griggs's - Oscar-winning films: Best Picture List

Show moreShow less

No one has ever lived so freely and carelessly as Tom Jones. Abandoned at birth and raised by a wealthy squire, Tom romps through English society, leading a lusty life of brawling and bed-hopping...

until his bawdy behaviour causes him to be sent away from his family, his home and the only woman he's ever truly loved. But some men never learn, and soon Tom's escapades land him in the company of reckless scoundrels, the boudoirs of more women... and, finally, in jail. Will Tom's charm save him...or will the gallows be his last swing?

This true life story follows the struggles of T.E.Lawrence (Peter O'Toole) in uniting the hostile Arab factions and leading them to victory over the ruling Turkish Empire during the First World War.

Show moreShow less

The Greatest Love Story Ever Told...in the most acclaimed musical of all time...! Experience every sensational song, dazzling dance number and magical movie moment of 'West Side Story' as never before, in sparkling high definition with pure digital sound.

A triumph on every level, this electrifying musical sets the ageless tragedy of 'Romeo and Juliet' against a backdrop of gang warfare in 1950s New York. Featuring an unforgettable score, exuberant choreography and powerful performances by Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer, Russ Tamblyn, Rita Moreno and George Chakiris, West Side Story will forever resonate as a true cinematic masterpiece.

Show moreShow less

C.C. "Bud" Baxter (Jack Lemmon) knows the way to success in business...it's through the door of his apartment! By providing a perfect hideaway for philandering bosses, the ambitious young employee reaps a series of underserved promotions. But when Bud lends the key to big boss J.D.

Sheldrake (Fred MacMurray), he not only advances his career, but his own love life as well. For Sheldrake's mistress is the lovely Fran Kubelik (Shirley MacLaine), elevator girl and angel of Bud's dreams. Convinced that he is the only man for Fran, Bud must make the most important executive decision of his career: lose the girl... or his job.

Show moreShow less

During the first century A.D., Judah Ben-Hur is a young Hebrew prince who is thrown into slavery by the Romans after a tragic accident. He win his way back to his home on a heroic journey of discovery.

Judah's love for a beautiful slave girl is threatened by the bitter conflict dividing two former friends, and his triumph is set against the backdrop of the historic struggle between a captive people and a mighty empire. From an exciting sea battle and a thundering chariot race to the dramatic events surrounding the life and death of Jesus, this is an epic tale of love, redemption, forgiveness and faith to captivate viewers of all ages.

A home, a motor car, servants, the latest fashions: the most eligible and most finicky bachelor (Louis Jourdan) in Paris offers them all to Gigi (Leslie Caron). But she, who's gone from girlish gawkiness to cultured glamour before our eyes, yearns for that wonderful something money can't buy.

Show moreShow less

When British P.O.W.'s build a vital railway bridge in enemy-occupied Burma, Allied commandos are assigned to destroy it in David Lean's epic World War II adventure 'The Bridge on the River Kwai'.

Spectacularly produced, 'The Bridge on the River Kwai' captured the imagination of the public and won seven 1957 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actor (Alec Guinness), and Best Director. Even it's the theme song, an old WWI whistling tune, the 'Colonel Bogey March', became a massive worldwide hit. 'The Bridge on the River Kwai' continues today as one of the most memorable cinematic experiences of all time.

An imperturbable English gentleman, played by the urbane David Niven, attempts to completely circumnavigate the world in eighty days in order to win a large wager. But is he also conveniently missing from London as an investigation into a robbery at the Bank Of England begins?

Show moreShow less

"I've been looking for a girl every Saturday night of my life", says Marty Piletti (Ernest Borgnine). Yet, despite all his efforts, this 34-year-old Bronx butcher remains as shy and uncomfortable around women today as on the day he was born.

So when he meets Clara (Betsy Blair), a lonely schoolteacher who's just as smitten with him as he is with her, Marty's on top of the world. But not everyone around him shares Marty's joy. And when his friends and family continually find fault with Clara, even Marty begins to question his newfound love... until he discovers, in an extraordinary way, the strength and courage to follow his heart.

Show moreShow less

Marlon Brando gives one of the screen's most electrifying performances and was named Best Actor at the 1954 Academy Awards for this film. Ex-fighter Terry Malloy (Brando) could have been a contender, but now toils for boss Johnny Friendly (Lee J. Cobb) on the gang-ridden waterfront.

Terry is guilt-stricken, however, when he lures a rebellious worker to his death, but it takes the love of Edie Doyle (Eva Marie Saint), the dead man's sister, to show Terry how low he has fallen. When his crooked brother Charley the Gent (Rod Steiger) is brutally murdered for refusing to kill him, Terry battles to crush friendly's underworld empire.

Show moreShow less

In this landmark film, passion and tragedy collide on a military base as a fateful day in December 1941 draws near. Private Prewitt (Montgomery Clift) is a soldier and former boxer being manipulated by his superior and peers.

His friend Maggio (Frank Sinatra) tries to help him but has his own troubles. Sergeant Warden (Burt Lancaster) and Karen Holmes (Deborah Kerr) tread on dangerous ground as lovers in an illicit affair. Each of their lives will be changed when their stories culminate in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

Show moreShow less

Charlton Heston stars as Brad Braden, the diehard circus manager who lives and breathes to keep the show rolling. With the Big Top about to hit rock bottom, Braden hires The Great Sebastian (Cornel Wilde), a daring trapeze legend, to revitalize the circus.

His arrival sparks the rivalry and admiration of Holly (Betty Hutton), Braden's girlfriend and trapese star. After a death-defying battle to regain her place in the centre ring, Holly soon finds herself torn between the love of workaholic Brad and the brazen Sebastain. Add to the mix a flirtatious elephant trainer, racketeers and a lovable clown (James Stewart) with a secret past, and every character becomes a tough act to follow.

Show moreShow less

Kelly plays an ex-GI who loves Paris and loves even more an alluring (but engaged) perfume-shop clerk. Dance sequences spun around Gershwin songs accent Kelly's romantic pursuit. And the final 17-minute ballet - combining the title symphony.

Impressionist set stylings and Kelly's unique talent for telling a story in dance - lifts this winner of six Academy Awards including Best Picture into the ether of timelessness. Love Is Here To Stay Kelly sings. So is An American In Paris.

Show moreShow less

From the moment she glimpses her idol at the stage door, Eve Harrington (Anne Baxter) moves relentlessly towards her goal: taking the reins of power from the great actress Margo Channing (Bette Davis).

The cunning Eve maneuvers her way into Margo's Broadway role, becomes a sensation and even causes turmoil in the lives of Margo's director boyfriend (Gary Merrill), her playwright (Hugh Marlowe) and his wife (Celeste Holm). Only the cynical drama critic (George Sanders) sees through Eve, admiring her audacity and perfect pattern of deceit. Thelma Ritter and Marilyn Monroe co-star in this acclaimed classic, which won six Academy Awards and received the most nominations (14) in film history.

Show moreShow less

In a bravura performance, Broderick Crawford won the 1949 Academy Award for Best Actor with his stunning portrayal of bullheaded backwoods lawyer Willie Stark in the powerful drama about political and personal corruption.

A somber but realistic chronicle of raw , brutal power in force, 'All The King's Men' is based on Robert Penn Warren's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name. It was brought to the screen in 1949 by producer Robert Rossen, who also wrote the screenplay and directed the film. The story was inspired by the rise and fall of southern bigwig Huey Pierce Long - the infamous 'Kingfish' who was Louisiana's governor and one-time senator. 'All The King's Men' remains a hallmark political film with superb performances throughout.