Even Richard Attenborough Knew ‘E.T.’ Should Have Beat ‘Gandhi’ at the Oscars

In the annals of retroactive complaining about the Oscars, few seem as blindingly obvious as the 1983 Best Picture decision, where Gandhibeat E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial. Gandhi was the belle of the ball that night, winning eight total Oscars and taking many that should have arguably gone to E.T.—most notably Best Cinematography and Best Director. When the Oscars had to choose between two films that both served as the apotheosis of their respective directors' creative vision, they inevitably succumbed to their pedestrian taste. They went hard for Richard Attenborough's tastefully reverent biopic over Steven Spielberg's magical sci-fi fairy tale, which seems like first-degree murder in 2025, but even back then, it was also seen as obviously wrong. Don't just take my word for it, as Richard Attenborough himself said that he knew E.T. should have won over Gandhi.