Held on April 10, 1967, the 39th Academy Awards isn’t a particularly celebrated year for the awards, but there were a few strong races and memorable winners. It also has proved to be a non-controversial year, so this isn’t the most exciting year to introduce this feature, but it is always fun to look back.

Overall, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? led the nominations with 13 [5 more than the next highest], marking the first time in Academy history that a film was nominated in every category for which it was eligible. But it was A Man for All Seasons that won the most awards, one more than Virginia Woolf and including the ultimate Best Picture prize. Only four other films tasted victory and, unfortunately, none of them have remained culturally significant. The remaining Best Picture nominees, for example, include Alfie, a good film that is only remembered because of a terrible 2004 remake and early Michael Caine performance, The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming! and The Sand Pebbles, which are both bloated relics of an uninteresting time in Hollywood desperate for the growth of unique voices that would soon come.

For the purposes of this exercise, I will only be considering the films and people who were nominated for each category. Sure, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly or The Battle of Algiers or Persona or Au Hasard Balthazar [and on and on and on] were among the best films released in 1966, but without knowing the specific nomination rules for the year and considering the films that historically are nominated and win the awards, it is more appropriate to limit the exercise’s focus. Further disclaimer: As I am a person subjected to the rules of limited time and film availability, I haven’t watched every nominated film, but have made a concerted effort to watch a majority of the films nominated in every covered category.

Best Original Score
The Nominees:
John Barry [Born Free]
Elmer Bernstein [Hawaii]
Jerry Goldsmith [The Sand Pebbles]
Toshiro Mayuzumi [The Bible: In the Beginning…]
Alex North [Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?]

Winner: John Barry [Born Free]
Who Should Have Won: Jerry Goldsmith [The Sand Pebbles]

I’ll admit I don’t have much of an ear for music, so this was partly a crapshoot for me. Of the mix, Barry’s Born Free theme is almost instantly identifiable, remaining in the cultural consciousness over the decades. It is an interesting, unique mix of your typical orchestral score and more modern instrumentation. It certainly stands out among its competitors, while Jerry Goldsmith’s score for The Sand Pebbles is more of the big and powerful score you expect from a military epic, but with touches that work with the Chinese location. Goldsmith was nominated for 18 Oscars over his long career, winning only once [for The Omen]. For Alex North’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? score, I was surprised by how little music there was in the film, which definitely heightens the drama in some scenes, but doesn’t resonate when thinking of the best scores of the year.

Best Sound
The Nominees:
Gambit
Grand Prix
Hawaii
The Sand Pebbles
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Winner: Grand Prix
What Should Have Won: Grand Prix

When thinking about the nominees, only Grand Prix has a distinctive use of sound. While most of John Frankenheimer’s three-hour racing drama takes place away from the windy roads, it comes alive with the whirring sound of revving engines. The film takes advantage of the Pavlov’s Dogs nature of this sound, making the heart pump a little faster whenever it blasts from speakers. That may be an unfair advantage, but it alone is enough to stand out among the crowd of the remaining worldly epics and the strange outlier of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Best Costume Design, Black-and-White
The Nominees:
The Gospel According to St. Matthew
La mandragola
Mister Buddwing
Morgan!
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Winner: Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
What Should Have Won: Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

It should be noted that 1967 was the last year at the Oscars where black-and-white films were separated from color cinematography films in a few particular categories---Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? greatly benefited from this split, especially in this category. This might be the most interesting win for Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? as it certainly isn’t the favorite on paper, at least by typical Oscar standards. Still, Martha’s costume changes have an important place in the narrative, which is why it should be honored. The costumes are not only well made, but they have a larger meaning to the film. La mandragola and The Gospel According to St. Matthew are the clearest competition as historical dramas, while Mister Buddwing and Morgan! are similarly contemporary films. None of these nominees, including the winner, would have topped either A Man for All Seasons or Juliet of the Spirits, who fought it out in the color category.

Best Art Direction and Production Design, Black-and-White
The Nominees:
The Fortune Cookie
The Gospel According to St. Matthew
Is Paris Burning?
Mister Buddwing
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Winner: Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
What Should Have Won: Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

This is probably the category that its limited scope helps Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? stand out, as a greater attention to every detail can be put into Martha and George’s living quarters and the surrounding environment. Their house is beautifully lived-in and overly stuffed, giving a greater context into its inhabitants and their crumbling relationship. As for its top competition, The Gospel According to St. Matthew is a more traditionally “artsy” film but didn’t have the profile to win the award and The Fortune Cookie, a lesser known Billy Wilder film, is a competently made film without a definitive look.

