"Citizen Kane," considered the greatest movie ever in many circles, only won oneAcademy Award– the same number as critically reviled "Suicide Squad."
Those two films demonstrate how interestingly idiosyncraticthe Oscarscan be in feting thebest filmsannually. Over the years, while movies like "Titanic," "Ben-Hur" and the original "West Side Story" went home with rafts of prizes, the Academyhas whiffed on some heavy hitters. Maybe it was the competition or perhaps it was that year's voting bloc, but there are stone-cold classics that missed out on trophies entirely.
Here are the 10 best movies of that bunch, the Oscar losers if you will, that got nominated and deserved far better:
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1. 'The Great Dictator' (1940)
Silent-movie star and director Charlie Chaplin's first sound film was this superb political satire where Chaplin pulls double duty onscreen, as an antisemitic fascist leader and his Jewish barber lookalike. Timing might have been everything with his Hitler parody: Chaplin was beat by Alfred Hitchcock's "Rebecca" for best picture and Jimmy Stewart ("The Philadelphia Story") for best actor, in a ceremony held less than 10 months before Pearl Harbor.
2. 'It's a Wonderful Life' (1946)
Frank Capra's Christmas movie classicis many people's favorite movie, with Jimmy Stewart as a man ready to end it all until he learns the world would be much worse if he'd never existed. But the Academy's fave? Not so much. "Wonderful Life" lost four out of its five Oscar categories (including best picture, actor and director) to "The Best Years of Our Lives" – not a holiday staple, in case you're wondering.
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3. 'Seven Samurai' (1954)
Arguably the most influential movie on this list, Akira Kurosawa's action-packed Japanese epic gave way to "The Magnificent Seven," "Star Wars" and many others in terms of themes, visuals and narrative. "Samurai" lost its two chances at the 1957 Oscars – for black-and-white art direction and costume design – and was left out of best foreign-language film the first year it became a competitive category. (Previously, one movie was chosen each year for an honorary award.)
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4. '12 Angry Men' (1957)
Like with "A Few Good Men," we find the Oscars guilty of dropping the ball on this essential courtroom drama, which featured Henry Fonda, Martin Balsam, Jack Klugman and E.G. Marshall as jurors deciding the fate of a teen charged with murder. "Angry Men" lost all three of its categories – best picture, director and adapted screenplay – to war picture "The Bridge on the River Kwai," which to be fair was pretty darn good, too.
5. 'Psycho' (1960)
Maybe Academy voters were weirded out bythe infamous shower scene, or simply sentimental about moms. Alfred Hitchcock's exquisitely crafted psychological chiller racked up a mere four nominations, including best director and supporting actress for Janet Leigh's hair-raising performance. It wouldn't be until three decades later that a horror movie would nab best picture ("The Silence of the Lambs").
