Which John Ford film won the 1941 Academy Award for Best Picture?
Answer
How Green Was My Valley
The John Ford film that won the 1941 Academy Award for Best Picture was How Green Was My Valley.
The 1941 drama follows the Morgan family, a Welsh mining household viewed largely through the eyes of young Huw. Ford adapted the film from Richard Llewellyn's novel, with a screenplay by Philip Dunne. Walter Pidgeon, Maureen O'Hara, Donald Crisp, Anna Lee, and Roddy McDowall led the cast.
How Green Was My Valley won five Oscars at the 14th Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director for Ford. It also won awards for Donald Crisp's supporting performance, black-and-white cinematography, and art direction. The film's victory is especially remembered because it defeated Citizen Kane, which later became celebrated as one of cinema's greatest achievements.
The film is sometimes confused with Ford's other major dramas, including The Grapes of Wrath and The Long Voyage Home. Those were important Ford films, but neither won the 1941 Best Picture Oscar. How Green Was My Valley remains the canonical answer.