Best Cinematography, Black-and-White
The Nominees:
Joseph LaShelle [The Fortune Cookie]
Kenneth Higgins [Georgy Girl]
Marcel Grignon [Is Paris Burning?]
Haskell Wexler [Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?]
James Wong Howe [Seconds]

Winner: Haskell Wexler [Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?]
Who Should Have Won: Haskell Wexler [Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?]

The third category [and win] that was separated from nominated films in color, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? may not have taken the award if it was up against A Man for All Seasons, but it is a worthy win against its black-and-white competition. Though the film takes place primarily in one location and without the grand vistas that typically are awarded in this category, it uses every bit of its location and its characters. Stylistically and thematically, there isn’t much of an argument for the film being in black-and-white [legend has it that that makeup used to age Elizabeth Taylor didn’t work in color], but the film is undeniably beautiful. By the end of the film, shadows over the close-up faces, coupled with the psychological states of the characters, give off a very film noir style, which perhaps works better when seen black-and-white. This was legendary cinematographer Haskell Wexler’s first Oscar nomination; he would be nominated four more times during his brilliant career, winning another statue in 1977 for Bound for Glory.

Best Editing
The Nominees:
Fantastic Voyage
Grand Prix
The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming!
The Sand Pebbles
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Winner: Grand Prix
What Should Have Won: Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Grand Prix certainly has its flourishes [including an amazing opening racing scene which uses triptych framing], similar to what I noted in the Best Sound category, but is an incredibly uneven film; typically, that is going to be a flaw of the screenplay and the editing. Grand Prix’s racing scenes are more than enough to keep its win from being a travesty, but I’d go with the more consistent and quicker paced Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Despite taking place primarily in one claustrophobic location, the shot selection and length give the film more excitement per capita than the cinematic sports story.

Best Adapted Screenplay
The Nominees:
Robert Bolt [A Man for All Seasons]
Richard Brooks [The Professionals]
Ernest Lehman [Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?]
Bill Naughton [Alfie]
William Rose [The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming!]

Winner: Robert Bolt [A Man for All Seasons]
Who Should Have Won: Robert Bolt [A Man for All Seasons]

Like the Oscars-at-large, the Adapted Screenplay category is a two horse race, with A Man for All Seasons the righteous winner in a close decision. Both films are intricate character studies based on popular plays, but I’ll give the edge for the philosophical impact made by the winner. A “Best Screenplay” doesn’t have to have a greater contextual importance or be based on true events, but those can be advantages when done right. Robert Bolt, who wrote the original play, also won an Oscar for Doctor Zhivago and was co-nominated for Lawrence of Arabia. His script for A Man for All Seasons has the same wonderful character building, transcending real people during real historical events to live on in his vision.

Best Supporting Actress
The Nominees:
Sandy Dennis [Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?]
Wendy Hiller [A Man for All Seasons]
Jocelyne LaGarde [Hawaii]
Vivien Merchant [Alfie]
Geraldine Page [You’re a Big Boy Now]

Winner: Sandy Dennis [Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?]
Who Should Have Won: Vivien Merchant [Alfie]

If this played out in real life, Vivien Merchant winning over Sandy Dennis would have likely been considered an “upset,” but I’m leaning to the performance that had the bigger positive impact on its film. Dennis gives a fine performance as the young and naive woman letting loose on this crazy night, but she is swallowed up by her veteran co-stars. Merchant’s role in Alfie, the older woman who becomes involved with the title playboy, is the emotional heart with a beautiful and tragic performance to match. Without Merchant’s presence Alfie becomes an ultimately troubling film that doesn’t look into the real stakes of male promiscuity. Her performance is just the right pitch to deliver an emotional gut punch without coming off maudlin. For that, this unheralded performance should be recognized.

Best Supporting Actor
The Nominees:
Mako [The Sand Pebbles]
James Mason [Georgy Girl]
Walter Matthau [The Fortune Cookie]
George Segal [Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?]
Robert Shaw [A Man for All Seasons]

Winner: Walter Matthau [The Fortune Cookie]
Who Should Have Won: Walter Matthau [The Fortune Cookie]

This is primarily a race between Matthau and Robert Shaw in two very different supporting roles. Matthau is perfect as the bold and crooked lawyer trying to get a payout for his brother-in-law’s unfortunate work accident in Billy Wilder’s minor The Fortune Cookie. It is the kind of attitude that Matthau would build his career on in films like The Bad News Bears, The Odd Couple, Grumpy Old Men, and he is incredibly fun to watch. Certainly, he has a great advantage over his competition in essentially being a co-lead in the film---it really isn’t until the third act when his role becomes more minored compared to co-star Jack Lemmon. As is often the case with acting award nominations, I suspect his relative star power compared to Lemmon unduly relegated his place. For Shaw, his performance as King Henry VIII is the defining presentation of the controversial historical figure and is so different than the actor’s most notable role as Quint in Jaws. George Segal is fine in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, but like his Oscar winning co-star Sandy Dennis, he is particularly swallowed up by the other stronger presences in the film.

