hamlet was the first british film to win the academy award for best picture.
hamlet was the first british film to win the academy award for best picture.
what was the first british film to win the academy award for best picture?
hamlet
the post-war period was a particular high point for british filmmaking, producing "the third man" and "brief encounter", which the british film institute consider the best and second-best british films respectively. laurence olivier's 1948 "hamlet" was the first british film to win the academy award for best picture. the 1950s saw a focus on popular domestic topics such as comedies, including the enduring "carry on" series, and world war ii epics such as "the" "dam busters". at the end of the decade hammer films took advantage of relaxed censorship laws to begin their series of successful horror films. the beginning of the 1960s saw the british new wave style develop, influenced by its french counterpart, that sought to depict a wider strata of society in a realistic manner. the 1960s also saw renewed american financial interest in british film, which particularly manifested itself in the development of historical epics, such as best picture winners "lawrence of arabia" and "a man for all seasons"; spy thrillers, including the first films in the "james bond" franchise; and films based on 'swinging london' scene.
culture of the united kingdom
supporters of the film engendered considerable discussion after the film "crash" won the academy award for best picture. some critics accused the academy of homophobia for failing to award the oscar for best picture to "brokeback mountain." michael jensen noted that prior to the oscar ceremony, "brokeback mountain" became "the most honored movie in cinematic history", winning more best picture and director awards than previous oscar winners "the silence of the lambs" and "schindler's list" combined. he noted that, prior to "brokeback", no film that had won the writers guild, directors guild, and producers guild awards failed to win the academy award for best picture, and that only four times in the previous twenty-five years had the best picture winner not also been the film with the most nominations. he also noted that only once before had a film that failed to be nominated for the golden globe's best picture ("crash") won the academy award. "brokeback mountain" ranks 13th among the highest-grossing romance films of all time.
brokeback mountain