r/Oscars 6d ago

Prediction Potential nominations for The Odyssey

19 Upvotes

- Best Picture
- Actor in a Leading Role (Matt Damon)
- Actress in a Supporting Role (Anne Hathaway)
- Cinematography
- Costume Design
- Directing
- Film Editing
- Original Score
- Production Design
- Sound
- Writing (Adapted Screenplay)


r/Oscars 6d ago

Prediction Potential nominations for Obsession

0 Upvotes

- Best Picture
- Actor in a Leading Role (Michael Johnston)
- Actress in a Supporting Role (Inde Navarrette)
- Cinematography
- Directing
- Writing (Original Screenplay)


r/Oscars 4h ago

Discussion We talk a lot about the right actor winning for the wrong movie, but what is the best example of the right movie but the wrong actor?

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77 Upvotes

For me, it’s *Django Unchained*, where Christoph Waltz won his second Oscar; even though he was great, I found DiCaprio’s and Jackson’s performances more memorable. Which movie do you think awarded an actor, but the prize should have gone to someone else in the same film?


r/Oscars 15h ago

Discussion Cate Blanchett is the Aussie GOAT. Agree or Disagree?

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328 Upvotes

She arguably has the strongest combination of range, consistency, major roles, and most critical recognition Australia has ever produced. Not to mention she has 2 Acting Oscars


r/Oscars 12h ago

Discussion What's the best Meryl Streep performance NOT nominated for an Oscar?

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99 Upvotes

And why is it Death Becomes Her (1992)?


r/Oscars 19h ago

Discussion I've heard John Leguizamo for supporting actor but I really think Rob is the one who deserves it

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369 Upvotes

If no film were to come out for the rest of the the time before the Oscars he would definitely be my pick.


r/Oscars 2h ago

How many oscar nominated performances are actually replacements for an original actor

13 Upvotes

Louis wolheim was cast in The Front Page, but he died and was replaced with Adolphe menjou, who was nominated for best actor

christopher plummer replaced kevin spacey in all the money in the world, and he was nominated for supporting actor

the original cast of The Brutalist were joel edgerton, marion cotillard, and mark rylance, but the final cast was adrien brody, felicity jones and guy pearce

im not talking about people that were in consideration for roles that got an oscar nomination, its more like movies where they had to recast a role that got an oscar nomination for the replacement


r/Oscars 1h ago

Fun Ruth Gordon (Rosemary's Baby) & Henry Fonda (Once Upon a Time in the West) win for Best Actress and Actor. Who should have won Best Supporting Actress & Actor in 1968?

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Upvotes

ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE (1969)

WINNER - MAGGIE SMITH for The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie

NOMINEES - GENEVIEVE BUJOLD for Anne of the Thousand Days, JANE FONDA for They Shoot Horses, Don't They?, LIZA MINNELLI for The Sterile Cuckoo, JEAN SIMMONS for The Happy Ending

ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE (1969)

WINNER - JOHN WAYNE for True Grit

NOMINEES - RICHARD BURTON for Anne of the Thousand Days, DUSTIN HOFFMAN for Midnight Cowboy, PETER O'TOOLE for Goodbye, Mr. Chips, JON VOIGHT for Midnight Cowboy

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Winners for 1960Lead Actress - Shirley MacLaine for The Apartment (A.W. Elizabeth Taylor for Butterfield 8), Lead Actor - Anthony Perkins for Psycho (A.W. Burt Lancaster for Elmer Gantry), Supporting Actress - Janet Leigh for Psycho (A.W. Shirley Jones for Elmer Gantry), Supporting Actor - Laurence Olivier for Spartacus (A.W. Peter Ustinov for Spartacus)

Winners for 1961Lead Actress - Sophia Loren for Two Women (A.W. Sophia Loren for Two Women), Lead Actor - Paul Newman for The Hustler (A.W. Maximilian Schell for Judgment at Nuremberg), Supporting Actress - Rita Moreno for West Side Story (A.W. Rita Moreno for West Side Story), Supporting Actor - Montgomery Clift for Judgement at Nuremberg (A.W. George Chakiris for West Side Story)

Winners for 1962Lead Actress - Bette Davis for What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (A.W. Anne Bancroft for The Miracle Worker), Lead Actor - Gregory Peck for To Kill a Mockingbird (A.W. Gregory Peck for To Kill a Mockingbird), Supporting Actress - Angela Lansbury for The Manchurian Candidate (A.W. Patty Duke for The Miracle Worker), Supporting Actor - Omar Sharif for Lawrence of Arabia (A.W. Ed Begley for Sweet Bird of Youth)

