The Academy Awards recognize the best movies. However, sometimes they strike out. From “Psycho” to “Taxi Driver,” these classics were shut out at the Oscars.
Ariana Grande, Paul Mescal and others scorned for 2026 Oscar nominations
The nominations for the 98th Academy Awards have been announced, and there are many shocking snubs. Here are some names that were not nominated for an Oscar.
Citizen Kane is considered by many to be the greatest film of all time, but it only won one Academy Award, the same number as the much-maligned Suicide Squad.
These two films demonstrate how interestingly idiosyncratic the Oscars, which honor best films each year, are. Over the years, while movies like “Titanic,” “Ben-Hur,” and the original “West Side Story” have come home with numerous awards, the Academy has let some heavy hitters come up short. Maybe it’s because of the competition, or maybe it’s because of the voting bloc that year, but there are some very cold classics that completely missed out on the trophy.
Below are the top 10 Oscar losers from that group that deserved nominations and more recognition.
1. “The Great Dictator” (1940)
Silent film star and director Charlie Chaplin’s first sound film was this great political satire that featured Chaplin in dual roles on screen as an anti-Semitic fascist leader and his look-alike Jewish barber. Timing may have been everything for the Hitler parody. At the ceremony, held less than 10 months before the attack on Pearl Harbor, Chaplin lost out to Alfred Hitchcock’s Rebecca for Best Picture and Jimmy Stewart (The Philadelphia Story) for Best Actor.
2. “It’s a Wonderful Life” (1946)
Frank Capra’s classic Christmas movie is a much-loved film, starring Jimmy Stewart as a man who tries to end everything until he learns that the world would be worse off without him. But the Academy’s favorite? There aren’t that many. In case you were wondering, “It’s a Wonderful Life” lost four of the five Oscars (including Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Director) to “The Best Days of My Life,” but it’s not a holiday classic.
3. “Seven Samurai” (1954)
Perhaps the most influential film on this list, director Akira Kurosawa’s action-packed Japanese epic has been superseded in terms of theme, visuals, and narrative by works like The Magnificent Seven and Star Wars. Samurai missed two chances at the 1957 Oscars, for black and white art direction and costume design, and was eliminated from the Best Foreign Language Film nomination in its first year as a competitive category. (Previously, one film was selected for the honorary award each year.)
4. “Twelve Angry Men” (1957)
As with “A Few Good Men,” the Oscars are guilty of dropping the ball on this important courtroom drama that stars Henry Fonda, Martin Balsam, Jack Krugman, and E.G. Marshall as jurors who decide the fate of a teenager accused of murder. “Angry Men” lost all three awards – Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay – to the war film “Bridge on the River Kwai,” which, to be fair, was also pretty good.
5. Psycho (1960)
Perhaps Academy voters found the infamous shower scene odd, or maybe they were just sentimental about her mother. Alfred Hitchcock’s finely crafted psychological horror film received just four nominations, including Best Director and Best Supporting Actress for Janet Leigh’s chilling performance. It would be 30 years before a horror film won Best Picture (The Silence of the Lambs).
6. “A Clockwork Orange” (1971)
In the annals of greats without an Oscar, Stanley Kubrick could have his own wings. “The Doctor’s Abnormal Love” was also a complete success, and “The Shining” did not even get a nod. However, given that “Orange” was initially rated X for its graphic violence and explicit sexual content, winning Best Picture is something of a miracle, and shows how much the film was in touch with its times.
7. “Taxi Driver” (1976)
“Are you talking to me?” Yes, we’re talking about Martin Scorsese’s gritty noir and one of the most iconic films of the ’70s. Robert De Niro plays an unstable New York cab driver best avoided at night. Unfortunately, it lost out to Rocky in the Best Picture category, with De Niro and supporting actress Jodie Foster losing out to Network stars Peter Finch and Beatrice Straight.
8. “Blade Runner” (1982)
Granted, science fiction movies have never completely usurped the Oscars. But Steven Spielberg’s “ET” won four Academy Awards. exactly the same year Ridley Scott’s futuristic story won best visual effects and art direction. The adorable candy-loving alien trumped Harrison Ford at the time, but “Blade Runner” ended up becoming a cult classic and beloved piece in the canon.
9. “Field of Dreams” (1989)
A personal choice, but still a favorite for this discerning critic. A fantastical ode to baseball, fathers and sons, dreams (obviously), and the famous ghosts of the cornfield, this Kevin Costner masterpiece missed out on three Oscars, including Best Picture, and somehow went to Driving Miss Daisy in a heady year when Do the Right Thing and Glory weren’t even nominated.
10. “The Shawshank Redemption” (1994)
The critically acclaimed prison drama, based on Stephen King’s novel and starring Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins, went 0-0 for 7 at the Oscars, with Forrest Gump taking home Best Picture and Forrest himself, Tom Hanks, replacing Freeman as Best Actor. But that’s okay. Because “The Shawshank Redemption” has been a staple of cable TV movies ever since and has captured the hearts of many.
