How many of these Academy Award winners have you seen?

Earlier this week, I wrapped up a movie-watching project that took me several months to complete, that is, watching all of the Saturn Award winners for Best Horror Film in order.

Today, I’m launching a similar project, an effort to watch all of the Academy Award winners for Best Picture.

This project will likely take longer than the first, given the sheer number of Best Picture winners, the first of which was named in 1927. I plan to watch these movies in reverse order, starting with the most recent winner, “The Hurt Locker,” and working my way back to the first winner, “Wings.”

First, here’s a little background on the Academy Award for Best Picture, which is awarded each year by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This award is considered the most important of the Academy Awards.

There was no Best Picture award in 1927. Instead, the award was called Most Outstanding Production. The following year, the name of the award was changed to Best Production. In 1931, the title of the award was changed to Best Picture.

Today, I give you a complete list of the Best Picture Award winners, starting with the most recent winner and working my way back. Without further ado, here’s the list:

2009 – The Hurt Locker
2008 – Slumdog Millionaire
2007 – No Country for Old Men
2006 – The Departed
2005 – Crash
2004 – Million Dollar Baby
2003 – The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
2002 – Chicago
2001 – A Beautiful Mind
2000 – Gladiator

1999 – American Beauty
1998 – Shakespeare in Love
1997 – Titanic
1996 – The English Patient
1995 – Braveheart
1994 – Forrest Gump
1993 – Schindler’s List
1992 – Unforgiven
1991 – The Silence of the Lambs
1990 – Dances with Wolves

1989 – Driving Miss Daisy
1988 – Rain Man
1987 – The Last Emporer
1986 – Platoon
1985 – Out of Africa
1984 – Amadeus
1983 – Terms of Endearment
1982 – Gandhi
1981 – Chariots of Fire
1980 – Ordinary People

1979 – Kramer vs. Kramer
1978 – The Deer Hunter
1977 – Annie Hall
1976 – Rocky
1975 – One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
1974 – The Godfather: Part II
1973 – The Sting
1972 – The Godfather
1971 – The French Connection
1970 – Patton

1969 – Midnight Cowboy
1968 – Oliver!
1967 – In the Heat of the Night
1966 – A Man for All Seasons
1965 – The Sound of Music
1964 – My Fair Lady
1963 – Tom Jones
1962 – Lawrence of Arabia
1961 – West Side Story
1960 – The Apartment

1959 – Ben-Hur
1958 – Gigi
1957 – The Bridge on the River Kwai
1956 – Around the World in 80 Days
1955 – Marty
1954 – On the Waterfront
1953 – From Here to Eternity
1952 – The Greatest Show on Earth
1951 – An American in Paris
1950 – All About Eve

1949 – All the King’s Men
1948 – Hamlet
1947 – Gentleman’s Agreement
1946 – The Best Years of Our Lives
1945 – The Lost Weekend
1944 – Going My Way
1943 – Casablanca
1942 – Mrs. Miniver
1941 – How Green Was My Valley
1940 – Rebecca

1939 – Gone with the Wind
1938 – You Can’t Take It With You
1937 – The Life of Emile Zola
1936 – The Great Ziegfeld
1935 – Mutiny on the Bounty
1934 – It Happened One Night
1933 – Cavalcade
1931-1932 – Grand Hotel
1930-1931 – Cimarron

1929-1930 – All Quiet on the Western Front
1928-1929 – The Broadway Melody
1927-1928 – Wings

I’m sure that more than a few of you have seen a number of these movies, especially those that were released in the past decade. In the end, how many of these movies have you seen? What did you think about them? Which would you recommend? Let us know in the comments section below.