Main content
Sorry, this episode is not currently available

Oscar Winners: A Secrets of Cinema Special

Mark Kermode explores the sorts of films that have won Academy Awards time and time again. Is it the subject matter or its treatment that is the key to beating your rivals?

As the red carpet season reaches its climax, Mark turns his keen eye and sharp wit on past winners of the most prestigious awards of all. What gave them the edge over their rivals? Mark shows that, despite their apparent differences, Oscar-winning films have more in common than you might think. Certain kinds of film recur, such as war, social justice and the all-singing, all-dancing extravaganza. But, as Mark explains, it’s not just about your choice of subject; it's how you treat it that counts.

In a special show that ranges from the earliest awards winners to the most recent victors, Mark reveals the films that laid down the template for cinematic glory, celebrates the classics that have endured and savours some of the movies’ most acclaimed performances.

59 minutes

Last on

Tue 12 Mar 2024 00:55
Â鶹ÊÓƵAV Four

More episodes

Previous

Mark Kermode's Christmas Cinema Secrets

Next

Mark Kermode's Disaster Movies

See all episodes from Mark Kermode's Secrets of Cinema

Clips

See all clips from Oscar Winners: A Secrets of Cinema Special (2)

Music Played

Timings (where shown) are from the start of the programme in hours and minutes

  • 00:04

    Angelo Badalamenti

    Twin Peaks

  • 00:09

    The Beatles

    Strawberry Fields Forever (2009 Mono Remaster)

  • 00:14

    James Burroughs

    The Wedding of The Painted Doll

  • 00:15

    Leonard Bernstein

    Prologue

  • 00:16

    Maria

    Maria

  • 00:17

    The Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra

    Symphony No 2: Op 27 In E Minor: II Allegro Molto

  • 00:19

    Barbra Streisand

    Evergreen

  • 00:21

    Barbra Streisand

    Don't Rain On My Parade

  • 00:21

    Reese Witherspoon

    Juke Box Blues

  • 00:24

    James Horner & London Symphony Orchestra

    Sons of Scotland

  • 00:30

    M.I.A., A.R. Rahman, M.I.A.

    O Saya

  • 00:32

    Bill Conti

    The Final Bell

  • 00:39

    Alan Silvestri

    The Crimson Gump

  • 00:40

    Jóhann Jóhannsson

    Chalkboard

  • 00:43

    Ray Charles

    Mary Ann

  • 00:48

    Thomas Newman

    Swing Parliament

  • 00:50

    John Williams, Boston Symphony Orchestra

    I Could Have Done More

  • 00:52

    Topsy Chapman, Chiwetel Ejiofor

    Roll Jordan Roll (Feat. Chiwetel Ejiofor)

Credits

Presenter Mark Kermode
Executive Producer John Das
Series Producer Nick Freand Jones
Writer Kim Newman
Writer Mark Kermode

Broadcasts

Featured in...

  • Focus on Film

    From big blockbusters to independent films, celebrating the art of cinema

  • A Trip to the Cinema

    Take a walk down the red carpet and discover the magic of film.