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The biggest Oscar nomination snubs of all time
1955
Lady and the Tramp
Nomination snub: Best Original Song
This Disney animated classic, considered one of the greatest of all time, did not get a single nod, despite it being the first animated feature released in widescreen.
(IMDB)
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Lady and the Tramp
Nomination snub: Best Original Song
This Disney animated classic, considered one of the greatest of all time, did not get a single nod, despite it being the first animated feature released in widescreen.
(IMDB)
Vertigo
Nomination snub: Best Picture
When Alfred Hitchcock's thriller 'Vertigo' was released in 1958, legendary film critic Pauline Kael dismissed it as 'stupid.' Despite masterful direction, and technological innovation like the creation of the dolly zoom, the Academy apparently agreed as they snubbed Hitchcock, and only doled out nominations for sound mixing and production design. Since then, the story of obsession and betrayal has been called one of the greatest films of all time by Sight and Sound and the AFI.
- Richard Crouse on Vertigo
(AP Photo/Paramount)
Do the Right Thing
Nomination snub: Best Picture and Best Director
Spike Lee is an Oscar winner, with an honorary statue in 2016 and a Best Adapted Screenplay win for 'BlacKkKlansman' in 2019, but his 1989 film 'Do the Right Thing,' a movie the New Yorker called 'grand, vital and mournful,' was denied a Best Picture or Director nomination. At the 1990 Oscar ceremony, Kim Basinger announced the Best Picture nominees and said, 'We've got five great films here, and they're great for one reason: because they tell the truth. But there is one film missing from this list, that deserves to be on it, because ironically, it might tell the biggest truth of all, and that's Do the Right Thing.'
- Richard Crouse on Do The Right Thing
(IMDB)
Barbara Streisand – Prince of Tides
Nomination snub: Best Director
The Academy's track record of nominating women directors is abysmal. There have been many examples, but the 1992 snub of Barbra Streisand for her directorial work on 'Prince Of Tides,' which earned seven nominations, including Best Picture, was so brazen that Oscar show host Billy Crystal sang in his opening song: 'Seven nominations on the shelf. Did this film direct itself?'
- Richard Crouse on Prince of Tides
(IMDB)
Val Kilmer – Tombstone
Nomination snub: Best Actor in a Leading Role
In one of his best performances, portraying Doc Holliday, a hard-drinking dentist turned gunslinger, Val Kilmer was passed up for a nomination in 'Tombstone'.
(IMDB)
Denzel Washington – Philadelphia
Nomination snub: Best Actor in a Leading Role
While Philadelphia was a blockbuster hit, with outstanding performances from Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington, Washington failed to secure an Oscar nod for his portrayal of a homophobic lawyer.
(IMDB)
Samuel L. Jackson – Django Unchained
Nomination snub: Best Actor in a Supporting Role
A seasoned actor, known for his role in the cult classic 'Pulp Fiction', Samuel L. Jackson was not even nominated for his outstanding performance in 'Django Unchained'.
(IMDB)
Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe - The Lighthouse
Nomination snub: Best Actor in a Leading Role and Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Although Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe put on outstanding performances, both failed to secure an Oscar nod for their roles.
(THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO - Screen Nova Scotia, Eric Chakeen)
Adam Sandler – Uncut Gems
Nomination snub: Best Actor in a Leading Role
A known comedian, Adam Sandler shed his usual funny-man role and delivered one of his best performances of his career in 'Uncut Gems'. Despite this, Sandler failed to secure an Oscar nomination.
(A24 via AP)