The five Best Picture nominees in 1998 fell into two categories: Movies about royalty (“Shakespeare in Love” and “Elizabeth”) and WWII pictures (“Saving Private Ryan,” Terrence Malick's “The Thin Red Line,” and even Roberto Benigni Holocaust fable “Life Is Beautiful”).
“Elizabeth” won only one Oscar out of its 7 nominations.

“Crossfire” lost in each of its five nominated categories. That “Gentleman's Agreement” was voted Best Picture for ideological, not artistic, considerations is clear not only from its win over “Crossfire, but also in its win over David Lean's masterpiece, “Great Expectations.” The Academy proved that when weighing a film's contents against its style, the former counts more.

Here's a list of directors who have received multiple Oscar nominations (three or more) but have never received a legit or competitive award. Most of the losers, or non-winners (to use the Academy's jargon), have been compensated with an Honorary Oscar. Hopefully, Scorsese, a six-time nominee, will be crossed out from the list this Sunday.

In 1983, the Best Picture nominees were:

In 1982, the Best Picture nominees were:
E.T., Gandhi (the winner), Missing, Tootsie, and
The Verdict.