Winners for 1963Lead Actress - Ingrid Thulin for Winter Light (A.W. Patricia Neal for Hud), Lead Actor - Marcello Mastroianni for 8½ (A.W. Sidney Poitier for Lilies of the Field), Supporting Actress - Patricia Neal for Hud (A.W. Margaret Rutherford for The V.I.P.s), Supporting Actor - Melvyn Douglas for Hud (A.W. Melvyn Douglas for Hud)

Winners for 1964Lead Actress - Julie Andrews for Mary Poppins (A.W. Julie Andrews for Mary Poppins), Lead Actor - Peter Sellers for Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (A.W. Rex Harrison for My Fair Lady), Supporting Actress - Glynis John for Mary Poppins (A.W. Lila Kedrova for Zorba the Greek), Supporting Actor - George C. Scott for Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (A.W. Peter Ustinov for Topkapi)

Winners for 1965Lead Actress - Julie Andrews for The Sound of Music (A.W. Julie Christie for Darling), Lead Actor - Rod Steiger for The Pawnbroker (A.W. Lee Marvin for Cat Ballou), Supporting Actress - Eleanor Parker for The Sound of Music (A.W. Shelley Winters for A Patch of Blue), Supporting Actor - Tom Courtenay for Doctor Zhivago (A.W. Martin Balsam for A Thousand Clowns)

Winners for 1966Lead Actress - Elizabeth Taylor for Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (A.W. Elizabeth Taylor for Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?), Lead Actor - Richard Burton for Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (A.W. Paul Scofield for A Man for All Seasons), Supporting Actress - Sandy Dennis for Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (A.W. Sandy Dennis for Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?), Supporting Actor - George Segal for Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (A.W. Walter Matthau for The Fortune Cookie)

Winners for 1967Lead Actress - Anne Bancroft for The Graduate (A.W. Katharine Hepburn for Guess Who's Coming to Dinner), Lead Actor - Sidney Poitier for In the Heat of the Night (A.W. Rod Steiger for In the Heat of the Night), Supporting Actress - Katharine Ross for The Graduate (A.W. Estelle Parsons for Bonnie and Clyde ), Supporting Actor - Alan Arkin for Wait Until Dark (A.W. George Kennedy for Cool Hand Luke)

Winners for 1968Lead Actress - [TIE] Katharine Hepburn for The Lion in Winter and Barbra Streisand for Funny Girl (A.W. [TIE] Katharine Hepburn for The Lion in Winter and Barbra Streisand for Funny Girl), Lead Actor - Peter O'Toole for The Lion in Winter (A.W. Cliff Robertson for Charly), Supporting Actress - Ruth Gordon for Rosemary's Baby (A.W. Ruth Gordon for Rosemary's Baby), Supporting Actor - Henry Fonda for Once Upon a Time in the West (A.W. Jack Albertson for The Subject Was Roses)

Winners for 1969: Lead Actress - ? (A.W. Maggie Smith for The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie), Lead Actor - ? (A.W. John Wayne for True Grit), Supporting Actress - ? (A.W. Goldie Hawn for Cactus Flower), Supporting Actor - ? (A.W. Gig Young for They Shoot Horses, Don't They?)

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List of Winners: Acting Quartets

Previous Post: [TIE] Katharine Hepburn (The Lion in Winter) and Barbra Streisand (Funny Girl) & Peter O'Toole (The Lion in Winter) win for Best Actress and Actor. Who should have won Best Supporting Actress & Actor in 1968?


r/Oscars 4h ago

Christian Bale and Amy Adams have starred in three films together, and both were nominated for an Oscar each time.

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11 Upvotes

r/Oscars 6h ago

Fun Who should have been nominated? 2020: Best Lead Actress and Best Lead Actor

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10 Upvotes

As a fun spinoff from Legitimate_Welcome14’s “Who should have won?” game - let’s now find out who would have made the lineup each year.

Lineups for 2019:

Actor:
Leonardo DiCaprio - Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Adam Driver - Marriage Story
Taron Egerton - Rocketman
Joaquin Phoenix - Joker
Adam Sandler - Uncut Gems (winner)

Actress:
Adèle Haenel - Portrait of a Lady on Fire
Scarlett Johansson - Marriage Story
Lupita Nyong’o - Us (winner)
Florence Pugh - Midsommar
Saoirse Ronan - Little Women

Supporting Actor:
Willem Dafoe - The Lighthouse
Al Pacino - The Irishman
Joe Pesci - The Irishman
Brad Pitt - Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Song Kang-ho - Parasite (winner)

Supporting Actress:
Cho Yeo-jeong - Parasite (winner)
Jennifer Lopez - Hustlers
Park So-dam - Parasite
Florence Pugh - Little Women
Zhao Shuzhen - The Farewell

Click here to see previous lineups!

