Academy Awards

44th Academy Awards

April 10, 1972Dorothy Chandler PavilionFilms from 197124 categories
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Best Picture Winner

The French Connection

The French Connection

Best Picture

Director: William Friedkin

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Two New York City cops attempt to intercept a large heroin shipment coming from France.

From the Worthy Podcast

Censorship of a Scene in the French Connection Video on the Drama

Perceptive audiences noticed stealth edits made to the 1971 classic The French Connection, which is owned by Disney and being streamed by the Criterion Channel. Someone had deleted a six-second exchange between the detective Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle and Buddy “Cloudy” Russo, which contains an actual racial slur: Should we play the audio for context?

Doyle: “You dumb guinea.”

Russo: “How the hell did I know he had a knife?”

Doyle: “Never trust a nigger.”

Russo: “He coulda been white.”

All Categories (24)

Best Picture

The French ConnectionPhilip D'Antoni, Producer
Winner
A Clockwork OrangeStanley Kubrick, Producer
Fiddler on the RoofNorman Jewison, Producer
Nicholas and AlexandraSam Spiegel, Producer
The Last Picture ShowStephen J. Friedman, Producer

Actor

Gene HackmanThe French Connection {"Jimmy 'Popeye' Doyle"}
Winner
George C. ScottThe Hospital {"Dr. Herbert Bock"}
Peter FinchSunday Bloody Sunday {"Dr. Daniel Hirsh"}
TopolFiddler on the Roof {"Tevye"}
Walter MatthauKotch {"Joseph P. Kotcher"}

Actor In A Supporting Role

Ben JohnsonThe Last Picture Show {"Sam the Lion"}
Winner
Jeff BridgesThe Last Picture Show {"Duane Jackson"}
Leonard FreyFiddler on the Roof {"Motel"}
Richard JaeckelSometimes a Great Notion {"Joe Ben Stamper"}
Roy ScheiderThe French Connection {"Buddy Russo"}

Actress

Jane FondaKlute {"Bree Daniel"}
Winner
Glenda JacksonSunday Bloody Sunday {"Alex Greville"}
Janet SuzmanNicholas and Alexandra {"Alexandra"}
Julie ChristieMcCabe & Mrs. Miller {"Mrs. Constance Miller"}
Vanessa RedgraveMary, Queen of Scots {"Mary, Queen of Scots"}

Actress In A Supporting Role

Cloris LeachmanThe Last Picture Show {"Ruth Popper"}
Winner
Ann-MargretCarnal Knowledge {"Bobbie"}
Barbara HarrisWho Is Harry Kellerman and Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things about Me? {"Allison"}
Ellen BurstynThe Last Picture Show {"Lois Farrow"}
Margaret LeightonThe Go-Between {"Mrs. Maudsley"}

Directing

The French ConnectionWilliam Friedkin
Winner
A Clockwork OrangeStanley Kubrick
Fiddler on the RoofNorman Jewison
Sunday Bloody SundayJohn Schlesinger
The Last Picture ShowPeter Bogdanovich

Writing (Screenplay Based On Material From Another Medium)

The French ConnectionErnest Tidyman
Winner
A Clockwork OrangeStanley Kubrick
The ConformistBernardo Bertolucci
The Garden of the Finzi ContinisUgo Pirro, Vittorio Bonicelli
The Last Picture ShowLarry McMurtry, Peter Bogdanovich

Writing (Story And Screenplay--Written Directly For The Screen)

The HospitalPaddy Chayefsky
Winner
Investigation of a Citizen above SuspicionElio Petri, Ugo Pirro
KluteAndy Lewis, Dave Lewis
Summer of '42Herman Raucher
Sunday Bloody SundayPenelope Gilliatt

Cinematography

Fiddler on the RoofOswald Morris
Winner
Nicholas and AlexandraFreddie Young
Summer of '42Robert Surtees
The French ConnectionOwen Roizman
The Last Picture ShowRobert Surtees

Music (Original Dramatic Score)

Summer of '42Michel Legrand
Winner
Bedknobs and BroomsticksSong Score by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman; Adaptation Score by Irwin Kostal
Fiddler on the RoofAdaptation Score by John Williams
MUSIC (Scoring: Adaptation and Original Song Score)
Mary, Queen of ScotsJohn Barry
Nicholas and AlexandraRichard Rodney Bennett
ShaftIsaac Hayes
Straw DogsJerry Fielding
TchaikovskyAdaptation Score by Dimitri Tiomkin
The Boy FriendAdaptation Score by Peter Maxwell Davies and Peter Greenwell
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate FactorySong Score by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley; Adaptation Score by Walter Scharf

Music (Original Song)

