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May 3, 2020

 

This is a review of And the Oscar Goes to... which documents history of The Academy of Motion Picture and Sciences Awards show up until 2014.  This is a series of “mini” interviews of different actors and actresses speaking to their experiences in Hollywood with regard to their relationships and feelings about the Oscars.  There is a narrator, Anjelica Huston, who guides us through. It starts with a parade of actors and actresses from George Clooney to Whoopi Goldberg describing what participating in the Oscars was like for them, from hosting to presenting to actually winning.

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A Movie Review of And The Oscar Goes To:

The History of The Academy of Motion Picture

and Sciences Awards Show 

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Back in 1947, a Congressional committee began investigating Communist influence in Hollywood starting Oct. 20th.

The Cold War began to heat up between the United States and communist-controlled Soviet Union after World War II, writes History. The House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) began questioning a number of prominent witnesses, asking “Are you or have you ever been a member of the Communist Party?” Some witnesses gave the committee names, whether out of fear or patriotism. A small group, called The Hollywood Ten, resisted, History explains, saying this violated their First Amendment rights. All 10 were convicted of obstructing the investigation and served jail time. Hollywood then started a blacklist policy, banning the work of about 325 screenwriters, directors and actors who the committee had not yet cleared. Some people were able to keep working, whether it was through pseudonyms or crediting their friends. It wasn’t until the 1960s that the ban began to lift, and finally, in 1997, the Writers’ Guild of America unanimously voted to change the writing credits of 23 films made during the blacklist period, reports History. (insidehook)

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All 10 were convicted of obstructing the investigation

and served jail time.

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Now, clothe yourself in your imaginary glamorous ball gown or tuxedo and escape into the finery and regalia that is the Oscars.  Watch and listen as writers/directors Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman (Sharon Wood, writer but not director) escort you on a glamorous, prestigious and historical journey of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Awards show, The Oscars.

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As the beginning credits roll there is footage of the early days of stars showing up and getting out of their cars, the fans alongside eagerly awaiting their favorite celebrity to emerge.  What an exciting time!

 

 

 

 

 

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In its infancy, winning an Oscar wasn’t that big of a deal, according to the film, but became the coveted prize or award for any and everyone in the film industry.  This includes the actors and actresses, directors and producers, even the makeup artists, cinematographers and costume designers.

    

One could see that hosting this event was just as rewarding and exciting as being a nominee.  Billy Crystal, Ellen DeGeneres and Whoopi Goldberg spoke to this experience. Whoopi also talked about winning and what that meant to her.  We have come along way, or rather Hollywood has come a long way.

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“While it’s not a perfect documentary where it did overlook some good moments and some bad ones. It does showcase the Oscars in all its glory as well as why not everyone is so happy about it.

Still, it does manage to showcase its importance and why people always

watch the ceremony.” (@thevoid99) I don’t completely agree with this

critique.  There is just about 90 minutes to provide us with a well-rounded look

at the Oscars providing us with a good amount of everything. We do get to

see the good, the bad and the ugly.  As the film progresses it gets a little

uncomfortable as we are shown the ugly.  The seating placement of

Hattie McDaniel, an African American actress who won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Gone with The Wind.  She gave a remarkable speech anyway. 

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On a February afternoon in 1940, Hattie McDaniel — then one of the biggest African-American movie stars in the world — marched into the Culver City offices of producer David O. Selznick and placed a stack of Gone With the Wind reviews on his desk. The Civil War epic, released two months earlier, had become an instant cultural sensation, and McDaniel's portrayal of Mammy — the head slave at Tara, the film's fictional Southern plantation — was being singled out by both white and African-American critics as extraordinary. The Los Angeles Times even praised her work as "worthy of Academy supporting awards." Selznick took the hint and submitted the 44-year-old for a nomination in the best supporting actress category, along with her co-star, Olivia de Havilland, contributing to the film's record-setting 13 noms.  The 12th Academy Awards were held at the famed Cocoanut Grove nightclub in The Ambassador Hotel. McDaniel arrived in a rhinestone-studded turquoise gown with white gardenias in her hair. McDaniel then was escorted, not to the Gone With the Wind table — where Selznick sat with de Havilland and his two Oscar-nominated leads, Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable — but to a small table set against a far wall, where she took a seat with her escort, F.P. Yober, and her white agent, William Meiklejohn. With the hotel's strict no-blacks policy, Selznick had to call in a special favor just to have McDaniel allowed into the building (it was officially integrated by 1959, when the Unruh Civil Rights Act outlawed racial discrimination in California).

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The insensitive questions by the press to Sidney Poitier was another blemish on the fabric of the Oscars tale.

 

The insensitive questions by the press to Sidney Poitier was another blemish on the fabric of the Oscars tale.  There were also the horrible circumstances surrounding the “blacklisted” celebrities, some of whom stayed away for good.  These are all rarely seen scenes from the historical vault, but Rob and Jeffrey saw the need to divulge as much as possible into the making of this documentary.  It seems they wanted it to be as honest as possible. This film exposed many of the sore spots of the times as played out in Hollywood especially, but definitely was an indication of what was happening in our nation at any given time.

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The speeches were also highlighted throughout.  This platform was becoming a space for political speeches, as well as, any other issue that spoke to the heart of the winner.  There were many that were hysterically funny. Many were given by people who looked as though they genuinely were surprised that the won.  Dustin Hoffman delivered an amazing speech after having won Best Actor for his work in Kramer vs, Kramer.   “I’m up here with mixed feelings.  I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to be able to work.  I refuse to believe that I beat Jack Lemmon, that I beat Al Pacino, that I beat Peter Sellars. I refuse to believe that Robert Duvall lost.  There are people who are giving that artistic part of themselves that goes beyond a paycheck and they are never up here and many of them are not members of the Academy and we never hear of them.  And to that artistic family that strives for excellence none of you have ever lost and I am proud to share this with you and I thank you.” (hoffman) This was a similar feeling amongst the stars, though not many spoke of it to this extent.

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"I refuse to believe that I beat Jack Lemmon,

that I beat Al Pacino, that I beat Peter Sellars.

I refuse to believe that Robert Duvall lost."

 

Of course, we get to see the winners, however we also get to get a glimpse of what it felt like to lose.  Some of the artists talked about what that felt like and how they managed to deal with it.

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This film took us back to the very beginning, May of 1929, eighty-five years before this documentary was filmed.  We get to see the progression of the importance and value of the Oscars. We also get to see a tremendous amount of the “glamour” of Hollywood. 

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“Let us not try to say the movies are any more important than they are. And the Oscars are a celebration of these not terribly important things. But, at the same time, let us not underestimate how important the movies really are. They bind us as a culture, connect us to other cultures and define generations. Sometimes they even change the way we look at the world.” (gavin6942) It is worth the 90 minutes or so to watch and reminisce and revel in the beauty and the controversy and the excitement that is the Oscars.  

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Go ahead and pour yourself a glass of wine, a martini or a glass of champagne or even a glass of water and grab a bowl of popcorn, kick back and enjoy the journey!

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