Jan
19
OVERRATED: The Oscars
Academy Award for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs at the Walt Disney Family Museum. Photo by Loren Javier.
As Oscars season comes closer, and everyone spends their time guessing who will win, it’s worth reminding ourselves how utterly overrated the Academy Awards really are. True, they have helped a few careers, but have they made anyone a star recently? The closest one I can think of in living memory was Marion Cotillard, who probably would have been nabbed by Hollywood anyway because she was a) gorgeous, b) talented, c) gorgeous, d) already an established star in France, and e) gorgeous. Most other Oscar-winning actors I can recall were either stars already, or the Oscar didn’t really help (F Murray Abraham, Marlee Maitlin… No, I’ve never heard of them either). OK, the Oscar might have helped Adrian Brody, but he’s not as big as you’d expect. Look, instead of going through how pointless it all is, let me just list a few people who did not win Oscars…
1. Alfred Hitchcock (the Irving Thalberg Award was a nice gesture, but as it doesn’t look like an Oscar, it doesn’t count)
2. Alfred Hitchcock (this is just such an appalling snub that it deserves to be mentioned twice)
2b. Greta Garbo
3. Marilyn Monroe (OK, many – including me – would argue that she didn’t really deserve one… but she proves that you can be known as one of the greatest-ever film stars without even being nominated)
4. Cary Grant (see Marilyn Monroe… except he was at least nominated)
5. Martin Scorsese before 2000 (his Oscar for The Departed wasn’t “overdue”; it was completely the wrong film!)
6. Lillian Gish (who was still giving awesome performances in the early years of the Oscars)
7. Barbara Stanwyck
8. Richard Burton (a zillion nominations, no wins)
9. James Dean (those who accused Heath Ledger of only winning because he had died so young, please explain this)
10. Jacqueline McKenzie (well, not yet, at least – and dammit, that’s a tragedy!)
You should watch Monroe in “Some Like It Hot” – it may change your mind on whether or not she deserved an Oscar…
Thanks for your comment, Peter. I thought she was terrific in Some Like It Hot… but I’m not sure if it deserved Oscar consideration. I guess it depends on what you class as an “Oscar-worthy” performance. Whatever the case, the closest she’s ever come to a nomination is the announcement that Michelle Williams has been nominated for playing Marilyn. And as she’s up against Meryl Streep… Marilyn misses out again.
I remember when there was a great deal of conflict in 1995 when Forrest Gump beat Pulp Fiction at the Oscars. Those who like more conventional films liked Forrest Gump, while those that enjoyed more edgy independent films preferred Pulp Fiction.
But, I agree the Oscars are often overrated because someone wins for the wrong film or they don’t win at all and end up having a successful film career anyway.
I think in the end the Oscar judges often err on the conservative side and end up dismissing a lot of controversial films that might make us think more extensively about the quality of films in the entertainment industry.
Jeff, you’ve hit upon another problem with the Oscars: people argue over whether Pulp Fiction or Forrest Gump deserved the award, but those two films (and the other three nominees) don’t actually have anything in common. It’s not a case of like versus like. Not exactly comparing chalk and cheese, but certain comparing cheddar to camembert. Every year it’s the same: five completely different films (or more, nowadays), and they’re expected to choose the “best”? Yeesh!
Are the Oscars insignificant? Just ask youself what won Best Picture last year. Yeah, I can’t remember either. They are completely insignificant! And by the way, the reason James Dean never got an Oscar is because he was a terrible actor. Possibly the most overrated movie star of all time. If he hadn’t died nobody would be talking about him today. Lousy, lousy actor.
Stephanie, I agree (of course) that the Oscars are generally insignificant. I think last year’s winner was The King’s Speech… but then, I’m a film buff, and I don’t imagine that most people would remember. As for James Dean… I’m not sure if he was terrible. He didn’t show a wide range – but then, he only had three starring roles, and I think he gave some pretty powerful performances. Had he lived, he might have proven to be a great actor… or proven, once and for all, that he was as lousy as you attest. Hard to say.