Where Might 'Oppenheimer' Stack Up Against Other Best Picture Winning Biopics?

There’s a perception that prestige biopics dominate the Best Picture category at the Academy Awards. While that might be truer when it comes to nominations, in terms of wins, they aren’t exactly taking home Oscars year in and year out. At the same time, they have notably won, and we’re just days out from another one almost assuredly taking home the top prize. Yes, Christopher Nolan‘s Oppenheimer is all but a sure thing in Picture, and it got me thinking. Assuming it does win, where does it stack up against other biopics that have taken the statue?

Below, you’ll see where I place Oppenheimer among other Oscar winning biopics. Everyone could make this list a different way, but I tried to keep it as close to the type of biopic that Oppenheimer is as possible. So, personal favorites based on real events and people like Argo or Spotlight didn’t make it, while that also eliminated options like Amadeus, Green Book, or Shakespeare in Love. This is just how I came down on things, finding thirteen biopic winners that could be gaining a fourteenth come March 10th…

Schindler’s List – Cinematography by Janusz Kamiński

Here now is how I’d rank Oppenheimer alongside the biopics that have won the Academy Award for Best Picture:

14. The Great Ziegfeld

13. Braveheart

12. The King’s Speech

11. The Life of Emile Zola

10. Gandhi

9. The Last Emperor

8. A Beautiful Mind

7. Chariots of Fire

6. A Man for All Seasons

5. Patton

4. 12 Years a Slave

3. Lawrence of Arabia

2. Oppenheimer*

1. Schindler’s List

*The film still has to actually win the Oscar for Best Picture, but c’mon…

As you can see, the film lands very high on my list. You can quibble with exactly where it should fall, and some might put it at the top, but top three feels very appropriate. However you arrange the movie alongside Lawrence of Arabia and Schindler’s List, it’s top-tier. Nolan pulled off something amazing, so once the Oscar ceremony wraps up, it sure seems like we’ll be able to officially add the flick to this group. Kudos.

Stay tuned to see if Oppenheimer joins the club!

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