Every year since 1929, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has crowned the year’s finest film. But which is the greatest Best Picture winner of all time? We entered the past 72 title-holders — beginning with 1938’s “You Can’t Take It With You” and ending with 2009’s “The Hurt Locker” — into a March Madness-style tournament, adjudicated by Post film critics Lou Lumenick and Kyle Smith.
‘CASABLANCA’ OR ‘THE GODFATHER’? VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE FILM AND TELL US WHY IN THE COMMENTS!
To determine the top seeds, we cross-referenced Oscar winners with the American Film Institute’s list of the 100 best films of all time. Twenty-nine films appeared on both lists, with “Casablanca” as top seed and “Unforgiven” rounding out the pack at No. 29. The rest were alphabetized and assigned playoff berths according to tournament bracketing software.
While our critics have whittled contestants down to size, the ultimate decision lies with you, the reader. Below, vote for the film you think deserves the Best Picture of All Time award — and to let us know if you agree with our critics’ picks. We’ll publish the results next Sunday.