Best Director
The Nominees:
Michelangelo Antonioni [Blow-Up]
Richard Brooks [The Professionals]
Claude Lelouch [A Man and a Woman]
Mike Nichols [Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?]
Fred Zinnemann [A Man for All Seasons]

Winner: Fred Zinnemann [A Man for All Seasons]
Who Should Have Won: Mike Nichols [Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?]

Perhaps this is me throwing a bone to Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? [more on that later], but I’ll favor the hot filmmaking debut over the long-time journeyman and previous Oscar winner. Nichols would rightfully win the following year for The Graduate, so this wouldn’t need to become a purely revisionist pick, but if this had happened maybe Arthur Penn could have won for his seminal film Bonnie and Clyde instead. That’s a dangerous rabbit hole, so going back to merits of these directors, Nichols certainly shows more verve in the overall style and vision than Zinnemann. While A Man for All Seasons is a complete film with no filmmaking weaknesses [and that’s an argument for the achievement of a director], Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is a better showcase for the choices made by a true film artist. By another “Best Director” metric of which film would be massively different [or worse] without another at the helm, Nichols gives more to his film. Antonioni’s Blow-Up is a stylistic masterpiece that also has an argument, but I’ll stick with the two directors who had the best shot for the Academy.

Best Actor
The Nominees:
Alan Arkin [The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming!]
Richard Burton [Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?]
Michael Caine [Alfie]
Steve McQueen [The Sand Pebbles]
Paul Scofield [A Man for All Seasons]

Winner: Paul Scofield [A Man for All Seasons]
Who Should Have Won: Richard Burton [Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?]

As is often the case with the Best Actor category, this is basically an impossible decision. Scofield’s presence is stable and strong and I see why he ultimately won, but I’ll edge to Burton’s more dynamic and unpredictable performance over the tough competition. Burton has been lost in the cultural conversation about the film alongside Elizabeth Taylor’s Oscar win and the behind-the-scenes drama, but his performance stands up. I also gave great consideration to Michael Caine for his early career defining turn making a horrible human being a likeable scamp. Arkin’s nomination is notable given comedy performances aren’t often recognized. This was my first experience with Steve McQueen, and it is interesting that it was his only Oscar nomination, but the role and the film just aren’t as interesting as the competition.

Best Actress
The Nominees:
Anouk Aimée [A Man and a Woman]
Ida Kaminska [The Shop on Main Street]
Lynn Redgrave [Georgy Girl]
Vanessa Redgrave [Morgan!]
Elizabeth Taylor [Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?]

Winner: Elizabeth Taylor [Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?]
Who Should Have Won: Elizabeth Taylor [Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?]

And now the no-brainer of the event. Elizabeth Taylor is a complete dynamo as Martha in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, her second Best Actress Oscar win. She is often remembered as the stunningly photogenic star, which only makes her loud and unashamed performance here all the more impressive. She finds the perfect balance needed in the character: unapproachable and unlikable but with a true vulnerability that makes her sympathetic. The other nominees are a very nice and diverse group [funny, considering two of them are sisters] with performances ranging from Kaminska’s tragic and Lynn Redgrave’s lovable scampiness. Still, none of the others had the same perfect combination of character, performance and profile.

Best Picture
The Nominees:
Alfie
A Man for All Seasons
The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming!
The Sand Pebbles
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Winner: A Man for All Seasons
What Should Have Won: A Man for All Seasons

Considering I took two major awards away from A Man for All Seasons and gave them to Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, a switch for Best Picture would seem forthcoming. No doubt, this is a difficult choice and I would even say I prefer Virginia Woolf, but I can’t deny that A Man of All Seasons remains the more culturally important film and more suited to the historical context of the award. A Man for All Seasons is an old fashioned drama, beautifully filmed, with deep philosophical meaning, complex characters that give life to important historical figures, and fully realized performances ranging from the stoic Paul Scofield and entertaining Robert Shaw. It is, without question, a complete film and worthy of the distinction. If choosing the film with more vitality, you might make a different selection. If I were to rank the five films, Alfie would come in third at steep drop, with The Sand Pebbles and The Russians Are Coming! following behind even more distantly. Overall, not an especially strong crop, made more apparent by the two leading candidates.

Final tally: Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? adds three awards while losing one for a total of seven. By taking away two from A Man of All Seasons, it becomes the leader. For what it is worth, if there was only one award for cinematography and costume design, A Man for All Seasons would have won over its black-and-white counterpart, evening the awards at five each.