1968: "Oliver!" | Mark Lester plays the titular orphan in the film based on Charles Dickens' novel "Oliver Twist."" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
1999: "American Beauty" | Kevin Spacey, with Mena Suvari, won the best-actor Oscar." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
2000: "Gladiator" | Russell Crowe won the best-actor Oscar." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
2003: "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" | Ian McKellen helped complete the Middle-earth trilogy. This is the third film to win the all-time high of 11 Oscars, and the only fantasy film ever to win the Academy's top prize." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
2006: "The Departed" | Leonardo DiCaprio, left, and Jack Nicholson star in this film that also won Martin Scorsese a directing Oscar." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
2008: "Slumdog Millionaire" | The movie set in India, with Dev Patel and Freida Pinto, won eight Oscars, none in acting categories." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
2009: "The Hurt Locker" | Jeremy Renner received a best-actor nomination but did not win. The film, however, won six Oscars, and Kathryn Bigelow became the first woman to win an Oscar for directing." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
2011: "The Artist" | Jean Dujardin won the Oscar for best actor while Bérénice Bejo received a best-supporting actress nomination. The (mostly) silent film won five Academy Awards." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
2012: "Argo" | Ben Affleck produced, directed and starred in this best picture based on the real-life rescue of American embassy workers in Iran in 1980." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
2016: "Moonlight" | In the wildest Oscars ending ever, "La La Land" was erroneously announced as best picture. But in reality, the vote went to "Moonlight," the coming-of-age drama starring Mahershala Ali, right, and Alex Hibbert. The film won three Oscars, including best supporting actor for Ali and screenplay for director Barry Jenkins." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
2017: "The Shape of Water" | A voiceless janitor, played by Sally Hawkins, and her co-worker, Octavia Spencer, work in a secret government laboratory in 1960s Baltimore. The romantic fantasy earned 13 Oscar nominations and won four." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
2018: "Green Book" | Mahershala Ali stars as classical and jazz pianist Don Shirley and Viggo Mortensen is Frank "Tony Lip" Vallelonga, his driver and bodyguard in the 1960s Deep South. Ali won the Oscar for best supporting actor." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
2020: "Nomadland" | Frances McDormand stars as a nomad who lives out of her van after she loses her husband and her home when their Nevada mining town is wiped out in an economic collapse. The film won three Oscars, including best actress for McDormand and best director for Chloé Zhao, who made Oscar history as first woman of color to win the category." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
2024: "Anora" | A Brooklyn sex worker (Mikey Madison) elopes with a Russian oligarch's son (Mark Eydelshteyn). The film won five Oscars, including best actress for Madison and best director (Sean Baker)." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Every Oscar best-picture winner, ever
6. 'A Clockwork Orange' (1971)
In the annals of Oscar-less greats, Stanley Kubrick could have his own wing: "Dr. Strangelove" was also shut out and"The Shining"didn't even garner a nod. But considering that "Orange" initially received an X rating for graphic violence and sexually explicit imagery, that it garnered a best picture nod at all is kind of a miracle and shows how much the film tapped into the times.
7. 'Taxi Driver' (1976)
"You talking to me?" Yep, we're talking about Martin Scorsese's gritty noir – and one of the most iconic movies of the '70s – with Robert De Niro as the unstable New York cabbie who's probably best to avoid at night. Unfortunately, it got knocked out in best picture by "Rocky" while De Niro and supporting actress Jodie Foster lost to "Network" stars Peter Finch and Beatrice Straight.
Oscars are here! See which actors, directors and films are nominated for the 98th Academy Awards, to be handed out live March 15 and broadcast on ABC and Hulu." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
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Oscars are here! See which actors, directors and films are nominated for the 98th Academy Awards, to be handed out live March 15 and broadcast on ABC and Hulu.
8. 'Blade Runner' (1982)
Granted, sci-fi movies have never exactly taken the Oscars by fire. ButSteven Spielberg's "E.T."won four Academy Awardsthe very same yearas Ridley Scott's futuristic tale, which was up for best visual effects and art direction. While the adorable candy-loving alien bestedHarrison Fordthat time, "Blade Runner" ultimately became a cult classic and a beloved entry in the canon.
9. 'Field of Dreams' (1989)
A personal choice, but a favorite nonetheless for this discerning critic. A fantastical ode to baseball, fathers and sons, dreams (naturally) and famous ghosts in a cornfield, the Kevin Costner masterpiece lost out on three Oscars, including best picture –which somehow went to "Driving Miss Daisy"in a head-scratching year where "Do the Right Thing" and "Glory" didn't even make the cut.
10. 'The Shawshank Redemption' (1994)
Based on a Stephen King novella, the acclaimed prison drama starring Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins went 0-for-7 at the Oscars, with "Forrest Gump" reigning as best picture and Forrest himself, Tom Hanks, taking best actor over Freeman. That's OK, though, because"Shawshank Redemption"has captured many hearts and minds ever since as a cable-TV movie staple.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Best movies that never won an Oscar – 10 Academy Award misses