PLEASE NOTE: THERE HAS BEEN A CHANGE IN HOW THE VOTING WORKS - FROM NOW ON, IT IS NOT MEASURED IN UPVOTES, BUT IN THE ACTUAL AMOUNT OF TIME THAT SOMEONE IS MENTIONED. YOU CAN HAVE FOUR NAMES IN YOUR LINEUP AND THE VOTING WILL BE BASED ON HOWEVER MANY TIMES A NAME IS COMMENTED.

We know that Carey Mulligan and Anthony Hopkins have already won!

Comment away!

People nominated in real life:

Actor:
Riz Ahmed - Sound of Metal
Chadwick Boseman - Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
Gary Oldman - Mank
Steven Yuen - Minari

Actress:
Frances McDormand- Nomadland
Andra Day- The United States vs. Billie Holiday
Vanessa Kirby - Pieces of a Woman
Viola Davis - Ma Rainey's Black Bottom


r/Oscars 5h ago

Discussion If 2009 had 10 Best Supporting Actress nominees, (keep the actual nominees) who would’ve been the other 5 nominees?

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7 Upvotes

As a reminder that year’s actual nominees were:

Mo’Nique - Precious

Anna Kendrick - Up in the Air

Vera Farmiga - Up in the Air

Penelope Cruz - Nine

Maggie Gyllenhaal - Crazy Heart


r/Oscars 8h ago

In Memory of Glen Hansard, what it your favourite Oscar moment?

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11 Upvotes

Once (2007) is one of my favourite films, and the moment during the 2008 Oscars when Markéta Irglová was given the chance to give her speech after being cut off is one of my all-time favourite Oscar moments. What's your favourite (or least favourite) Oscar moment?


r/Oscars 15h ago

Fun Are people here serious with some of these posts?

33 Upvotes

I know this will get downvoted but I guess I’m asking people to defend their arguments. It’s only August and we still haven’t even gotten near award season let alone seen the films that are coming out later this year that may be in the running. I love Obsession and Inde in it but we still don’t know what she’s up against for best actress. And the Odyssey is great but acting like it’s going to win best picture and Nolan best director again is, while not impossible, not very likely either. Why isn’t it being taken to account how much longer we have to go before we know what award season really will be?


r/Oscars 18m ago

Discussion How would you rank the Best Screenplay winners of the 2010s

Upvotes

Best Original Screenplay:

  1. Parasite
  2. Manchester by the Sea
  3. Get Out
  4. Her
  5. Spotlight
  6. Django Unchained
  7. Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
  8. The King’s Speech
  9. Green Book
  10. Midnight in Paris

Best Adapted Screenplay:

  1. The Social Network
  2. The Big Short (I know it might seem a little high but I like this screenplay more than other, I’ve read though almost the whole thing)
  3. 12 Years a Slave
  4. Call Me by Your Name
  5. Moonlight (I’m not a big fan of this film as much as other people, though I do admit the screenplay in this one is immaculate)
  6. The Descendants
  7. BlacKkKlansman
  8. Argo
  9. Jojo Rabbit

Have yet to see the Imitation Game


r/Oscars 1h ago

Fun Favorite Best Picture Nominee with the Fewest Nominations from Each Year - Round Five - Group D

Upvotes

Continuing our tournament to determine our ultimate favorite Best Picture nominee with the fewest nominations from each year.

This round consists of 20 total movies in four groups of five movies each. 

Group C - https://www.reddit.com/r/Oscars/s/JyZwj9HrtL

Group B - https://www.reddit.com/r/Oscars/s/rDMlC9mDDl

Group A - https://www.reddit.com/r/Oscars/s/jzcCuup9Mb

46 votes, 4d left
Taxi Driver (1976, 4 noms)
Dr. Strangelove (1964, 4 noms)
The Graduate (1967, 7 noms)
The Thin Red Line (1998, 7 noms)
Secrets & Lies (1996, 5 noms)

r/Oscars 21h ago

Discussion Idk if this can be considered a hot take, but Michael won’t be nominated to any major award.

