"You're damned if you do and damned if you don't"...
Zeev From: MoPo List [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Tommy Barr Sent: March 4, 2014 7:47 AM To: [email protected] Subject: [Bulk] [MOPO] The Oscars - a slave to sentiment? I know it's not really about posters, but I haven't read anything here about the Oscars, so I wondered if any others share my puzzlement over exactly what the criteria for 'best film' is? Apart from the big one 12 Years A Slave won 2 other Oscars, while Gravity won 7 awards, including best director. Surely that must be a win on points for Gravity? Ellen joked that either 12 Years would win or else the Academy was racist, and I suspect that the Afro-American dimension did, in fact, contribute to the end decision. Racism does not necessarily have to express itself as hatred, but it is not particularly edifying to see it expressed in a patronising way either. I was saddened to see the great actor Sidney Poitier trundled out to receive what was, given the occasion, something like a pat on the head for his career and being the first black actor to win an Oscar for Best Actor, and am I being in overly critical in the Academy then having Will Smith present the Best Film award? There is no doubt that Hollywood, like the rest of the USA, can have its conscience tugged when it comes to the treatment of the Afro-American community. Birth of a Nation is hardly an advert for multi-cultural harmony, and movies like the Marx Brothers A Day At The Races have scenes which sit uncomfortably with present day attitudes. Maybe the Academy felt some atonement was due for the failure of The Color Purple to win any awards? Anyway, as a non-American I may have a jaundiced view which is not shared by others, but I am interested in finding out what the views of MOPO subscribers are. Tommy Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com ___________________________________________________________________ How to UNSUBSCRIBE from the MoPo Mailing List Send a message addressed to: [email protected] In the BODY of your message type: SIGNOFF MOPO-L The author of this message is solely responsible for its content. --- This email is free from viruses and malware because avast! Antivirus protection is active. http://www.avast.com Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com ___________________________________________________________________ How to UNSUBSCRIBE from the MoPo Mailing List Send a message addressed to: [email protected] In the BODY of your message type: SIGNOFF MOPO-L The author of this message is solely responsible for its content.
