Should the Academy introduce a Legacy Award for great films? (Basically, a Best Picture Snub Award 😂)
I just rewatched Saving Private Ryan, and once again found myself annoyed that it lost Best Picture to Shakespeare in Love.
Does this happen to anyone else? You revisit a great film decades later, and somehow the Oscar snub has only become more glaring with time?
The Academy already gives honorary Oscars to actors whose contributions weren't adequately recognized during their careers. So why not introduce an Academy Legacy Award, honoring films whose artistic achievements, cultural impact, and reputations have stood the test of time?
And it's not like the Academy has always been particularly rigid about honorary Oscars. The second honorary Oscar it ever awarded, back in 1932, went to Walt Disney for creating Mickey Mouse. Clearly, the Academy once had no problem recognizing achievements that didn't fit neatly into existing categories. If creating Mickey Mouse justified an honorary Oscar, surely recognizing a cinematic masterpiece whose greatness has only become more apparent with time isn't some radical departure from tradition. 😂
Officially, the award would celebrate enduring cinematic excellence. Unofficially, we'd all know it's the "We Got Best Picture Wrong" Award.
I'm not suggesting they retroactively change Best Picture winners. Just acknowledge that sometimes history delivers a rather different verdict than Academy voters did during one awards season.
It might even take some of the sting out of losing. Imagine pouring your heart into a film you're genuinely proud of, knowing that even if the Academy overlooks it today, there's still a chance it could receive recognition decades later if history proves you right. An Oscar loss wouldn't necessarily be the final word on that film's legacy.
And wouldn't celebrating that kind of enduring achievement reinforce the Academy's mission in the first place? Recognizing films that remain culturally relevant and artistically celebrated decades later could encourage filmmakers to aspire to something beyond winning over voters for a single awards season.
Maybe films would become eligible after 25 or even 50 years, although figuring out the right window without introducing recency bias would be tricky.
And if it discourages some of the painfully obvious Oscar bait that dominates one awards season before promptly disappearing from the cultural conversation, I'd consider that a bonus. 😂
I complained on this subreddit about Dolly Parton not having a Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award about six years ago, and the Academy eventually came around. So clearly they're reading my posts. 😂
TL;DR: The Academy should introduce a Legacy Award recognizing films whose greatness has endured for decades, particularly those overlooked for Best Picture. It would celebrate lasting cinematic excellence, give filmmakers another chance at recognition, and perhaps encourage movies made for the ages rather than just awards season. Officially, it's about legacy. Unofficially, it's the "We Got Best Picture Wrong" Award. Some Oscar decisions age like fine wine. Others age like milk.
What films would you nominate for the first Legacy Award?