“Cabaret” holds the record for the most Oscar wins by a film that did not win Best Picture, taking eight awards at the 45th Academy Awards. The 1972 musical lost Best Picture to “The Godfather,” but its haul remains unmatched in that category of Oscar history.
Directed by Bob Fosse, “Cabaret” won Best Director, Best Actress for Liza Minnelli, Best Supporting Actor for Joel Grey, Cinematography, Film Editing, Music (Scoring: Adaptation and Original Song Score), Sound, and Art Direction. Its eight victories came from 10 nominations, an unusually strong showing for a film that missed the top prize.
The film’s Oscar performance is often compared with “La La Land,” which won six awards without Best Picture, and “Gravity,” which won seven. “Cabaret” is also notable because it won the most awards of any film at its ceremony, despite “The Godfather” winning Best Picture and three other major prizes.