These five Oscar winning movies from the 1960s included two classical musicals, a desert war epic, a comedy drama, and a bawdy tale from 18th century England.
The 1960s may not have been the greatest decade for memorable movies, but it ranks among the best. The following are five Oscar winning best pictures from that period.
1960 Best Picture: The Apartment
- Jack Lemmon plays an insurance office desk jockey who hopes to move up the corporate ladder by lending his apartment out to various higher-ups for their illicit liaisons. Filled with Billy Wilder’s sardonic and acerbic wit, this comedy drama has been panned by some critics, both then and today, as unrealistic and supposedly devoid of likable characters. However, the general public at the time responded well to the film and, although somewhat outdated, is still worth watching today.
- This is the film that catapulted a pixie-like Shirley MacLaine, who plays a young woman caught in the middle, to stardom.
1961 Best Picture: West Side Story
- This dramatic musical of two feuding New York City gangs - one white, the other Puerto Rican – and the two lovers caught between them won a total of ten Oscars. Based upon Romeo and Juliet, the film does have a few flaws. Natalie Wood, as Maria, is not a convincing Puerto Rican and Richard Beymer, as Tony, is too clean-cut to be an ex-gang leader. Several of the cast look too old for their parts and some of the singing is noticeably dubbed. Still, the movie is worth viewing today, not only for its memorable songs and intricate choreography, but also its plea for racial understanding.
- Rita Moreno, an actual Puerto Rican, is excellent in her Oscar winning supporting role.
1962 Best Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
- As the year’s best picture, this film won in a field that included such notable movies as The Longest Day, To Kill a Mockingbird, and the remake of Mutiny on the Bounty. The nearly four hour long war epic and character study was based on the life of British scholar and soldier T. E. Lawrence, who led an Arab rebellion against Turkey during World War I. Not always true to either history or the man (the movie was disavowed by Lawrence’s brother) and slow moving at times, director David Lean’s tale is still a magnificent piece of filmmaking and Peter O’Toole is excellent as the charismatic, and possibly crazy, title character.
- The movie ranks #5 on the American Film Institute’s list of 100 Best American Movies.
1963 Best Picture: Tom Jones
- This was the second foreign produced film to win a best picture Oscar with the British movie beating out such worthy contenders as Hud and Elia Kazan’s America, America. Based on a 1749 novel by Henry Fielding, the movie is a ribald tale of a loveable, but randy, lad (Albert Finney) and his pursuit of a squire’s daughter (Susannah York). The film often has a Monty Python feel to it with its use of slapstick, nonsensical situations, and camera mugging as well as its use of silent film techniques such as film freeze, title cards, and fast-speed camera work.
- Although it has not aged as well as other movies from this period, Tom Jones is still entertaining.
1964 Best Picture: My Fair Lady
- Based upon the George Bernard Shaw play Pygmalion, the well known story of a cockney flower girl who is taught to be a part of upper-crust British society originally opened on Broadway in 1956. This movie version stars Rex Harrison, who won best actor for reprising his Broadway role as the pompous Henry Higgins, and Audrey Hepburn who as Liza Doolittle was never more beautiful and charming.
- There is little to dislike about this film. The supporting cast, especially Stanley Holloway as Liza’s father, is excellent, the songs are memorable, and the beautiful color photography is among the finest of all time.
These Oscar winning best pictures are still enjoyable today as are those from the rest of the decade.
The copyright of the article 1960s Academy Award Winners in Classic Films is owned by John K. Davis. Permission to republish 1960s Academy Award Winners in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
