The Oscar Quest: Best Picture – 1978
I love 1978. So much. Apparently some people don’t like The Deer Hunter as a Best Picture choice. I do. Very much. So to me, this is a terrific year. It continues a nice streak of great 70s choices.
Michael Cimino won Best Director for the film (talked about here), which makes sense and was well-deserved, and Christopher Walken won Best Supporting Actor for the film (talked about here). I think we all love that Christopher Walken has an Oscar. Best Actor was Jon Voight for Coming Home (talked about here), which, while I wouldn’t have voted for it, is actually a great choice, since it got him an Oscar and De Niro got his second one two years after this anyway. Jane Fonda also won Best Actress for the film (talked about here), which I actually think was a horrible decision, simply because she had one already and Jill Clayburgh was so much better in An Unmarried Woman. And Best Supporting Actress this year was Maggie Smith for California Suite (talked about here), which was a good decision, because she was terrific, and Meryl won the year after this (and because hasn’t Meryl won enough?).
So, really, outside of one decision I don’t agree with, 1978 was pretty perfect. We can only hope for such great years most of the time.
BEST PICTURE – 1978
And the nominees were…
Coming Home (United Artists)
The Deer Hunter (Universal)
Heaven Can Wait (Paramount)
Midnight Express (Columbia)
An Unmarried Woman (20th Century Fox) (more…)
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