So Martin Scorsese finally has his long-overdue, much-deserved Oscar. But where does "The Departed" stack up in the annals of Academy history?
Pretty well, actually. "The Departed" is the 30th best-reviewed Best Picture of all time, placing it in between "The Lost Weekend" and "Lord of the Rings: Return of the King."
"I just won an Oscar! Drinks are on me!"
Though few doubt Scorsese‘s preeminence in the pantheon of filmmakers, until now, he’s been the Susan Lucci of directors: oft-nominated, but never victorious. "Taxi Driver" (100 percent) lost to "Rocky" (93 percent); "Raging Bull" (100 percent) was beaten by "Ordinary People" (88 percent); "GoodFellas" (98 percent) fell to "Dances with Wolves" (77 percent); "Gangs of New York" (77 percent) was defeated by "Chicago" (86 percent); and "The Aviator" (89 percent) lost to "Million Dollar Baby" (92 percent).
In addition, Scorsese was a five-time also ran for the Best Director statuette: for "Raging Bull," he lost to "Ordinary People"’s Robert Redford; Barry Levinson ("Rain Man") topped him for his work on "The Last Temptation of Christ"; Kevin Costner ("Dances with Wolves") beat him for "GoodFellas"; Roman Polanski ("The Pianist") won over his work on "Gangs"; and Clint Eastwood took home the statue for "Million Dollar Baby," trumping "The Aviator."
"I’m gonna clear off my shelf to make room for that Oscar."
Scorsese didn’t have any better luck in the Best Adapted Screenplay category; he was nominated twice but didn’t win, for "GoodFellas" (with Nicholas Pileggi) and for "The Age of Innocence" (with Jay Cocks).
Click here to see the complete Best of the Best Pictures list!
