Difficulty: Easy
Correct Answer: Moonlight
Explanation:
Introduction / Context:
The 2017 Oscar Awards became famous for a dramatic on stage mix up, when La La Land was first announced as Best Picture by mistake and then the correction was made. The real winner, however, is a key fact tested in many exams and quizzes. This question asks which film actually received the Best Picture award at that 2017 ceremony.
Given Data / Assumptions:
- The event is the 2017 Oscar Awards, which correspond to the 89th Academy Awards.
- The category is Best Picture.
- The options list several acclaimed films from that awards season.
- Only one of them was the true Best Picture winner after the envelope error was corrected.
- We assume official Academy records and wide media coverage as reference.
Concept / Approach:
The famous incident is that La La Land was mistakenly announced as Best Picture before the error was discovered. The crew of La La Land had already come on stage when it was clarified that Moonlight was the actual winner. Therefore, even though La La Land appears attractive as an option, the correct Best Picture winner for the 2017 Oscars was Moonlight. The approach is to recall this widely reported correction and select Moonlight while discarding the other nominees.
Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall that the 2017 Oscars ended with a memorable confusion where the presenters read out La La Land for Best Picture.
Step 2: Remember that within minutes the mistake was corrected on stage and it was announced that Moonlight was in fact the real Best Picture winner.
Step 3: Arrival, Manchester by the Sea and Hacksaw Ridge were strong contenders and winners in other categories, but none of them were awarded Best Picture.
Step 4: La La Land, despite winning several awards including Best Director and Best Actress, did not receive the Best Picture title.
Step 5: Moonlight, a coming of age drama about identity and struggle, is officially listed as the Best Picture winner for the 2017 Oscars.
Step 6: Therefore, the correct answer is Moonlight.
Verification / Alternative check:
A quick cross check is to think about how the incident is usually described in news and exam notes: Moonlight wins Best Picture after La La Land is mistakenly announced. This phrasing appears repeatedly, making it easy to remember the winner correctly. Academy official lists also clearly show Moonlight as the Best Picture winner for that year. As the other films are recorded only as nominees or winners in different categories, this confirms the answer.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option A (La La Land) is wrong because, despite being announced once by mistake, it is not the final or official Best Picture winner.
Option B (Arrival) is wrong because it received nominations and technical awards but not the top award.
Option D (Manchester by the Sea) is wrong because it won acting and writing awards, not Best Picture.
Option E (Hacksaw Ridge) is wrong because it secured technical awards but failed to achieve Best Picture.
Common Pitfalls:
The biggest pitfall is to be misled by the memory of La La Land being announced on stage and to forget that this result was corrected. Some candidates also confuse the 2017 and 2018 ceremonies, mixing up Moonlight and The Shape of Water. Another mistake is to guess based on critical praise alone. To avoid such errors, it is helpful to remember the short timeline: Spotlight in 2016, Moonlight in 2017 and The Shape of Water in 2018 as successive Best Picture winners.
Final Answer:
The film that actually won the Best Picture award at the 2017 Oscars was Moonlight.
Discussion & Comments