Best Picture Winner
The Deer Hunter
Best Picture
Director: Michael Cimino
Studio: Universal
An in-depth examination of how the Vietnam War affected a small Pennsylvania town and its young men.
From the Worthy Podcast
Small Town America
Using Backstory To Develop Characters (The Wedding Scene)
Male Friendship
In 1978, The Deer Hunter held a mirror to America, asking us to confront the psychological cost of war—not just for the soldiers on the battlefield but also for the communities they return to. It’s a film that dives deep into themes of trauma, friendship, and how war can change the course of an entire community.
But how does a country heal from a conflict like Vietnam? What toll does war take on those who fight it—and those who wait for them at home? And how do we reconcile moments of beauty and camaraderie with the brutality of survival?
Comparisons
All Categories (28)
Best Picture
The Deer Hunter— Barry Spikings, Michael Deeley, Michael Cimino and John Peverall, Producers
Winner
An Unmarried Woman— Paul Mazursky and Tony Ray, Producers
Coming Home— Jerome Hellman, Producer
Heaven Can Wait— Warren Beatty, Producer
Midnight Express— Alan Marshall and David Puttnam, Producers
Actor In A Leading Role
Gary Busey— The Buddy Holly Story {"Buddy Holly"}
Laurence Olivier— The Boys from Brazil {"Ezra Lieberman"}
Robert De Niro— The Deer Hunter {"Michael"}
Warren Beatty— Heaven Can Wait {"Joe Pendleton (alias, Leo Farnsworth, Tom Jarrett)"}
Actor In A Supporting Role
Bruce Dern— Coming Home {"Captain Bob Hyde"}
Jack Warden— Heaven Can Wait {"Max Corkle"}
John Hurt— Midnight Express {"Max"}
Richard Farnsworth— Comes a Horseman {"Dodger"}
Actress In A Leading Role
Ellen Burstyn— Same Time, Next Year {"Doris"}
Geraldine Page— Interiors {"Eve"}
Ingrid Bergman— Autumn Sonata {"Charlotte Andergast"}
Jill Clayburgh— An Unmarried Woman {"Erica"}
Actress In A Supporting Role
Dyan Cannon— Heaven Can Wait {"Julia Farnsworth"}
Maureen Stapleton— Interiors {"Pearl"}
Meryl Streep— The Deer Hunter {"Linda"}
Penelope Milford— Coming Home {"Viola Munson"}
Directing
Coming Home— Hal Ashby
Heaven Can Wait— Warren Beatty, Buck Henry
Interiors— Woody Allen
Midnight Express— Alan Parker
Writing (Screenplay Based On Material From Another Medium)
Midnight Express— Oliver Stone
Winner
Bloodbrothers— Walter Newman
California Suite— Neil Simon
Heaven Can Wait— Elaine May, Warren Beatty
Same Time, Next Year— Bernard Slade
Writing (Screenplay Written Directly For The Screen)
Coming Home— Story by Nancy Dowd; Screenplay by Waldo Salt, Robert C. Jones
Winner
An Unmarried Woman— Paul Mazursky
Autumn Sonata— Ingmar Bergman
Interiors— Woody Allen
The Deer Hunter— Story by Michael Cimino, Deric Washburn, Louis Garfinkle, Quinn K. Redeker; Screenplay by Deric Washburn
Cinematography
Days of Heaven— Nestor Almendros
Winner
Heaven Can Wait— William A. Fraker
Same Time, Next Year— Robert Surtees
The Deer Hunter— Vilmos Zsigmond
The Wiz— Oswald Morris
Music (Original Score)
Midnight Express— Giorgio Moroder
Winner
Days of Heaven— Ennio Morricone
Heaven Can Wait— Dave Grusin
Superman— John Williams
The Boys from Brazil— Jerry Goldsmith
Music (Original Song)
"Last Dance" from Thank God It's Friday— Music and Lyrics by Paul Jabara
Winner
"Hopelessly Devoted To You" from Grease— Music and Lyrics by John Farrar
"Ready To Take A Chance Again" from Foul Play— Music by Charles Fox; Lyrics by Norman Gimbel
"The Last Time I Felt Like This" from Same Time, Next Year— Music by Marvin Hamlisch; Lyrics by Alan Bergman and Marilyn Bergman
"When You're Loved" from The Magic of Lassie— Music and Lyrics by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman
Art Direction
Heaven Can Wait— Art Direction: Paul Sylbert, Edwin O'Donovan; Set Decoration: George Gaines
Winner
California Suite— Art Direction: Albert Brenner; Set Decoration: Marvin March
Interiors— Art Direction: Mel Bourne; Set Decoration: Daniel Robert
The Brink's Job— Art Direction: Dean Tavoularis, Angelo Graham; Set Decoration: George R. Nelson, Bruce Kay
The Wiz— Art Direction: Tony Walton, Philip Rosenberg; Set Decoration: Edward Stewart, Robert Drumheller
Film Editing
The Deer Hunter— Peter Zinner
Winner
Coming Home— Don Zimmerman
Midnight Express— Gerry Hambling
Superman— Stuart Baird
The Boys from Brazil— Robert E. Swink
Sound
The Deer Hunter— Richard Portman, William McCaughey, Aaron Rochin, Darin Knight
Winner
Days of Heaven— John K. Wilkinson, Robert W. Glass, Jr., John T. Reitz, Barry Thomas
Hooper— Robert Knudson, Robert J. Glass, Don MacDougall, Jack Solomon
Superman— Gordon K. McCallum, Graham Hartstone, Nicolas Le Messurier, Roy Charman
The Buddy Holly Story— Tex Rudloff, Joel Fein, Curly Thirlwell, Willie Burton
Costume Design
Death on the Nile— Anthony Powell
Winner
Caravans— Renie Conley
