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“Oppenheimer” is the most nominated film at this year’s Oscars with 13 nominations. That’s one shy of the all-time record of 14 nominations so it missed out on Oscars history in the nomination phase.

However, Universal’s movie could match Academy Awards history in the awards phase by equalling the record of 11 Oscar wins overall. So far, three films have won 11 Academy Awards. They were “Ben-Hur” in 1960, “Titanic” in 1998, and “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” in 2004. Here’s the breakdown of what awards they won.

“Ben-Hur”

Best Picture — Sam Zimbalist Best Director — William Wyler Best Actor — Charlton Heston Best Supporting Actor — Hugh Griffith Best Film Editing Best Cinematography (Color) Best Music (Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture) Best Costume Design (Color) Best Art Direction-Set Decoration (Color) Best Sound Recording Best Visual Effects

*”Ben-Hur” was also nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay for Karl Tunberg...

The historical epic is a genre unto itself. Movies in this category are often defined by their scope and scale. They usually boast an incredibly long runtime and are grounded in historical realism. Although inaccuracies may occur for the sake of the story, some of cinema's greatest epics steal their key character beats and narrative conflicts from real life. It's a genre that has been present throughout almost every era of film history, and there's a timeless quality to the productions.

Rotten Tomatoes has put together a showcase of the best historical epics, with the films credited with some of the highest scores on the review platform. For those who are looking to experience the genre for the first time or already have a huge appreciation for the medium, these movies are some of the best. They have influenced cinema in their own right and are endlessly mimicked but never quite replicated.

It’s a Cold War thriller in the steamy tropics! The Reds are making their move in Malaya and four vibrant people are caught in the crosshairs: rich rubber planter William Holden, revolutionary strategist Tetsuro Tanba, peaceful teacher and activist Capucine, and adventurous Governor’s daughter Susannah York. Director Lewis Gilbert keeps a rickety script on its feet drama-wise and superb cinematography (Freddie Young) and impressive music (Riz Ortolani) do the rest. The show ended up being most noted for a nude swimming scene scooped in the pages of Playboy.

The 7th Dawn

Blu-ray

Kl Studio Classics

1964 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 123 min. / Street Date January 4, 2022 / available through Kino Lorber / 24.95

Starring: William Holden, Susannah York, Capucine, Tetsuro Tanba, Michael Goodliffe, Allan Cuthbertson, Sydney Tafler, Maurice Denham.

Cinematography: Frederick Young

Production Designer: John Stoll

Art Director: Herbert Smith

Film Editor: John Shirley

Original Music: Riz Ortolani

Associate Producer: John Dark

Written for the...

This remake of Warners’ 1924 John Barrymore feature gives us Elizabeth Taylor in the Mary Astor role, Stewart Granger as the fashion dandy of the Restoration Period, and a scene-stealing Peter Ustinov as a lonely, needy Prince of Wales. The history is still weak, but it at least doesn’t turn Brummell into a typical swashbuckler. Compensating are English actors that can get any script up on its feet, and Liz Taylor’s blue-violet eyes. And the Oswald Morris cinematography improves greatly on the MGM house style.

Beau Brummell

Blu-ray

Warner Archive Collection

1954 / Color / 1:75 widescreen / 113 min. / Street Date March 10, 2020 / available through the WBshop / 21.99

Starring: Stewart Granger, Elizabeth Taylor, Peter Ustinov, Robert Morley, James Donald, James Hayter, Rosemary Harris, Paul Rogers, Noel Willman, Peter Dyneley, Peter Bull, Finlay Currie, David Peel.

Cinematography: Oswald Morris

Film Editor: Frank Clarke

Art Direction: Alfred Junge

Original Music: Richard Addinsell

Written by Karl Tunberg from...

This remake of Warners’ 1924 John Barrymore feature gives us Elizabeth Taylor in the Mary Astor role, Stewart Granger as the fashion dandy of the Restoration Period, and a scene-stealing Peter Ustinov as a lonely, needy Prince of Wales. The history is still weak, but it at least doesn’t turn Brummell into a typical swashbuckler. Compensating are English actors that can get any script up on its feet, and Liz Taylor’s blue-violet eyes. And the Oswald Morris cinematography improves greatly on the MGM house style.

Beau Brummell

Blu-ray

Warner Archive Collection

1954 / Color / 1:75 widescreen / 113 min. / Street Date March 10, 2020 / available through the WBshop / 21.99

Starring: Stewart Granger, Elizabeth Taylor, Peter Ustinov, Robert Morley, James Donald, James Hayter, Rosemary Harris, Paul Rogers, Noel Willman, Peter Dyneley, Peter Bull, Finlay Currie, David Peel.

Cinematography: Oswald Morris

Film Editor: Frank Clarke

Art Direction: Alfred Junge

Original Music: Richard Addinsell

Written by Karl Tunberg from...

A look at 5 movies that you might not have known were written by famous authors. Sometimes they worked out, sometimes they did not.

Writing a movie can be a lot different from writing a book. Unlike a movie script, a novel is freeform. The author can take any style or format they would like to convey their ideas. A script, on the other hand, has to be able to be interpreted by the actors, filmmakers, and the audience. Therefore, it is typically structured in a certain way to help people working on the movie do their job and people watching the movie comprehend what is happening. Furthermore, a major difference between writing novels and movies is that movies are (mostly) restricted to the visual realm. It’s not easy to show audiences what characters are thinking, which severely limits plot and character development techniques. Overall, there are unique challenges to...

Fortuity provides an intriguing thematic segue. Brushing up on my Val Lewton research in anticipation of Pfa's Complicated Shadows series, I came across a brief mention at The Val Lewton Screenplay Collection--a fantastic resource for Lewton fans--that, allegedly, Val Lewton drafted a 400-page treatment of Nikolai Gogol's historical novel Taras Bulba. I have no idea if this has anything to do with the 1962 film Taras Bulba--whose screenplay adaptation is attributed to Waldo Salt and Karl Tunberg--but, nonetheless, this bit of trivia caught my attention because no less than a week or so ago Federico Windhausen--who I met at Susan Oxtoby's reception for Robert Beavers--contacted me to let me know that he had recently completed a documentary on the making of the 1962 film, Taras Bulba, which he advised had been filmed in--of all places--Salta, Argentina.

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