Picture 62: Driving Miss Daisy (1989)

The 1980s has proved to be an excellent decade in film and who better to round it off than Morgan Freeman? Starring in this family-friendly classic, no PG-rated film has won the Best Picture Oscar since.

This entry takes us to 1948 Atlanta, Georgia. Driving Miss Daisy centres around an elderly lady named Daisy (Jessica Tandy). Daisy, imitating Prince Phillip, crashes her car in the opening credits. Disturbed, her son hires a black chauffeur named Hoke (Morgan Freeman) to drive her around safely. This arrangement, set against the backdrop of the burgeoning civil rights movement of the 1950s and 60s, makes for a surprisingly compelling watch.

It's a beautifully human story that doesn’t shy away from the shortcomings and prejudices of humanity, yet still it masterfully paints the virtues that sustain us. Freeman and Tandy, backed up by Hans Zimmer’s soundtrack, are at the peak of their powers.

A solid entry but not quite rivalling the top 20 – Driving Miss Daisy presents a heartwarming end to the 1980s.

Rating: 8/10

Reflection:

1.     Tragedy lurks when good people do nothing.

Oscar Best Picture Rankings:

1. The Godfather (1972)

2. Casablanca (1943)

3. The Apartment (1960)

4. Rebecca (1940)

5. The Godfather: Part II (1974)

6. The Sound of Music (1965)

7. Ordinary People (1980)

8. The Deer Hunter (1978)

9. A Man for All Seasons (1966)

10. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

11. Ben-Hur (1959)

12. The Last Emperor (1987)

13. Lost Weekend (1945)

14. Platoon (1986)

15. Gandhi (1982)

16. Rocky (1976)

17. Annie Hall (1977)

18. Amadeus (1984)

19. All About Eve (1950)

20. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)

21. Hamlet (1948)

22. How Green Was My Valley (1941)

23. Out of Africa (1985)

24. Gone With the Wind (1939)

25. West Side Story (1961)

26. Mrs. Miniver (1942)

27. All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)

28. Wings (1928)

29. Mutiny on the Bounty (1935)

30. You can’t take it with you (1938)

31. Patton (1970)

32. Terms of Endearment (1983)

33. The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)

34. On the Waterfront (1954)

35. The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)

36. Midnight Cowboy (1969)

37. Driving Miss Daisy (1989)

38. Rain Man (1988)

39. Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)

40. Marty (1955)

41. Oliver! (1968)

42. Cimarron (1931)

43. Grand Hotel (1932)

44. The French Connection (1971)

45. An American in Paris (1951)

46. From Here to Eternity (1953)

47. It Happened One Night (1934)

48. My Fair Lady (1964)

49. Gentleman’s Agreement (1947)

50. Cavalcade (1933)

51. The Sting (1973)

52. The Life of Emile Zola (1937)

53. Going My Way (1944)

54. The Great Ziegfeld (1936)

55. Chariots of Fire (1981)

56. All the King’s Men (1949)

57. In the Heat of the Night (1967)

58. Gigi (1958)

59. Around the World in 80 Days (1956)

60. The Greatest Show on Earth (1952)

61. The Broadway Melody (1929)

62. Tom Jones (1963)

Previous or current ranking leaders are in bold.

With credit and thanks to the patrons of the Best Picture Film Club:

Dr Sophie Bloomfield – Fashion Correspondent

Dr Caspar Briault – Head of Cynicism

Dr Conrad Charlton

Dr Sophie Clarke

Dr Kate Diomede

Dr Fionnuala Durrant

Dr Josh Fisher

Dr Joseph Gallaher – CEO and Founder

Dr Joseph Hamilton

Dr Adam Holland – Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

Dr Sid Mohan - Divisional Lead for the 1980s

Dr Hannah Morrison

Dr Meera Radia