The Academy Awards are widely considered Hollywood’s greatest celebration. Given out by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Oscars are an annual celebration meant to recognize the best of cinema from the previous year. Throughout its nearly 100-year history, the Oscars have given their most important award, Best Picture, to timeless hits like The Godfather, Schindler’s List, and most recently, Oppenheimer. Of course, like every other award show, the Oscars are subjective and have faced considerable criticism, but they remain the ultimate recognition in Hollywood.

Logically, some movies do better than others, both in terms of nominations and eventual wins. However, over the last 96 years, only a few movies have earned wins in the double digits. Of those, only one has won ten, and only three have earned eleven Oscars. This list will focus on the latter, ranking every movie that has won eleven Oscars based on its quality as a standalone effort, its worthiness at earning all those awards, and its overall standing in terms of cinematic relevance. Of course, everyone will have an opinion about these three movies; some might disagree with this ranking, but everyone can at least agree that these three are titans of American cinema, even if one is overall better than the other two.

3

‘Titanic’ (1997)

James Cameron redefined blockbuster cinema with his wildly successful disaster romance, Titanic. In their breakthrough roles as movie stars, Oscar winners Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet play Jack and Rose, two young lovers who meet and fall in love during the Titanic’s maiden voyage. Soon, their affair is complicated by her pretentious, wealthy fiancé and manipulative mother, not to mention the giant iceberg that threatens to sink the seemingly unsinkable ship. The story is framed as a tale by the older Rose (Gloria Stuart) to a group of treasure hunters seeking a legendary diamond necklace she received as a gift from her fiancé.

Now, Titanic is a great movie. It’s pure cinematic spectacle of the highest degree, the perfect blend of romance, adventure, and drama brought to life by one of cinema’s most visionary filmmakers. DiCaprio and an Oscar-nominated Winslet shine as the two wide-eyed protagonists, crafting one of the most timeless love affairs on the big screen while supported by a game supporting cast, including Oscar winner Kathy Bates, Billy Zane, Frances Fisher, and Victor Garber. Cameron’s vision is lush, precise, and idealized, a romanticized version of the Titanic that is suitably sweeping and immersive. The third act is basically one extended disaster sequence that excels as both an exhilarating spectacle and a classic tale of love trying to conquer the odds. Titanic is admittedly corny, and there’s a strong argument that it wasn’t the best movie of 1997 (an L.A. Confidential fan reading this just smiled, probably), but its place as a true cinematic and cultural phenomenon cannot be denied.

2

‘Ben-Hur’ (1959)

Image via Loews, Inc.

William Wyler was one of the greatest directors to ever live, and movies like Ben-Hur prove it. Charlton Heston stars in the titular role of Judah Ben-Hur, a wealthy Jewish prince who is betrayed by a Roman friend and sold into slavery in 1st-century Jerusalem. After enduring numerous hardships, Judah regains his freedom and returns for vengeance against those who wronged him and his family. It is the second adaptation of the 1880 novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, following a 1925 silent version.

“Epic” falls short of describing Ben-Hur‘s grandeur. There’s an opulent, larger-than-life quality to the film that you simply don’t see in modern cinema. Everything, from the structures to the clothes and even the sea and landscapes, feels real, tactile even, resulting in a vast and immersive world that is as captivating as it is ruthless. Heston is reliably great here in what is perhaps the best work of his career, and the supporting cast is equally impressive. The highlight is, of course, the elaborate sequences, of which the now-legendary chariot race reigns supreme as perhaps the single greatest scene in classic Hollywood. Ben-Hur is pure, unadulterated cinema, a true display of showmanship that boasts a willingness to awe and entertain the likes of which we haven’t seen in decades. A forgettable 2016 remake tried to reach its heights and failed miserably, proving that some movies truly are untouchable, no matter how much time passes.

1

‘The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King’ (2003)

Image via New Line Cinema

The final entry in Peter Jackson‘s original Middle-earth trilogy, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is a masterpiece in every sense of the word. Elijah Wood reprises his role as Frodo Baggins, who, accompanied by Samwise Gamgee (Sean Astin), must take the One Ring to the fires of Mount Doom to destroy it forever, all while being closely stalked by the creature Gollum (Andy Serkis). Meanwhile, Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) and Gandalf (Ian McKellen) must gather the strength of Middle-earth to defend it from the forces of the Dark Lord Sauron.

Call it recency bias if you will, but The Return of the King feels like the most worthy of its eleven Oscars. The film ties Jackson’s trilogy with an excess of flair without ever sacrificing an ounce of the emotional resonance that characterizes the source material. The actors are all-around great, especially an outstanding Astin, who should’ve been Oscar-nominated for his rousing depiction of loyalty in the face of danger. On a technical and visual level, The Return of the King simply has no match: the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, in particular, stands as one of the greatest in cinematic history and, undoubtedly, the best in the 21st century so far. Triumphant, emotional, and narratively cathartic, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is a perfect culmination of what is probably the best trilogy in film history. The Middle-earth saga would continue with several prequels, but the original trilogy remains arguably the defining cinematic event of the 2000s.