As we've seen before, the first and final frames of a film or TV show can not only tell us a lot about themes, but they can also leave audiences with an indelible image to think about long after they've left the theater. To explore this concept, Albert Gómez of Room 237 has created a short supercut that features the final scenes in every Best Picture winner of the last 57 years of the Academy Awards. Take a look below:

Though the final shot of a film can't really teach us much about the themes, structure, or visual style of a project, it's definitely interesting to see the last thing audiences, critics, and Academy judges saw before the credits began to roll.

Furthermore, in the same way that its important to start a film off strong with a attention-grabbing shot, it's also important to go out with a bang. Many of these films, like The Godfather, Rocky, and Forrest Gump, contain final shots that act as microcosms of the entire movie, reminding audiences of how they felt and what they thought when they watched it for the first time.

It'd be a good exercise to take note of the final shots in your favorite films, the ones that moved you and inspired you the most. Here's the list of films as they appear in the video:

1970s

  • Patton
  • The French Connection
  • The Godfather
  • The Sting
  • The Godfather Part II
  • One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
  • Rocky
  • Annie Hall
  • The Deer Hunter
  • Kramer vs. Kramer

Annie_hall'Annie Hall'

1980s

  • Ordinary People
  • Chariots of Fire
  • Gandhi
  • Terms of Endearment
  • Amadeus
  • Out of Africa
  • Platoon
  • The Last Emperor
  • Rain Man
  • Driving Miss Daisy

Chariots_of_fire'Chariots of Fire'

1990s

  • Dances with Wolves
  • The Silence of the Lambs
  • Unforgiven
  • Schindler's List
  • Forrest Gump
  • Braveheart
  • The English Patient
  • Titanic
  • American Beauty

Braveheart'Braveheart'

2000s

  • Gladiator
  • A Beautiful Mind
  • Chicago
  • The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
  • Million Dollar Baby
  • Crash
  • The Departed
  • No Country for Old Men
  • Slumdog Millionaire
  • The Hurt Locker

Chicago'Chicago'

2010s

  • The King's Speech
  • The Artist
  • Argo
  • 12 Years a Slave
  • Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
  • Spotlight

12_years_a_slave'12 Years a Slave'

Source: Room 237

final shotsVideo Essayvideoessaysvideo essaysoscars 2017Academy Awards
Movies & TV