"Theme From Shaft" from ShaftMusic and Lyrics by Isaac Hayes
Winner
"All His Children" from Sometimes a Great NotionMusic by Henry Mancini; Lyrics by Alan Bergman and Marilyn Bergman
"Bless The Beasts & Children" from Bless the Beasts & ChildrenMusic and Lyrics by Barry DeVorzon and Perry Botkin, Jr.
"Life Is What You Make It" from KotchMusic by Marvin Hamlisch; Lyrics by Johnny Mercer
"The Age Of Not Believing" from Bedknobs and BroomsticksMusic and Lyrics by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman

Art Direction

Nicholas and AlexandraArt Direction: John Box, Ernest Archer, Jack Maxsted, Gil Parrondo; Set Decoration: Vernon Dixon
Winner
Bedknobs and BroomsticksArt Direction: John B. Mansbridge, Peter Ellenshaw; Set Decoration: Emile Kuri, Hal Gausman
Fiddler on the RoofArt Direction: Robert Boyle, Michael Stringer; Set Decoration: Peter Lamont
Mary, Queen of ScotsArt Direction: Terence Marsh, Robert Cartwright; Set Decoration: Peter Howitt
The Andromeda StrainArt Direction: Boris Leven, William Tuntke; Set Decoration: Ruby Levitt

Film Editing

The French ConnectionJerry Greenberg
Winner
A Clockwork OrangeBill Butler
KotchRalph E. Winters
Summer of '42Folmar Blangsted
The Andromeda StrainStuart Gilmore, John W. Holmes

Sound

Fiddler on the RoofGordon K. McCallum, David Hildyard
Winner
Diamonds Are ForeverGordon K. McCallum, John Mitchell, Alfred J. Overton
KotchRichard Portman, Jack Solomon
Mary, Queen of ScotsBob Jones, John Aldred
The French ConnectionTheodore Soderberg, Christopher Newman

Costume Design

Nicholas and AlexandraYvonne Blake, Antonio Castillo
Winner
Bedknobs and BroomsticksBill Thomas
Death in VenicePiero Tosi
Mary, Queen of ScotsMargaret Furse
What's the Matter with Helen?Morton Haack

Documentary (Feature)

The Hellstrom ChronicleWalon Green, Producer
Winner
Alaska Wilderness LakeAlan Landsburg, Producer
On Any SundayBruce Brown, Producer
The RA ExpeditionsLennart Ehrenborg and Thor Heyerdahl, Producers
The Sorrow and the PityMarcel Ophuls, Producer

Documentary (Short Subject)

Sentinels of SilenceManuel Arango and Robert Amram, Producers
Winner
Adventures in PerceptionHan van Gelder, Producer
Art Is...Julian Krainin and DeWitt L. Sage, Jr., Producers
Somebody WaitingHal Riney, Dick Snider and Sherwood Omens, Producers
The Numbers Start with the RiverDonald Wrye, Producer

Foreign Language Film

The Garden of the Finzi ContinisItaly
Winner
Dodes'ka-DenJapan
TchaikovskyUnion of Soviet Socialist Republics
The EmigrantsSweden
The PolicemanIsrael

Honorary Award

To Charles Chaplin for the incalculable effect he has had in making motion pictures the art form of this century.
Winner

Scientific Or Technical Award (Class II)

To JOHN N. WILKINSON of Optical Radiation Corporation for the development and engineering of a system of xenon arc lamphouses for motion picture projection. [Lighting]
Winner

Scientific Or Technical Award (Class III)

To THOMAS JEFFERSON HUTCHINSON, JAMES R. ROCHESTER and FENTON HAMILTON for the development and introduction of the Sunbrute system of xenon arc lamps for location lighting in motion picture production. [Lighting]
Winner
To CINEMA PRODUCTS COMPANY for a control motor to actuate zoom lenses on motion picture cameras. [Camera]
To PHOTO RESEARCH, A DIVISION OF KOLLMORGEN CORPORATION, for the development and introduction of the film-lens balanced Three Color Meter. [Photography]
To PRODUCERS SERVICE CORPORATION and CONSOLIDATED FILM INDUSTRIES; and to CINEMA RESEARCH CORPORATION and RESEARCH PRODUCTS, INC. for the engineering and implementation of fully automated blow-up motion picture printing systems. [Laboratory]
To ROBERT D. AUGUSTE and CINEMA PRODUCTS COMPANY for the development and introduction of a new crystal controlled lightweight motor for the 35mm motion picture Arriflex camera. [Camera]

Short Subject (Animated)

The Crunch BirdTed Petok, Producer
Winner
EvolutionMichael Mills, Producer
The Selfish GiantPeter Sander and Murray Shostak, Producers

Short Subject (Live Action)

Sentinels of SilenceManuel Arango and Robert Amram, Producers
Winner
Good MorningDenny Evans and Ken Greenwald, Producers
The RehearsalStephen F. Verona, Producer

Special Visual Effects

Bedknobs and BroomsticksAlan Maley, Eustace Lycett, Danny Lee
Winner
When Dinosaurs Ruled the EarthJim Danforth, Roger Dicken
WorthyWorthy

The breakdown of every Best Picture winner from past to present.

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