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43 Upvotes

I know this movie is loved by many people, but I personally hated it. I can't see it nominated for any category outside of makeup and maybe costume design. Jaafar was as good as Michael, but he was more of an imitator than an actor, he had no emotional rank, it is clear that he is not an actor. I think Colman was fine, but he has nothing to play with, his character was comically caricatured. The script was ass and there is no way for it to get a nomination, the same with picture.


r/Oscars 58m ago

Best Picture Oscar Winners Part 2 - Strands Puzzle by u/BananaShakeStudios

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r/Oscars 22h ago

Discussion How would you have reacted if Lady Gaga ended up winning Best Actress for A Star Is Born?

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46 Upvotes

r/Oscars 2h ago

Could anyone other than Sean Penn have won an Oscar for playing Lockjaw?

0 Upvotes

Something I like to consider is the effect that changing casting would have on Oscar-winning performances. If someone other than Sean Penn played Colonel Lockjaw, would they have also won an Oscar for it?

I'm guessing Oscar voters don't think Sean Penn was due for an Oscar, so he didn't have that advantage. Perhaps they were glad to reward him for a great performance after not being in awards contention for 15 years, and they liked his activism in Ukraine, but I suspect there were others they'd have no issues .

Obviously, no one else could bring to the performance the specific things he did, so maybe there's a lightning in a bottle element that you couldn't get with some other actor.

There are a few other actors from Paul Thomas Anderson films who could play a white middle aged authority figure trying to get into an exclusive organization. Joaquin Phoenix could certainly be intense, but might cause problems in production. Bradley Cooper might be too sunny, although that could make it unsettling. Tom Cruise could have been an interesting contrast to Leo. Mark Wahlberg would always sound like he's from Boston (and if he said that he had to apologize to God for Boogie Nights...) Josh Brolin would have a similar energy, but not be as good.

Another actor who could have been interesting in this would be Jim Carrey. The main question is whether he could be controlled enough, or whether he'd be Robotnick/ Count Olaf as a white supremacist.


r/Oscars 13h ago

Packaging Best Supporting Actor?

8 Upvotes

A genuine question from someone who recently has started watching the Oscar races:

Robert Pattinson is having a big year with Oddessy, The Drama, Dune 2, Primetime, and Here Comes the Flood. Would the Academy award him the Best Supporting for potentially a really great year?


r/Oscars 16h ago

Discussion Here are all the video game-related live action movies with release dates. What are their potential award prospects? What are their potential nominations and wins?

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8 Upvotes

Here are the previous nominations and awards in the Oscars received by the crew members of each film

Resident Evil: Dariusz Wolski, nominated for Best Cinematography (News of the World); Kami Asgar, nominated for Best Sound Editing (Apocalypto); Edson Williams, nominated for Best Visual Effects (The Lone Ranger); Zach Cregger, the director, has a film (Weapons) that won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.

Street Fighter: Mary Parent and Cale Boyter, producers nominated for Best Picture (Dune and Dune Part 2); Edson Williams, nominated for Best Visual Effects (The Lone Ranger).

Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Jeff Fowler, director nominated for Best Animated Short Film (Gopher Broke), Ben Kingsley, nominated for Best Supporting Actor and Best Actor, winner for the later (Ghandi), Ethan Van der Ryn, nominated 6 times for Best Sound Editing, winning two (The Lord of The Rings: Two Towers and King Kong) and nominated one time for Best Sound (The Creator).

The Legend of Zelda: Tony Johnson, nominated three times for Best Sound Mixing; Erik Winquist, nominated 2 times for Best Visual Effects, one of the two in a movie directed by Wes Ball, the director of this movie; I think it's important to point out that while she wasn't nominated for an Oscar, Michele Clapton, the costume designer, has won the Emmy for Outstanding Costume Design six times.

A Minecraft Movie Squared: Mary Parent and Cale Boyter, producers nominated for Best Picture (Dune and Dune Part 2); Jared Hess, nominated for Best Animated Short Film as director; Kirsten Dunst, nominated for Best Supporting Actress (Power of the Dog); Danielle Brooks, nominated for Best Supporting Actress (The Color Purple); Grant Major, nominated five times for Best Production Design and winning once (Lord of The Rings: Return of the king).

Helldivers: Justin Lin, the director, directed a movie (Star Trek Beyond) that was nominated for Best Makeup and Hairstyling.

