There seems to be quite a controversy right now about the films that didn't make the 2015 nominations for best film academy awards. If they can choose 10 Best Films, why did they only select 8? Why not give a nod to Gone Girl or Unbroken? Would it kill them (whoever they are)?
It seems every year there are complaints and controversies about the Academy Awards. - the snubs and omissions. This year the big controversary is about the all white nominations, no diversity in the selections. That controversary has been going on a long time. Every once in a while a black person will win something, but not often. Not too many latinos have won, maybe Rita Moreno and Anthony Quinn and more recently Benecio Del Toro. How many Asians? I can't think of any.
But I'm interested today in films that were never nominated for Best Picture. The three that amaze me are:
1951 - The African Queen!! What, how could this fabulous film not be nominated for Best Picture?
1952 - Singing in the Rain - I know that musicals don't often get selected, but no Singing in the Rain! What!
1957 Paths of Glory - Maybe the anti-war sentiment was too heavy for the academy. But this was a beautiful film and should not have been overlooked.
There are other interesting omissions -
Did Alfred Hitchcock ever win a best picture award? Here are the ones that weren't winners - The 39 Steps, Lifeboat, Notorious, Strangers on a Train, Vertigo, Rear Window and Psycho!!!
And Charlie Chaplin!! His films, City Lights, Modern Times and Monsieur Verdoux were all overlooked. O.K. so they gave him a lifetime achievement award or something. But sheesh - it's too bad his movies weren't honored at the time.
Here are some other random omissions that are surprising -
His Girl Friday
Sullivan's Travels
Meet John Doe
Harold & Maude
In Cold Blood
If you're interested in more on this topic, click here - it's a very interesting site:
non winners
Do you have a favorite that either didn't win or wasn't nominated?
Amazing that so many greats were over-looked. Is there a correlation between box office and awards...do the winners end up making more money by winning in re releases?
ReplyDeleteMy own "5-star" list that weren't Best Picture Oscar winners were Chinatown, Pulp Fiction, and Jaws. Jaws ruined ocean swimming for me. Pulp Fiction made me laugh and then be shocked at myself for doing so. Any movie that can make you shock yourself is Oscar worthy! Chinatown was just all around excellent, from teaching something about Los Angeles history to great acting to a mystery that didn't telegraph the ending.
ReplyDeleteThose are really good pics. I didn't realize that Chinatown didn't win. I felt the same about Pulp Fiction- I cringed during the movie but enjoyed it at the same time.
DeleteSome of the foreign films have peeked my enthusiasm like "Witness for the Prosecution" with Charles Laughton and Marlene Ditrict, or "Manon of the Springs" with Emmanuelle Béart and Yves Montand. I came across a PBS series of Hollywood film making which is quite good. The directors tell their techniques and applaud those of others, quite frankly, scene details, that go unnoticed by us but analyzed in depth by the directors, lighting staff, editors, film crews, even the grips. Quite a feat and discipline when you see all those people on a stage or on location trying to get the scene right. I am sure you have passed by one of those shoots on some LA street and wonder how anything ever gets done, since everyone seems to be everywhere but shooting a scene. Enormous amount of wasted time compared to the early flicks where the first take was it, then they moved on to the next. Of course, the quality suffered. Hugh
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