I had always heard film buffs talk about the ’70s as the pinnacle of moviemaking, and I always chafed at that a bit, as it seemed dismissive of everything that came before and after. But it’s hard to argue once you look at the best movies of each year. ’75 had the murderer’s row of Cuckoo’s Nest, Barry Lyndon, Dog Day Afternoon, Nashville, and a low-budget shark movie that happened to invent the blockbuster.
Hard to argue that anyone got snubbed by not being carved onto 1975’s Mount Rushmore. But identifying overlooked movies is what we do here! At least for 1974, we have the baffling inclusion of The Towering Inferno alongside three of the greatest films ever made (and one that’s pretty darn good).
But I’m getting ahead of myself. Here are your winners for 1975. As always, runners-up, vote totals, and the entire history of the Snubbies can be seen in the spreadsheet.
Best Snubbed Picture: Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Best Snubbed Director: Steven Spielberg, Jaws
Best Snubbed Actress: Faye Dunaway, Three Days of the Condor
Best Snubbed Actor: Roy Scheider, Jaws
Best Snubbed Supporting Actress: Barbara Harris, Nashville
Best Snubbed Supporting Actor: Robert Shaw, Jaws
Best Stuntwork: Jaws (unopposed)
Best Voicework: (no award)
Best Cast: One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
Now, onto 1974 and our next round of nominations. As always, you can suggest any film or performance, and upvote as many as you feel are deserving. I’ll start us off with Director/Picture noms that didn’t make both categories, and Golden Globe nominations the Academy overlooked. You fill in the rest! The top five vote-getters in each category will be our nominees, who we will vote on next week.
Now, here are ’74’s Oscar nominees, who are therefore not eligible for the Snubby:
Best Picture
The Godfather Part II
Chinatown
The Conversation
Lenny
The Towering Inferno
Best Director
Francis Ford Coppola, The Godfather Part II
Roman Polanski, Chinatown
Francois Truffant, Day for Night
Bob Fosse, Lenny
John Cassavetes, A Woman Under the Influence
Best Actress
Ellyn Burstyn, Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore
Diahann Carroll, Claudine
Faye Dunaway, Chinatown
Valerie Perrine, Lenny
Gena Rowlands, A Woman Under the Influence
Best Actor
Art Carney, Harry and Tonto
Albert Finney, Murder on the Orient Express
Dustin Hoffman, Lenny
Jack Nicholson, Chinatown
Al Pacino, The Godfather Part II
Best Supporting Actress
Ingrid Bergman, Murder on the Orient Express
Valentina Cortese, Day for Night
Madeline Kahn, Blazing Saddles
Diane Ladd, Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore
Talia Shire, The Godfather Part II
Best Supporting Actor
Robert de Niro, The Godfather Part II
Fred Astaire, The Towering Inferno
Jeff Bridges, Thunderbolt and Lightfoot
Michael V. Gazzo, The Godfather Part II
Lee Strasberg, The Godfather Part II