#27: How Green Was My Valley, 14th Academy Awards, 1942

Categories: Winner of 5 Academy Awards, including Outstanding Motion Picture and Best Director

Outstanding Motion Picture Nominees that lost at the 14th Academy Awards:

• Blossoms in the Dust
• Citizen Kane
• Here Comes Mr. Jordan
• Hold Back the Dawn
• The Little Foxes
• The Maltese Falcon
• One Foot in Heaven
• Sergeant York
• Suspicion

While Citizen Kane is a timeless masterpiece, the Academy’s decision said something different. In 1942, Orson Welles’ magnum opus suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of How Green Was My Valley, an outcome met with derision from the audience.

While How Green Was My Valley played it safe with its melodramatic and predictable narrative, Citizen Kane dared to challenge filmmaking norms. Its innovative approach was scorned, exacerbated by a smear campaign orchestrated by newspaper mogul William Randolph Hearst, who felt personally attacked by the film.