Limelight:
The winner is -- Oscar!
With the winds of war dizzily wisking and whirling around us, questions arise: What if they waged a war and no one came? Or: What if they gave an Oscar show and no one showed up? The answer would be -- never! The existence of one has never canceled the other, not in WWII, Korea, Vietnam and not now. In a war, soldiers have little choice. They follow orders marching forward with hearts full of sad regrets and deep despair, hidden behind smiles of courage and defiance. For the Oscars the motives are clear. The splendid trappings of luxury and power, the unquenchable thirst for fame and glory, and above all the pursuit and greed for the almighty dollar. An Oscar brings in billions in revenues to its sponsors , stars, producers, and promoters, igniting the 'Show Business' flame for yet another year.
Surely they exhibited concern and confusion, some head- scratching and hand-wringing. They struggled, debated, gesticulated, they made the appropriate releases and declarations, vowing to tone down the glitz, to forego the red-carpet glamour, and temper the excessive razzle-dazzle. They promised a less frivolous show, reflecting the soberness and seriousness of the situation, but they promised a show none the less. After all "it was more important than ever that we honour those achievements that reflect us and America at our best" proclaimed Frank Pierson, president of the Academy of Motion Pictures. So in the true spirit and tradition of show business and despite the many voices of opposition and key-figure withdrawals from amongst their own ranks, their wild wicked feast must be held, their show must and would go on -- and so it did.
Since its inception in 1927-28 the Oscar show has never been canceled, although it has been postponed on three occasions. In 1938 floods in Los Angeles forced its delay. Thirty years later the assassination of black leader Martin Luther King caused another postponement, followed by the shooting of Ronald Reagan in 1981.
Oscar has confronted wars before, but Oscar never flinched. While it may disturb and sadden, Oscar planners manage to ride the tide, and 'reward the achievements of their best'. In other words, too much is at stake. In 1941 Academy President Bette Davis suggested that the ceremony should be held in a regular theatre with ticket sales replacing invitations and proceeds going to the war relief fund. Miss Davis recommended the stars wear street clothes instead of glamorous gowns and tuxedoes, in deference to the tragic loss of so many lives on foreign soil. The Academy rejected Miss Davis' proposals prompting her to hand in her resignation.
A simple idea initiated by the élite of the industry to honour each other, the Oscars have mushroomed into a billion dollar business in the last 75 years. The guest list grew longer, the gowns richer, the diamonds larger, and the necklines lower. How, why, and what the Academy votes for is another matter. "The Academy Awards work on an alarmingly ad hoc basis and this year's immortal treasure is next year's regrettable error" writes author and Oscar pundit John Harkness. It is more philosophical to accept the fact that each year's awards are but a moment that frames Hollywood's mood and sentiment for that year, rather than historic choices of unquestionable quality.
The tradition of secrecy started in 1939 when the Los Angeles Times broke its word to the Academy and published the winners' names in the early evening edition, two hours before the awards were handed out. Since then the results have been totally sealed by the tabulating Price-Waterhouse Firm. While views were divided between "we have no business putting on an award show at wartime" and "why....should we let Saddam Hussein dictate what we do and do not do in our own country," the Hollywood community by and large is a peace-loving, liberal, vocal, civil-minded and politically-motivated one. Stars have often used the Oscar podium to promote political views and pet causes; to object, rebuke or chide the powers that be, like Marlon Brando, Vanessa Redgrave, Susan Sarandon, Whoopi Goldberg, and now Michael Moore, director of this year's best documentary feature Bowling for Columbine.
Oscar night came and went and the Academy celebrated its 75th anniversary in a manner as only the Academy could. Despite several no-shows and amidst strict security and less fanfare, a subdued show retained enough glitz and glamour to please the stars and their fans. Irrepressible host Steve Martin brought his usual sharp wit and intellect and kept 3,500 guests happy and chuckling with quips such as "everyone supported my nomination to host this show except France and Germany." For all the talk of toning down the ceremony it was the usual pomp and pomposity that is natural to Hollywood folk. Everybody went into shock when a very beautiful yet very pregnant Catherine Zeta-Jones (baby due in April), came out singing her duet I Move On from her winning film Chicago with co-star and co-nominee Queen Latifah. There was no suspense when the musical Chicago with 13 nominations winning six, won for Best Picture -- the first musical to do that since 1968's Oliver, heralding the comeback of the Hollywood musical.
There is seldom rhyme or reason for Oscar's picks. Though technically it is hard to separate Best Director and Best Picture awards, the Academy does regularly as it did again this year, giving Chicago Best Picture and Roman Polanski Best Director for his Holocaust saga The Pianist. Polanski, a Polish Jew, has been in exile for 25 years following a statutory conviction. After three decades of brilliant films which earned him four nominations, the winless Scorsese has remained on the exclusive list of winless director/geniuses headed by Orson Welles and Alfred Hitchcock. Shame on the Academy for sending home his Gangs of New York empty-handed after 10 well-deserved nominations. Voters were divided between Hollywood royalty Jack Nicholson in About Schmidt, and Hollywood stranger Daniel Day- Lewis in Gangs of New York, but it was Adrien Brody, the only newcomer in that category who beat the competition in his role as ghetto survivor Polish Pianist Wladyslaw Szpilman.
Beauty prevailed as lovely Nicole Kidman finally took Oscar home for her portrayal of Virginia Woolf in The Hours, and best Supporting Actress Trophy went to best-looker Catherine Zeta-Jones beating 13-time nominee veteran Meryl Streep and the always impeccable Kathy Bates.
Japanese director/animator Hayao Miyazaki won for Best Animated Feature for his artistic miracle Spirited Away. As for 'best moment', that went to the long parade of past winners in Oscar's 75-year history.
Not wishing to seem self-serving or frivolous, the stars made an effort to reflect the nation's mood by wearing dove pins for peace, in honour of their combating troops on their one- shouldered black or beige gowns. With less sparkle and glitter, the fashion parade resulted in a miracle of good taste and refinement, of patrician luxury and elegance. The stars however, rushed to attend as many parties as were available with the unquenchable gusto of a Roman emperor.
Television has been a blessing and a curse. It has brought the awful reality and savage brutality of war into our homes leaving us jittery, sleepless and horror-stricken. It has also brought us the tacky and gaudy glamour of Oscar night delighting over one billion of us viewers around the globe. We crave both at once. The 75th Annual Academy Awards commercial time was completely sold out weeks ahead with a 30-second ad costing $1.3 million, a 10 per cent increase over last year. How could anything such as the invasion of Iraq damper such prospects?
With the Oscar ceremonies over, the winter season has "shed its mantle of wind and chill and rain" and hopefully war. Spring's glowing April at our door promises gentle showers and sweet flowers. We fervently pray that this April will be the gentlest rather than the "cruelest month", bringing peace and calm to troubled lands and grieving hearts. For, in the words of America's elder statesman Benjamin Franklin "There never was a good war or a bad peace."
Al-Ahram Weekly Online : 27 March - 2 April 2003 (Issue No. 631)
Located at: http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2003/631/pe2.htm