Did They Get it Right? – Best Picture – Oscars 1984

Here are the five nominees: (Winner in Bold)

Amadeus

The Killing Fields

A Passage to India

Places in the Heart

A Soldier’s Story

Biggest Snub:

Once Upon A Time in America (1984)

My Overall Thoughts:

This was another year where it was clear cut who was gonna win even before the Oscar came about.

Amadeus is an epically filmed biopic of a great musician and when it comes to epics, they don’t always make them like this.

It was a shoe-in to win the biggest award and the question that remained was how many others would it get.  The final tally was 8 which says a lot about the entire production of this film.

My Rankings:

Movies

• 5. – A Passage to India – An epic film by Lean that starts off way too boring and only hits it’s stride after the first hour.  The second half is done quite well and by the end you are so immersed in the story, you don’t want it to end.
• 4. – Places in the Heart – Somewhat slow moving film about a woman’s struggles during the Depression, but Field gives an amazing performance as the matriarch of the family.
• 3. – A Soldier’s Story – Great film adaptation of a play that deals with racism during the segregated army of the 1940’s.  Great cast helps make this quite a poignant story.
• 2. – The Killing Fields – Amazing film about an American journalist who was in Cambodia during one of the bloodiest times in history. Waterston is great here, but Ngor is amazing to watch in every one of his scenes.
• 1. – Amadeus – Hulce and Abraham are superb here in this epic look at the tragic yet spectacular life of one of the most gifted musicians ever.

Do I agree with the Oscar winner? – Yes. Amadeus is an epic look at the life of one of the greatest musicians ever. None of the other nominees came even close to being done as well overall.

Let me know what you think about these films and my rankings!