The Best Picture category has always been a divisive one, even after the Oscars expanded their Best Picture category beyond five nominees after the shocking snub ofThe Dark Knight. Of course, there have been winners that have united audiences in glee fromParasitetoMoonlight(even though it was a technical disaster for the Academy), and there have been winners of the award that have caused widespread criticism and frustration fromGreen BooktoCrash. Yes, there have been odd choices for the Best Picture winner, but you know what’s even weirder? Some of the big winners have sequels. Everyone knows about the sequels toRockyandThe Godfather, but there are many surprising Best Picture winners that received follow-ups. Many of these odd sequels have been completely forgotten about. Here are seven strange sequels to films that won the Academy Award for Best Picture.
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Gone With The Windis one of the most important films in cinematic history, and it’s also one of themost controversial. The film’s depiction of Southern plantations, racial injustice, and the Civil War has always been a hot button for debate, and many of the recurring issues were raised again due to the film’s availability on HBO Max. The four-hour 1939 historical drama was the highest-grossing film of all time for many decades and adjusted for inflation, it is stillthe top earner in history.
Compared to this significant legacy, nobody seems to remember the 1994 miniseriesScarlett. The CBS program adaptedAlexandra Ripley’s 1991 book of the same name, the sequel toMargaret Mitchell’s 1936 novelGone with the Wind.Timothy DaltonandJoanne Whalleystarred as new interpretations of the iconic characters Rhett Butler and Scarlett O’Hara, respectively. Like the novel it was based on,Scarlettis very much a footnote in guides to the original and not a work of art that stands independently.
The French Connection II
1971’sThe French Connectioncelebrated its fiftieth-anniversary last year, and it’s still celebrated as one of the most important moments in the history of action cinema. The iconic extended car chase is among the best ever filmed; the CGI-heavy antics of modern films can’t contend with the practical stunt work of the original.Gene Hackmanwon the Best Actor trophy for his iconic turn as Detective Jimmy Doyle.
Compared to some other forgotten Best Picture sequels,The French Connection IIactually had a talented team behind it. The film was directed byJohn Frankenheimer, an underrated figure within action film history who also delivered such classics asThe Manchurian Candidate, Ronin, The Train,andGrand Prix. Hackman returned for a new adventure as Doyle travels to France in order to track down the first film’s villain, Alain Charnier (Fernando Rey). It’s an entirely enjoyable, if completely unnecessary follow-up that fans of the original should still respect.
The Sting II
The Stingwas already a bit of an odd Best Picture winner to begin with. While it’s a fun caper film, it won the Oscar over some of the most influential films of all-time, such asGeorge Lucas’sAmerican Graffiti,Ingmar Bergman’sCries and Whispers, andWilliam Friedkin’sThe Exorcist. Paul NewmanandRobert Redfordhave great chemistry, but they fall short of their previous partnership in the actual classicButch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. That all being said,The Stingis still a lot of fun. Comparatively,The Sting IIis pretty much unwatchable.
The film replaces Newman and Redford with an entirely new cast, and although it’s written byDavid S. Ward(who wroteThe Sting), there’s virtually no connection to the original. While the first film is a fun mix of comedy and crime,The Sting IIis nothing but confusing extended gags that make no logical sense whatsoever. It’s one of the rare films that actually holds a0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes,although it was released on Blu-Ray last year for those that are morbidly curious.
Ziegfeld Girl
Robert Z. Leonard’s 1936 filmThe Great Ziegfeldwas one of the earliest films to prove the merit of movie musicals, as it was released less than a decade after the breakout success ofThe Broadway Melody. It was among the biggest box office hits of the 1930s for MGM. Not only didThe Great Ziegfeldtake home Best Picture, but it also wonLuise Rainera Best Actress trophy, as well as the retired award for Best Dance Direction. It remains one of the signature movie musicals of all time.
That being said, the 1941 sequelZiegfeld Girlleaves a pretty impressive legacy in its own right. Although it has almost nothing to do with the original story (although some footage was reused), Leonard returned and wrangled an all-star cast that includedJames Stewart, Judy Garland, Jackie Cooper,andTony Martinamong others. It launched a series of iconic songs such as “You Stepped Out Of A Dream” and “I’m Always Chasing Rainbows."
Erich Maria Remarque’s 1929 novelAll Quiet on the Western Frontis one of the most celebrated depictions of the banality of war ever written, and the 1930 Best Picture winner that it inspired is still known as one of the greatest war films ever made. Remarque was an extremely prolific writer, and he used his sequelThe Road Backto offer commentary on the rise of fascism in Germany. Given the novel’s release prior to World War II, it is eerily relevant.
Although the adaptation of the sequel had high ambitions,production problems forced it to go over budget,resulting in a cluttered and overindulgent mess. It was unfortunate considering the passion that directorJames Whalehad for the material; Whale was a World War I veteran and had become a major industry player thanks to his work onFrankenstein, The Bride of Frankenstein, andThe Invisible Man. He aimed to reflect his own anti-war views into the epic story, but unfortunately, the studio tampered with his vision.
The Evening Star
Did anyone ask for a sequel toTerms of Endearment? Although original authorLarry McMurtry’s sequel novelThe Evening Starwas released to a modestly ambivalent reception, the film adaptation was a complete disaster. The 1983 original Best Picture winner walked the fine line of being emotional without descending into melodrama. Comparatively, the manipulative events ofThe Evening Starhave the dramatic stakes of a Lifetime original movie.
The Evening Staris set fifteen years afterTerms of Endearment, and once again follows Aurora Greenway (Shirley MacLaine) as she raises her grandchildren. MacLaine seemed to be phoning it in, despite winning an Oscar for her original performance as the character. Many of the original cast members didn’t reprise their roles, althoughJack Nicholsonpopped up in a half-hearted extended cameo. It remains a baffling box office bomb.
Robert the Bruce
Given thatBraveheartis a (very) loose adaptation of historical events, it’s not odd for there to be another film about the Scottish revolutionary period. In fact, the 2018 Netflix war filmOutlaw Kingdelivered a mostly satisfying look at what happened to Robert the Bruce. Bruce is played byChris Pine, and the film showed the continued war effort after the death of William Wallace,Mel Gibson’s character fromBraveheart.
However, the 2019 film titledRobert the Brucewas intended to be an actual sequel toBraveheart. It was directed byAngus Macfadyen, who also reprised his role as the titular Scottish warlord after first appearing inBraveheart. Macfayden was undeniably passionate about the material, but the film itself falls severely short of bothBraveheartandOutlaw Kingwhen it comes to action.
