Only 3 Movies Have Swept The Oscars By Winning The Five Biggest Awards

In the history of the Oscars, only three movies have swept all five major award categories. Since the first Academy Awards, or Oscars, presentation of 1929, the crews and cast of movies have been vying for that coveted golden statuette which signifies their film or performance achieved excellence in the cinematic sphere. The prestige and recognition attached to the time-honored award ceremony’s acknowledgment means that any award win or nomination is desirable, though wins and nominations in the so-called “Big Five” categories have that added extra pull.

The five major categories are Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Screenplay (original or adapted), and only three movies in history have swept the Oscars by winning each of the Big Five within the same year. As the 96th Academy Awards ceremony gears up to bestow honors on the film hopefuls of this season -inspirational 2024 nominees that have already broken Oscar records – it’s exciting to reflect on those special powerhouse films that achieved the highest level of Oscar excellence. They didn’t just set near-impossible precedents but have become cinematic touchstones that anyone can admire.

Which 3 Movies Have Accomplished Oscar Sweeps

The three movies that achieved the feat were It Happened One Night, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, and The Silence of the Lambs. 1934’s It Happened One Night was the first, enamoring audiences with its account of a reporter who trails a runaway heiress cross-country to get an exclusive on her story until the two eventually fall in love. The film’s reception initially was mixed, but It Happened One Night came to be overwhelmingly supported at the Oscars, a template for the romantic-comedy genre, and, like its Big Five companions, considered one of the best movies of all time.

1975’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest also met reservations, though for its edgy depiction of mental institution patients, despite the vast majority agreeing that the psychological film was a groundbreaking portrait of mental health fiction. Similarly to 1991’s The Silence of the Lambs, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest was ranked by the American Film Institute as the 20th best American movie of all time. AFI would also rank The Silence of the Lambs, one of only six Oscar-nominated horror movies for best picture, as the 65th best American movie, which chronicled the exploits of violent psychopath Hannibal Lecter.

4 Movies Fell One Actor Win Short Of An Oscars Sweep

Four other Hollywood favorites just nearly made the Big Five club but were one actor/actress win away from completing their Oscar sweep. Gone with the Wind, Mrs. Miniver, Annie Hall, and American Beauty won in all other categories but fell short because of their lead actor or actress, who narrowly lost to other performers.

• Clark Gable of Gone with the Wind lost to Goodbye, Mr. Chips’ Robert Donat for Best Actor.
• Walter Pidgeon of Mrs. Miniver lost to Yankee Doodle Dandy’s James Cagney for Best Actor.
• Woody Allen of Annie Hall lost to The Goodbye Girl’s Richard Dreyfuss for Best Actor.
• Annette Bening of American Beauty lost to Boys Don’t Cry’s Hilary Swank for Best Actress.

Despite the historic wins slipping out of their grasp, the actress and actors’ mere nominations were a testament to their performances – ones that still very much hold weight in the history of cinema. Clark Gable, who played Gone with the Wind’s romantic interest Rhett Butler, and Annette Bening, who played the materialistic American suburban wife Carolyn Burnham, gave impeccable performances commemorating the eras of their films. Walter Pidgeon’s performance supplemented Mrs. Miniver’s inspirational wartime message, and Woody Allen’s satirical rom-com execution helped transform the genre as a whole.

La La Land Was The Last Movie To Get Nominated For The Big Five Awards

It has been quite a while since a film has gotten anywhere close to sweeping the Oscars. Eight years ago, the musical romance La La Land had a great chance, achieving nominations in all the major categories, but lost in three and has since been the last film to get nominated for the Big Five awards. La La Land’s wins included Damian Chazelle, who was up against big names such as Denis Villeneuve and Mel Gibson for Best Director, and Emma Stone, who beat out the likes of Natalie Portman and Meryl Streep for Best Actress.

La La Land received widespread critical acclaim in all respects and even became one of a select number of movies with the most nominations in Oscar history. However, La La Land met fierce competition at the 89th Academy Awards, particularly with Barry Jenkins’s coming-of-age drama Moonlight, and failed to back up its positive reception at the ceremony. At the Oscars that year, La La Land lost to Moonlight for Best Picture, Damian Chazelle lost to Moonlight’s Barry Jenkins for Best Screenplay, and La La Land’s lead actor Ryan Gosling lost to Manchester by the Sea’s Casey Affleck.