It seemed pretty much to be the case of the selection panel exhibiting the same
short-memory syndrome they've shown in other years, selecting the last best
film they recall seeing, and having chosen Best Picture, ticking the box for all
the categories it was nominated in.That Lord of the Rings deserved oscars is undeniable, but not in all the
categories it was nominated in. Film Editing and Adapted Screenplay are the two
which really jar.
I've said so many times that Peter Jackson could have easily cut hours from the
cinemagraphic releases without damaging the product while enhancing it for
the audience that I am developing a sore throat. There are so many complaints
from hardened Tolkien fans over the screenplay that it clearly shows there are
issues with it, and while the adaptation is tolerable, its failings make it
hard to quantify it as legitimate oscar material.
When contrasted with American Splendor, also nominated in the Adapted
Screenplay category, it is clear that the oscar went to the wrong film.
It is also not that hard to view the decision to tack Annie Lennox's Into the
West onto the film as a cynical attempt to steal an additional oscar, which
worked well. If an oscar was to be given for knowing how panel voting works, I
could not argue against Jackson receiving it. Annie Lennox should not be
slighted eother; she would have won it for jumping on the right bandwagon at
least.
Jackson described the success of Lord of the Rings as, "unbelievable",
and so it would be had the oscar selection panel any credibility. As it was,
it was a forgone conclusion. The only satisfaction being that it wasn't an
American film.
In compensation for losing the Best Picture, Sofia Coppola captured the best
original screenplay oscar for Lost in Translation, but that was the
film's only one, leaving Bill Murray looking somewhat visibly upset having
delivered what many see as one of his finest performances ever.
Sean Penn and Tim Robbins claimed best actor and best supporting actor
respectively for their parts in Mystic River, one of Clint Eastwood's
best directorial offerings we've seen, and deserving of perhaps more acclaim.
Neither Johnny Depp nor Jude Law made their mark with Pirates of the
Caribbean or Cold Mountain, the later securing only a single oscar
for Renee Zellweger as best supporting actress, with best actress being awarded
to Charlize Theron for Monster,
Keisha Castle-Hughes, despite an excellent performance in Whale Riders
lost out to Theron in the best actress category, but to say her nomination was
simply an attempt to prove that New Zealand does have acting talent, despite
its notable absence in Lord of the Rings, would be unfair. Had Whale
Riders not been presented in English, it could well have scooped best
foreign language film.
With six nominations, Cold Mountain was pretty much left out in the
cold, as was Pirates of the Caribbean with its four nominations. Almost
sunk at sea was Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World but it
did secure two oscars for best cinematography and sound editing. There's no
oscar for distorting historical truth, or it would have taken that, with its
reworking of a British-American conflict to cast the French in the role of the
"evil party" rather than the Americans.
With the ongoing war on Iraq still firmly in public view, there were the usual
political statements in the acceptance speeches. Sean Penn's, "If there's one
thing actors know - other than that there aren't any WMD's ..." was to be
expected, but few had expected Tim Robbins not to raise the issue in his.
Errol Morris, taking the oscar for best documentary feature for The Fog of
War, made the most politically motivated speech, saying that, "Forty years
ago this country went down a rabbit hole in Vietnam and millions died. I fear
we're going down a rabbit hole once again. If people can stop and think and
reflect on some of the ideas and issues in this movie perhaps I've done some
damn good here. Thank you very much".
Presenter Billy Crystal's dig at President George Bush went down well - "I come
and go as I please, so it's kind of like the Texas National Guard" - but his
put-down of Michael Moore in the ceremony's opening film sequence didn't go
down well with everyone, nor did his his other slights at political figures, or
his, "I can't wait to see his tax audit", retort to Errol Morris. It may have
been intended to be comical, but it reveals the deep hatred levelled at those
who dare to speak out against the war on Iraq in America.
While it's okay for Crystal to crack "San Francisco Wedding Cake" jokes, it
seems it is less than acceptable should winners thank gay partners for their
support, who can expect to be quickly led from the stage.
I'm pleased that Finding Nemo took the oscar for best animated feature,
for while The Triplets of Belleville ( aka Belleville Rendezvous )
is a fine piece of work, it falls far short of oscar material as a whole,
although it's 'theme tune' would have been a winner were Lennox not around.
Disney's continuing poor quality work gave them a nomination for mostly
nostalgic and sentimental reasons, but the panel quite rightly rejected the
pap. A decision that would be hard to fault.
It would be fair to say that Finding Nemo had good potential to take
original screenplay, but with Sofia Coppola being handed that by way of the
runner-up consolation prize for best direction against Lord of the Rings,
Finding Nemo, like most films this year, suffered as a result.
The film which really lost out most to the overwhelming successes of Jackson and
the rebalancing of subsequent awards was Seabiscuit, failing to win in
any of its seven nominated categories.
For the "lesser oscars", The Barbarian Invasions took best foreign
language film for Canada, while The Fog of War and Chernobyl Heart
took best documentary and best documentary short respectively. Australia scored
a success to let them stand proudly with their Kiwi neighbours for Harvie
Krumpet taking best animated short film, while Two Soldiers grabbed
best short film.
The Lifetime Achievement Award went to Blake Edwards.
