Domestic dramas were in vogue at the 1983 Oscars and indeed, throughout the year-end awards season.

The National Board of Review got things started things rolling by naming TV director James L. Brooks’ first theatrical film, Terms of Endearment the year’s best, but the film won in what was a surprise tie with Betrayal, the work of another TV director, the lesser known David Hugh Jones. Brooks was named Best Director.

The Los Angeles Film Critics went with Terms of Endearment and Brooks. The New York Film Critics agreed with Terms of Endearment as Best Picture but chose Ingmar Bergman as Best Director for Fanny & Alexander.

The National Society of Film Critics went in a completely different direction, bestowing their Best Picture award on the Italian film, The Night of the Shooting Stars and giving the film’s directing brothers, Paulo and Vittorio Taviani their Best Director award.

Golden Globes went to Terms of Endearment for Best Picture – Drama, Yentl for Best Picture – Musical of Comedy and Fanny & Alexander for Best Foreign Film.

The Directors Guild nominated Brooks and Bergman along with Bruce Beresford for Tender Mercies; Lawrence Kasdan for The Big Chill and Philip Kaufman for The Right Stuff, giving their award to Brooks.

Oscar nominations for Best Picture went to The Big Chill; The Dresser; The Right Stuff; Tender Mercies and eventual winner Terms of Endearment. Best Director nods went to Brooks, Bergman and Beresford, but the Academy disagreed with the DGA’s picks of Kasdan and Kaufman, giving the remaining slots to Mike Nichols for Silkwood and Peter Yates for The Dresser.

What then, would the other five nominees have been had Oscar gone to ten this year? Certainly Fanny & Alexander, which was nominated for six Oscars and won four, would have been there. So, too, would have The Big Chill, which had been nominated for three.

Yentl, despite Barbra Streisand’s futile campaign to become Oscar’s first female director nominee, would have made the cut. It had been nominated for five Oscars, and won one. Silkwood, which had also been nominated for five would undoubtedly have been there as well.

I expect the last slot would have been a close race between The Year of Living Dangerously (one nomination and win – Best Supporting Actress, Linda Hunt) and Testament (one nomination – Best Actress Jane Alexander). Testament wins my coin toss.

In addition to its Best Picture and Director wins, Terms of Endearment also won for Best Actress (Shirley MacLaine), Supporting Actor (Jack Nicholson) and Adapted Screenplay. Robert Duvall took home the Best Actor award for Tender Mercies.