Oscar Flashback 2012

     Last year I tried a little exercise where I went back every ten years and tried to reevaluate the Oscars that were handed out.  The big question being, did the test of time prove that year's winner worthy of the award and if we re-voted right now would the results be the same. I had so much fun I thought I would try it again.  So here's a run down of some Oscar winners from the past and my thoughts on those awards...

2007 (5 years ago)
     Best Picture: No Country For Old Men
          Other Nominations: Atonement, Juno, Michael Clayton, There Will Be Blood
     Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis-There Will Be Blood
          Other Nominations: George Clooney-Michael Clayton, Johnny Depp-Sweeney Todd, Tommy Lee Jones-In The Valley of Elah, Viggo Mortensen-Eastern Promises
     Best Actress: Marion Cotillard-La Vie en Rose
          Other Nominations: Cate Blanchett-Elizabeth: The Golden Age, Julie Christie-Away From Her, Laura Linney-The Savages, Ellen Page-Juno

     Looking back, it amazes me how many of these movies I don't even remember.  I feel like I haven't heard of half of the movies that the actors and actress were nominated for.  Daniel Day-Lewis, of course, still deserves Best Actor.  As I said in my preview of this year's awards, there should just be a rule that if he's been in a movie that year the award just goes to him.  I have no idea what La Vie en Rose is and I never saw any of the other actress performances other then Ellen Page, so I can only assume that's an OK choice.  As far as Best Picture goes, I wasn't a fan of No Country For Old Men and felt that There Will Be Blood was the more deserving movie.  Nothing has changed my mind either way over the last 5 years, so I would give the Oscar to There Will Be Blood.

2002 (10 years ago)
     Best Picture: Chicago
          Other Nominations: Gangs of New York, The Hours, The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers, The Pianist
     Best Actor: Adrian Brody-The Pianist
          Other Nominations: Nicholas Cage-Adaption, Michael Cane-The Quiet American, Daniel Day-Lewis-Gangs of New York, Jack Nicholson-About Schmidt
     Best Actress: Nicole Kidman-The Hours
          Other Nominations: Salma Hayek-Frita, Diane Lane-Unfaithful, Samantha Morton-In America, Naomi Watts-21 Grams

     This years nominees is a weird combination of art house and mainstream.  Chicago, I guess, is a movie made to impress the Academy, so I shouldn't be surprised that it won, but The Pianist feels like the better movie by a long shot.  Gangs of New York was pretty good as well, but I know it wasn't everyone's cup of tea.  Looking back I think the award would still be given to Chicago but I'd give it to The Pianist.  The actor category is filled with two guys who haven't done another worth while film since, two life time achievement nods and Daniel Day-Lewis.  Brody had a wonderful performance but it's hard to look back without thinking of all the crap he's made since.  Add in my rule about Day-Lewis and you have to give him the Oscar instead.  The Best Actress feels wrong as well.  Diane Lane's performance in Unfaithful is one of those performances that always sticks with you after you see it.  I think she's much more deserving then Kidman.

1992 (20 years ago)
     Best Picture: Unforgiven
          Other Nominations: The Crying Game, A Few Good Men, Howards End, Scent of a Woman
     Best Actor: Al Pacino-Scent of a Women
          Other Nominations: Robert Downey Jr.-Chaplin, Clint Eastwood-Unforgiven, Stephen Rea-The Crying Game, Denzel Washington-Malcom X
     Best Actress:  Emma Thompson-Howards End
          Other Nominations: Catherine Deneuve-Indochine, Mary McDonnell-Passion Fish, Michelle Pfeiffer-Love Field, Susan Sarandon-Lorenzo's Oil

     This is a pretty powerful list of nominees, but I'm not sure how the test of time has treated any of them.  Does anyone talk about The Crying Game anymore?  It was a big deal when it came out, but I feel like it was more a product of the times and has never become one of those movies people still watch.  Howards End is a well done version of a classic novel, but the book is still more popular then the movie.  Unforgiven is still considered one of the best westerns made, but I haven't heard anyone talk about having watched it in the last 10 years.  Scent of a Woman was the least deserving of these films.  The one movie from this list that has stayed in the conscience of America is A Few Good Men.  It isn't dated, people still talk about watching it, the cast in jam packed.  I would think if we handed out the Oscar again it would go to A Few Good Men.  I can't help but think that the Best Actor award was a life time achievement to Pacino because this was far from his best role and certainly wasn't better then others nominated.  I always find it hard to believe when a performance that is a mimic of a famous person loses, but we have to remember that the color barrier hadn't been broken in the major acting categories yet.  I would think, if given out today, this one would go to either Eastwood or Washington.  Looking at the actress nominees, I find it interesting how many of the actresses and movies they were in from year to year I don't know or recognize.  Howards End and Lorenzo's Oil are the only two movies I've heard of.  I can only assume that Emma Thompson deserves the award because I haven't seen any of these performances.

1982 (30 years ago)
     Best Picture: Gandhi
          Other Nominations: E.T.the Extra-Terrestrial, Missing, Tootsie, The Verdict
     Best Actor: Ben Kingsley
          Other Nominations: Dustin Hoffman-Tootsie, Jack Lemmon-Missing, Paul Newman-The Verdict, Peter O'Toole-My Favorite Year
     Best Actress: Meryl Streep-Sophie's Choice
          Other Nominations: Julia Andrews-Victor Victoria, Jessica Lang-Frances, Sissy Spacek-Missing, Debra Winger-An Officer and a Gentleman

     This was a loaded year!  Although I can't really fault Gandhi getting the award, it hasn't really lasted the test of time.  If voted right now, I find it hard to believe that E.T. wouldn't win.  I love to see that Tootsie and Dustin Hoffman were nominated for highly comedic material.  This may be one of the last true comedies to get a Best Picture nod.  I also have to wonder with this year's crop of movies, if the nominees were picked again that they wouldn't be different as well.  How My Favorite Year and Sophie's Choice didn't get nominated seems weird.  No surprise that Ben Kingsley got the win, it fits right into my famous/handicapped role rule.  From everything I hear from people who talk film, Peter O'Toole in My Favorite Year is one of the most beloved roles from the last 30 years, so I tend to think he would win now.  Meryl Streep in Sophie's Choice is one of the most classic roles ever, so that seems like a no brainer.

