
The Godfather (1972)
The Sting (1973)
The Godfather Part II (1974)
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
Rocky (1976)
Annie Hall (1977)
Off-beat romantic comedy Annie Hall stars the film’s director and co-writer Woody Allen as a neurotic TV writer who tries to understand why his relationship with singer Annie Hall (Diane Keaton) failed. Layered with philosophy, identity, and genuine emotion, this flick is one that continues to hold up, even after 40 years. Keaton also took home the Academy Award for Best Actress for playing Annie Hall.
The Deer Hunter (1978)
Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)
Ordinary People (1980)
Chariots of Fire (1981)
Gandhi (1982)
Terms of Endearment (1983)
Amadeus (1984)
Out of Africa (1985)
Platoon (1986)
The Last Emperor (1987)
Rain Man (1988)
Driving Miss Daisy (1989)
Dances With Wolves (1990)
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
The third film to win all five major Oscars (Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor, and Best Actress), Jonathan Demme’s patient horror film stars Anthony Hopkins as serial killer/cannibal Hannibal Lecter alongside Jodie Foster as FBI cadet Clarice Starling. The two leads deliver absolutely unforgettable performances; Hopkins’ Lecter is somehow both monstrous and graceful, while Foster’s Starling is simultaneously tenacious and vulnerable. This tense thriller is close to perfect – whether you’re feeling the hole that Hannibal‘s cancellation left in your heart or you’re a curious first time viewer, The Silence of the Lambs is worth a watch.
Unforgiven (1992)
Schindler’s List (1993)
Forrest Gump (1994)
Braveheart (1995)
The English Patient (1996)
Titanic (1997)
Shakespeare in Love (1998)
American Beauty (1999)
Gladiator (2000)
A Beautiful Mind (2001)
Chicago (2002)
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
Million Dollar Baby (2004)
Crash (2005)
The Departed (2006)
No Country for Old Men (2007)
Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
The Hurt Locker (2009)
The King’s Speech (2010)
The Artist (2011)
Argo (2012)
12 Years a Slave (2013)
This powerful portrayal of slavery in America depicts the life of Solomon Northrup (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a free black man from upstate New York who is abducted and solid into slavery. Directed by Steve McQueen and also starring Lupita Nyong’o, Michael Fassbender, and Sarah Paulson, among others, 12 Years a Slave is gripping, brilliant, unrelenting, and absolutely essential viewing for all.
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014)
Spotlight (2015)
