In Contention

Tag: Oliver!

  • LIFE WITHOUT OSCAR: 1967 and 1968

    Catch up with the idea behind this series here.

    The civil rights struggle raged through America in the late 60’s and the issue found its way to Oscar’s front door in 1967 with “In the Heat of the Night” triumphing over “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner.” Neither has the lasting impact of fellow nominees “The Graduate” or “Bonnie and Clyde” but we can’t expect the Academy to award progressive filmmaking over safe filmmaking with a progressive message.

    1968 was a strange year indeed, with two big musicals, two historical, costume dramas and one independent thriller. “Oliver!” came away with the Best Picture prize while “2001: A Space Odyssey” had to settle for one win in the Visual Effects category. So…. why do we care about the Oscars again?

    More exciting is the fact that 1968 saw an exact tie in the Best Actress race. How thrilling must that have been to the Oscarwatchers in that day? Assuming there were any. And Alfred Hitchcock picked up the Irving “whoops, sorry we didn’t award you an Oscar” G. Thalberg award and gave the best speech in Oscar history.

    So, what failed to impress Ernest Borgnine and company these years?

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  • Oscar might go for “Button”

    Cate Blanchett in The Curious Case of Benjamin ButtonThere is no good reason for me to think this, of course.  Call it a gut feeling, but I have a sneaking feeling the Academy might ignore “Slumdog Millionaire,” despite its countless awards, and go for homegrown studio product this year.  Let’s face it, the Academy has proven they march to their own drummer over and over again.

    “Slumdog” has already become a pop culture phenomenon around North America and Britain, making far more money than the filmmakers ever thought it would. Hell, before the festival season started the film was doomed, set for direct-to-DVD distribution.  Yes, Danny Boyle has won the DGA award, a solid predictor, but I’m not convinced.  Hollywood loves to congratulate itself, which we saw in 1997 with “Titanic” somehow winning a record 11 awards over the vastly superior “L.A. Confidential.”  David Fincher’s “Button” has been around for years, waiting for the right director, the right effects, the right time.

    So often in the past the Academy has gone for a film that is conservative and offends no one, ignoring the better work.”Driving Miss Daisy” over “Do the Right Thing” (which wasn’t even nominated), “Gandhi” over “E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial,” “Oliver!” over “2001:A Space Odyssey.”  The list goes on and on.  “Button” is a handsomely mounted project, beautifully shot, meticulously crafted, with strong performances from the cast,and rock solid direction from Fincher.

    “Slumdog” may well prevail, but as a devil’s advocate, I am throwing it out there that “Button” could surprise, taking wins for both Best Picture and Best Director.  Am I crazy?

  • Mood swings

    I’m having a hard time deciphering Peter Bart’s point in his cryptic new blog post, in which he reflects on the Academy’s malleable taste, and how quickly it can shift.

    As his primary case study, he cites the bizarre contrast between two back-to-back Best Picture winners, wholesome musical “Oliver!” and X-rated, gay-tinged drama “Midnight Cowboy” in 1968-9, a turnabout which Bart feels reflected significant social change at the time. True enough. But he goes on to imply obliquely that we may be in the midst of a similar situation:

    It’s hard to recall a more dramatic example of a professional organization displaying such a dramatic mood swing. But this was 1969, the year of Woodstock, Charlie Manson, Altamont, the Chicago Seven – a year of turmoil when just about everyone changed their attitudes toward just about everything.

    Sounds a bit like 2009, doesn’t it? Well, not really. The country is opening up to new ideas and new leaders, but even today “Midnight Cowboy” would provide a measure of culture shock.

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