6 Best Oscar Best Picture Winners of the 1960s

By Vlad Zakh · June 15, 2026

The Academy Award for Best Picture in the 1960s crowned a decade of lavish musicals, sweeping historical dramas, and daring new voices. In The Apartment (1960): A lonely office worker lends his apartment to philandering executives, complicating his own budding romance. Equally memorable is In the Heat of the Night (1967): A Black homicide detective is forced to work with a bigoted small-town Southern sheriff to solve a murder.

Midnight Cowboy (1969)

TMDB ★ 7.7

A naive Texan hustler and a sickly con man form an unlikely friendship while struggling to survive on the streets of New York.

Directed by John Schlesinger · 1h 53m · Rated NC-17

Where to watch

Stream: fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Plex · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

In the Heat of the Night (1967)

IMDb ★ 7.9 RT 96% Metacritic 76

A Black homicide detective is forced to work with a bigoted small-town Southern sheriff to solve a murder.

Directed by Norman Jewison · 1h 49m · Rated PG-13

Won 5 Oscars24 wins & 16 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: History Vault, IndieFlix Shorts Amazon Channel · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Plex · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

A Man for All Seasons (1966)

TMDB ★ 7.5

A principled English statesman risks execution rather than compromise his conscience for King Henry VIII.

Directed by Fred Zinnemann · 2h 00m · Rated G

Where to watch

Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Tom Jones (1963)

TMDB ★ 6.6

A charming, illegitimate young man's roguish adventures and romantic entanglements scandalize 18th century England.

Directed by Tony Richardson · 2h 08m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Stream: HBO Max Amazon Channel, HBO Max · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

West Side Story (1961)

IMDb ★ 7.6 RT 92% Metacritic 86

Rival street gangs in New York clash as two young lovers from opposing sides fall for each other.

Directed by Jerome Robbins & Robert Wise · 2h 33m · Rated NR

Won 10 Oscars31 wins & 11 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: YouTube TV · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Apartment (1960)

IMDb ★ 8.3 RT 94% Metacritic 94

A lonely office worker lends his apartment to philandering executives, complicating his own budding romance.

Directed by Billy Wilder · 2h 06m

Won 5 Oscars26 wins & 8 nominations

Where to watch

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

Founder of Movieix, built to fix a specific annoyance: most recommendation sites are just algorithm-driven noise. Our lists are researched and organized by who's in a film, where it's from, and the mood you're actually in tonight.

6 Best Oscar Best Picture Winners of the 1960s

Midnight Cowboy (1969)

In the Heat of the Night (1967)

A Man for All Seasons (1966)

Tom Jones (1963)

West Side Story (1961)

The Apartment (1960)

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