The first movie to win ‘The Big Five’ at the Oscars
The Oscars are primarily seen as a major component of celebrity culture these days, but at one point, they were widely accepted as the definitive global event which celebrated the cinematic medium. While its selection of foreign films and artists wasn’t always the best, it played a very important role in propagating the dominance of Hollywood’s cinematic vision.
Especially after this year’s bizarre showdown between Will Smith and Chris Rock, many believe that the Academy Awards have been reduced to a tacky spectacle. Still, the history of the Oscars and the extensive range of artists who have broken records continue to garner the attention of film fans all over the world.
While the Oscars usually give rise to all kinds of records, the most prestigious one is known as ‘The Big Five’. It includes a clean sweep of the five major categories that feature films compete for – Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Picture, Best Director and Best Screenplay. It’s a formidable achievement that only three films have ever managed to complete.
The first film to win ‘The Big Five’ was Frank Capra’s 1934 pre-Code romantic comedy It Happened One Night. Featuring Clark Gable in one of his most iconic roles, the film tells the story of a rich woman who attempts to get away from her controlling father but ends up falling in love with a scheming reporter (played by Gable).
A definitive Frank Capra romp, It Happened One Night is an indispensable American classic. While the film became an unprecedented success, nobody expected it to amount to anything. In fact, the film’s star – Claudette Colbert – had multiple clashes with Capra during the production and told her friends, “I’ve just finished the worst picture in the world”.
Despite their differences, Capra believed that Colbert was talented. The filmmaker admitted that she had “many little tantrums, motivated by her antipathy toward me,” but “she was wonderful in the part.” Capra’s faith paid off since Colbert won the Best Actress Award, and while accepting it, she said: “I owe Frank Capra for this.”
Only two other films have managed to win ‘The Big Five’ since then, but there was a long gap between It Happened One Night’s clean sweep and the next ‘Big Five’ winner. Nobody thought the success could be replicated until One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest stunned everyone with its brilliant exploration of institutional insanity. The Silence of the Lambs soon achieved the same, but no film has been able to do it since then.