Days of Heaven— Patricia Norris
The Swarm— Paul Zastupnevich
The Wiz— Tony Walton
Documentary (Feature)
Scared Straight!— Arnold Shapiro, Producer
Winner
Mysterious Castles of Clay— Alan Root, Producer
Raoni— Jean-Pierre Dutilleux, Barry Williams and Michel Gast, Producers
The Lovers' Wind— Albert Lamorisse, Producer
With Babies and Banners: Story of the Women's Emergency Brigade— Anne Bohlen, Lyn Goldfarb and Lorraine Gray, Producers
Documentary (Short Subject)
The Flight of the Gossamer Condor— Jacqueline Phillips Shedd and Ben Shedd, Producers
Winner
An Encounter with Faces— K.K. Kapil, Producer
Goodnight Miss Ann— August Cinquegrana, Producer
Squires of San Quentin— J. Gary Mitchell, Producer
The Divided Trail: A Native American Odyssey— Jerry Aronson, Producer
Short Film (Animated)
Special Delivery— Eunice Macaulay and John Weldon, Producers
Winner
Oh My Darling— Nico Crama, Producer
Rip Van Winkle— Will Vinton, Producer
Short Film (Live Action)
Teenage Father— Taylor Hackford, Producer
Winner
A Different Approach— Jim Belcher and Fern Field, Producers
Mandy's Grandmother— Andrew Sugerman, Producer
Strange Fruit— Seth Pinsker, Producer
Foreign Language Film
Get Out Your Handkerchiefs— France
Winner
Hungarians— Hungary
The Glass Cell— German Federal Republic
Viva Italia!— Italy
White Bim Black Ear— Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
Honorary Award
To Walter Lantz for bringing joy and laughter to every part of the world through his unique animated motion pictures.
Winner
To King Vidor for his incomparable achievements as a cinematic creator and innovator.
To Laurence Olivier for the full body of his work, for the unique achievements of his entire career and his lifetime of contribution to the art of film.
To The Museum of Modern Art Department of Film for the contribution it has made to the public's perception of movies as an art form.
Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award
Leo Jaffe
Winner
Medal Of Commendation
To Linwood G. Dunn in appreciation for outstanding service and dedication in upholding the high standards of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Winner
To Loren L. Ryder in appreciation for outstanding service and dedication in upholding the high standards of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
To Waldon O. Watson in appreciation for outstanding service and dedication in upholding the high standards of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Music (Adaptation Score)
The Buddy Holly Story— Joe Renzetti
Winner
Pretty Baby— Jerry Wexler
The Wiz— Quincy Jones
Scientific Or Technical Award (Academy Award Of Merit)
To EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY for the research and development of a Duplicating Color film for Motion Pictures. [Film]
Winner
To PANAVISION, INCORPORATED, and its engineering staff under the direction of ROBERT E. GOTTSCHALK, for the concept, design and continuous development of the Panaflex Motion Picture Camera System. [Camera]
To STEFAN KUDELSKI of Nagra Magnetic Recorders, Incorporated, for the continuing research, design and development of the Nagra Production Sound Recorder for Motion Pictures. [Sound]
Scientific Or Technical Award (Scientific And Engineering Award)
To RAY M. DOLBY, IOAN R. ALLEN, DAVID P. ROBINSON, STEPHEN M. KATZ and PHILIP S. J. BOOLE of Dolby Laboratories, Incorporated, for the development and implementation of an improved Sound Recording and Reproducing System for Motion Picture Production and Exhibition. [Sound]
Winner
Scientific Or Technical Award (Technical Achievement Award)
To KARL MACHER and GLENN M. BERGGREN of Isco Optische Werke for the development and introduction of the Cinelux-ULTRA Lens for 35mm Motion Picture Projection. [Lenses and Filters]
Winner
To DAVID J. DEGENKOLB, ARTHUR L. FORD and FRED J. SCOBEY of DeLuxe General, Incorporated, for the development of a Method to Recycle Motion Picture Laboratory Photographic Wash Waters by Ion Exchange. [Laboratory]
To JAMES L. FISHER of J.L. Fisher, Incorporated, for the design and manufacture of a small, mobile, motion picture camera platform known as the Fisher Model Ten Dolly. [Camera Cranes]
To KIICHI SEKIGUCHI of CINE-FI International for the development of the CINE-FI Auto Radio Sound System for Drive-In Theaters. [Systems]
To LEONARD CHAPMAN of Leonard Equipment Company, for the design and manufacture of a small, mobile, motion picture camera platform known as the Chapman Hustler Dolly. [Camera Cranes]
To ROBERT STINDT of Production Grip Equipment Company, for the design and manufacture of a small, mobile, motion picture camera platform known as the Stindt Dolly. [Camera Cranes]
Special Achievement Award (Visual Effects)
Superman— Les Bowie, Colin Chilvers, Denys Coop, Roy Field, Derek Meddings, Zoran Perisic
Winner