Ordinary People (1980)
Robert Redford’s directorial debut won Best Picture and three other Academy Awards. Yet compared with several movies it competed against, particularly Raging Bull, it has become surprisingly easy to overlook.
The Artist (2011)
A modern black-and-white silent movie briefly became one of Hollywood’s biggest stories and won Best Picture. Barely a decade later, it rarely seems to come up outside conversations about past Oscar winners.
Terms of Endearment (1983)
Terms of Endearment was a major box-office hit that won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Despite all that success, it occupies far less space in pop culture today than many smaller movies from the era.
Out of Africa (1985)
With Meryl Streep, Robert Redford, enormous box-office success, and seven Oscars, Out of Africa once had all the ingredients of an enduring classic. Its cultural footprint has nevertheless become remarkably quiet.
The Prince of Tides (1991)
The Prince of Tides was a major prestige drama with seven Oscar nominations and considerable attention surrounding Barbra Streisand’s direction. Today, it rarely appears in conversations about defining films of the 1990s.
Driving Miss Daisy (1989)
Driving Miss Daisy was a major commercial success and won four Oscars, including Best Picture. Its once-enormous prominence has faded considerably, aside from occasional discussions about its awards legacy.
