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The reason Slumdog cleaned up at the feelgood Oscars
The 2009 Academy Awards did its best to take our minds off the world economic crisis, but is that part of its job asks Joyce Dundas
'Has anybody ever fainted here,' Penelope Cruz said as she led off the winners at the 81st Annual Academy Awards taking the Oscar for best supporting actress, luckily she didn't and neither did anyone else. Though there was plenty of hyperventilating.
This year the Oscar ceremony was back to being a bit of fun after last year's truncated writers' strike version. Granted the production values are always high, but sometimes the whole show just comes across as a big list of names: films, nominees, winners and those thanked. This year it actually entertained and had a narrative structure as we were led through the making of a film in chronological order.
The show also turned into a bit of lovefest, but in a good way. With previous winners introducing each nominee in suitably reverential style, we actually got to see the true reaction of these talented people as their names were read out. The winners' speeches were wittier than usual, probably a backlash against some of the news reports over Kate Winslet's omissions in her Golden Globe 'thank yous'. The speeches were also more humble than usual. A lot of the sucky sentimentality and self-importance was missing, replaced with what seemed like a relaxed humanity.
Slumdog Millionaire did clean the board, winning a total of eight awards, and here is why it might have happened. Even the Academy wants to feel a bit of positivity. Even the members who didn't see the film, because it is not a requirement to vote, were won over by the sheer outpouring of love for this little indie that could. The Dark Knight and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button represent a Hollywood with lots of money, money to burn in fact. It may have seemed obscene in the present climate to certain Academy members to award these big-budget monsters with more accolades. “Aren't the dollars they are grossing enough reward,” they seem to have asked.
As if to help the mood, there was a casual nightclub atmosphere to the show, with Hugh Jackman literally becoming the M.C. singing and dancing his way through the resurgence of the musical, epitomised by the inclusion of the young cast of High School Musical and the songs from Mamma Mia!, neither of which were nominated for anything this year. More feelgood for no real reason.
All that said, it was the most entertaining Oscars show for years. And the winners had all been predicted, which usually makes it a bit of a ho-hum affair. Sean Penn and Mickey Rourke were the only ones expected to really slug it out in the Best Actor category, because of two extremely strong performances. They did, Sean won, prompting the question, not for the first time, who actually votes, because a powerful gay lobby would work in Milk's favour.
The triumph of the British talent has also prompted the voting question, but Slumdog's British roots are not what won it the award, nor is Kate Winslet's win down to where she was born. Slumdog just found the right year. Winslet was also given her dues after so many interesting and impressive performances and five previous nominations.
Slumdog won't make the talent involved into millionaires, or even make anyone faint yet, but it will prompt some interesting questions on good original film-making. And with that kind of talent they will be millionaires eventually.
'Has anybody ever fainted here,' Penelope Cruz said as she led off the winners at the 81st Annual Academy Awards taking the Oscar for best supporting actress, luckily she didn't and neither did anyone else. Though there was plenty of hyperventilating.
This year the Oscar ceremony was back to being a bit of fun after last year's truncated writers' strike version. Granted the production values are always high, but sometimes the whole show just comes across as a big list of names: films, nominees, winners and those thanked. This year it actually entertained and had a narrative structure as we were led through the making of a film in chronological order.
The show also turned into a bit of lovefest, but in a good way. With previous winners introducing each nominee in suitably reverential style, we actually got to see the true reaction of these talented people as their names were read out. The winners' speeches were wittier than usual, probably a backlash against some of the news reports over Kate Winslet's omissions in her Golden Globe 'thank yous'. The speeches were also more humble than usual. A lot of the sucky sentimentality and self-importance was missing, replaced with what seemed like a relaxed humanity.
Slumdog Millionaire did clean the board, winning a total of eight awards, and here is why it might have happened. Even the Academy wants to feel a bit of positivity. Even the members who didn't see the film, because it is not a requirement to vote, were won over by the sheer outpouring of love for this little indie that could. The Dark Knight and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button represent a Hollywood with lots of money, money to burn in fact. It may have seemed obscene in the present climate to certain Academy members to award these big-budget monsters with more accolades. “Aren't the dollars they are grossing enough reward,” they seem to have asked.
As if to help the mood, there was a casual nightclub atmosphere to the show, with Hugh Jackman literally becoming the M.C. singing and dancing his way through the resurgence of the musical, epitomised by the inclusion of the young cast of High School Musical and the songs from Mamma Mia!, neither of which were nominated for anything this year. More feelgood for no real reason.
All that said, it was the most entertaining Oscars show for years. And the winners had all been predicted, which usually makes it a bit of a ho-hum affair. Sean Penn and Mickey Rourke were the only ones expected to really slug it out in the Best Actor category, because of two extremely strong performances. They did, Sean won, prompting the question, not for the first time, who actually votes, because a powerful gay lobby would work in Milk's favour.
The triumph of the British talent has also prompted the voting question, but Slumdog's British roots are not what won it the award, nor is Kate Winslet's win down to where she was born. Slumdog just found the right year. Winslet was also given her dues after so many interesting and impressive performances and five previous nominations.
Slumdog won't make the talent involved into millionaires, or even make anyone faint yet, but it will prompt some interesting questions on good original film-making. And with that kind of talent they will be millionaires eventually.
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