The major competition in the 1972 Oscar race was between Coppola's “The Godfather” and Bob Fosse's musical “Chicago,” with each winning 10 nominations. The Academy voters split the major awards between “The Godfather” and “Chicago,” which won 8 out of its 10 nominations, including Best Director,

In 1970, “Patton” competed for the Best Picture Oscar with the schlocky disaster flick “Airport,” which inexplicably received 10 nominations, but won only one (Supporting Actress to veteran Helen Hayes); “Five Easy Pieces,” which was nominated for 4, but didn't win any Oscar; the blockbuster “Love Story,” which won one out of its 6 nominations; and “M-A-S-H,” the first Robert Altman to be nominated for the top award.

The year's biggest loser was “Anne of the Thousand Days,” which received the largest number (10) of nominations, but won only one. Awards-wise, George Roy Hill's “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” got more Oscars (four) than “Midnight Cowboy,” though both were nominated in 7 categories. Barbra Streisand's musical “Hello Dolly! was also nominated for 7, wining 3. The fifth Oscar nominee was Costa-Gavras' foreign-language film, the political thriller “Z.”

In 1966, “Man for All Season” competed for the top award with the British comedy “Alfie,” the American comedy, “The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming,” the War drama “The Sand Pebbles,” and “Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf” the screen adaptation of Edward Albee's stage play (directed by first-timer Mike Nichols).

The 1965 competition for Best Picture was rather weak. Stanley Kramer's flawed and pretentious “Ship of Fools” and the screen adaptation of the Broadway comedy “A Thousand Clowns” stood no chance of winning. The other two contenders were made by British directors, David Lean's “Doctor Zhivago,” a romantic spectacle, and John Schlesinger' “Darling!” clearly the most innovative of the nominees, earlier singled out by the New York Film Critics.