1972 (40 years ago)
     Best Picture: The Godfather
          Other Nominations: Cabaret, Deliverance, The Emigrants, Sounder
     Best Actor: Marlon Brando-The Godfather
          Other Nominations: Michael Cain-Sleuth, Laurence Olivier-Sleuth, Peter O'Toole-The Ruling Class, Paul Winfield-Sounder
     Best Actress: Liza Minnelli-Cabaret
          Other Nominations: Diana Ross-Lady Sings The Blues, Maggie Smith-Travels with My Aunts, Cicely Tyson-Sounder, Liv Ullmann-The Emigrants

     Not a lot of reason to spend time with this one.  The Godfather is considered one of the all time greats, if not THE greatest American film ever, so no surprise here that it gets the Oscar.  Marlon Brando as the godfather is also one of the most iconic roles ever as well.  Can't really say anything about Liza Minnelli because once again I haven't seen any of the actress nominated performances or even heard of some of the actresses.

1962 (50 years ago)
     Best Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
          Other Nominations: The Longest Day, The Music Man, Mutiny on the Bounty, To Kill a Mockingbird
     Best Actor: Gregory Peck-To Kill a Mockingbird
          Other Nominations: Burt Lancaster-Birdman of Alcatraz, Jack Lemmon-Days of Wines and Roses, Marcello Mastroianni-Divorce, Italian Style, Peter O'Toole-Lawrence of Arabia
     Best Actress: Anne Bancroft-The Miracle Worker
          Other Nominations: Bette Davis-What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, Katharine Hepburn-Long Day's Journey into Night, Geraldine Page-Sweet Bird of Youth, Lee Remick-Days of Wine and Roses

     This may be one of the most loaded years ever.  If I told you To Kill a Mockingbird didn't win the Oscar, you'd probably think an amazing injustice was done.  I mean, To Kill a Mockingbird is one of the top ten greatest movies ever made, but how can you argue with Lawrence of Arabia winning?  Add The Music Man and Mutiny on the Bounty and there is only one or two other years that can compare with this crop of movies.  Gregory Peck gets the Best Actor and it feels like a consolation because Peter O'Toole could have easily won as well.  What I'm saying is this year is kind of a toss up and you can't really argue with any result.

1952 (60 years ago)
     Best Picture: Greatest Show On Earth
          Other Nominations: High Noon, Ivanhoe, Moulin Rouge, The Quiet Man
     Best Actor: Gary Cooper-High Noon
          Other Nominations: Marlon Brando-Viva Zapata!, Kirk Douglas-The Bad and the Beautiful, Jose Ferrer-Moulin Rouge, Alec Guinness-The Lavender Hill Mob
     Best Actress: Shirley Booth-Come Back, Little Shiba
          Other Nominations: Joan Crawford-Sudden Fear, Bette Davis-The Star, Julie Harris-The Member of the Wedding, Susan Hayward-With a Song in My Heart

     I've now reached territory where I have very little knowledge of the movies and performances.  I have never heard of the Greatest Show On Earth, so I would tend to think that High Noon or Ivanhoe would win in a re-vote.  It was interesting to read that Greatest Show On Earth, when adjusted for inflation, is one of the highest grossing movies of all time.  The Best Actor category is loaded with all time greats but I'm not familiar with any of movies so Gary Cooper it is.  Same goes for the ladies.

1942 (70 years ago)
     Best Picture: Mrs. Miniver
          Other Nominations: 49th Parallel, Kings Row, The Magnificent Ambersons, The Pied Piper, The Pride of the Yankees, Random Harvest, The Talk of the Town, Wake Island, Yankee Doodle Dandy
     Best Actor: James Cagney-Yankee Doodle Dandy
          Other Nominations: Ronald Colman-Random Harvest, Gary Cooper-Pride of the Yankees, Walter Pidgeon-Madame Curie, Monty Woolley-The Pied Pipper
     Best Actress: Greer Garson-Mrs. Miniver
          Other Nominations: Bette Davis-The Little Foxes, Katharine Hepburn-Woman of the Year, Rosalind Russell-My Sister Eileen, Teresa Wright-Pride of the Yankees

     I can only gauge this by popularity and that really says nothing about how good a movie is or was.  Pride of the Yankees and Yankee Doodle Dandy are American classics, yet I've never heard of Mrs. Miniver, so I would say one of those would get the award today, but again that's just on name recognition.

1932 (80 years ago)
     Best Picture: Grand Hotel
          Other Nominations: Arrowsmith, Bad Girl, The Champ, Five Star Final, One Hour with You, Shanghai Express, The Smiling Lieutenant
     Best Actor: Wallace Beery-The Champ/Fedric March-Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
          Other Nominations: Alfred Lunt
     Best Actress: Helen Hayes-The Sin of Madelon Claudet
          Other Nominations: Marie Dressler-Emma, Lynn Fontanne-The Guardsman

     Again, I haven't seen any of these, but The Champ and Shanghai Express are classics and I don't know anything about Grand Hotel, so I could say that either of those two would win a re-vote, but I really have very little grounds to be saying that.  How interesting is the Best Actor results.  There was only three nominees and there was a tie!  How bad does Alfred Lunt feel?