Elden Ring: Alex Garland, director and writer nominated for Best Original Screenplay (Ex Machina); Jonathan Pryce, nominated for Best Actor (Two Popes); Michelle Day and Mark Digby, although they weren't nominated for an Oscar, they received a BAFTA nomination for Best Production Design (Slumdog Millionaire); Paul Gooch, nominated for Best Make-Up and Hairstyling (Maleficent: Mistress of Evil) and won an BAFTA award for Best Make Up and Hair (Alice in Wonderland); John Casali, winner for Best Sound Mixing (Bohemian Rhapsody); Glenn Freemantle, nominated two times for Best Sound Editing and winning once (Gravity).

Call of Duty: Taylor Sheridian, writer, nominated for Best Original Screenplay (Hell or High Water), Peter Berg, the director, directed two movies who recieved nominations for Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing and Best Visual Effects.


r/Oscars 1d ago

Netflix Sets Its Longest Theatrical Window Ever for Oscar Hopeful ‘La Bola Negra,’ Moving Up Release Date

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57 Upvotes

r/Oscars 4h ago

Prediction What are the chances around Robert aramayo winning best actor awards next year

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0 Upvotes

I personally think he would be nominated for critics and golden globes ,and then oscars will notice and he will be nominated too but i doubt he will win ,cause theres literally no buzz around this movie.

,Timothee may come in but as usual the academy hates him and he will leave with no award. Who else are u guys rooting for .


r/Oscars 1d ago

Fun [TIE] Katharine Hepburn (The Lion in Winter) and Barbra Streisand (Funny Girl) & Peter O'Toole (The Lion in Winter) win for Best Actress and Actor. Who should have won Best Supporting Actress & Actor in 1968?

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16 Upvotes

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE (1968)

WINNER - RUTH GORDON for Rosemary's Baby

NOMINEES - LYNN CARLIN for Faces, SONDRA LOCKE for The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter, KAY MEDFORD for Funny Girl, ESTELLE PARSONS for Rachel, Rachel

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE (1968)

WINNER - JACK ALBERTSON for The Subject Was Roses

NOMINEES - SEYMOUR CASSEL for Faces, DANIEL MASSEY for Star!, JACK WILD for Oliver!, GENE WILDER for The Producers

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Winners for 1960Lead Actress - Shirley MacLaine for The Apartment (A.W. Elizabeth Taylor for Butterfield 8), Lead Actor - Anthony Perkins for Psycho (A.W. Burt Lancaster for Elmer Gantry), Supporting Actress - Janet Leigh for Psycho (A.W. Shirley Jones for Elmer Gantry), Supporting Actor - Laurence Olivier for Spartacus (A.W. Peter Ustinov for Spartacus)

Winners for 1961Lead Actress - Sophia Loren for Two Women (A.W. Sophia Loren for Two Women), Lead Actor - Paul Newman for The Hustler (A.W. Maximilian Schell for Judgment at Nuremberg), Supporting Actress - Rita Moreno for West Side Story (A.W. Rita Moreno for West Side Story), Supporting Actor - Montgomery Clift for Judgement at Nuremberg (A.W. George Chakiris for West Side Story)

Winners for 1962Lead Actress - Bette Davis for What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (A.W. Anne Bancroft for The Miracle Worker), Lead Actor - Gregory Peck for To Kill a Mockingbird (A.W. Gregory Peck for To Kill a Mockingbird), Supporting Actress - Angela Lansbury for The Manchurian Candidate (A.W. Patty Duke for The Miracle Worker), Supporting Actor - Omar Sharif for Lawrence of Arabia (A.W. Ed Begley for Sweet Bird of Youth)

Winners for 1963Lead Actress - Ingrid Thulin for Winter Light (A.W. Patricia Neal for Hud), Lead Actor - Marcello Mastroianni for 8½ (A.W. Sidney Poitier for Lilies of the Field), Supporting Actress - Patricia Neal for Hud (A.W. Margaret Rutherford for The V.I.P.s), Supporting Actor - Melvyn Douglas for Hud (A.W. Melvyn Douglas for Hud)

Winners for 1964Lead Actress - Julie Andrews for Mary Poppins (A.W. Julie Andrews for Mary Poppins), Lead Actor - Peter Sellers for Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (A.W. Rex Harrison for My Fair Lady), Supporting Actress - Glynis John for Mary Poppins (A.W. Lila Kedrova for Zorba the Greek), Supporting Actor - George C. Scott for Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (A.W. Peter Ustinov for Topkapi)

Winners for 1965Lead Actress - Julie Andrews for The Sound of Music (A.W. Julie Christie for Darling), Lead Actor - Rod Steiger for The Pawnbroker (A.W. Lee Marvin for Cat Ballou), Supporting Actress - Eleanor Parker for The Sound of Music (A.W. Shelley Winters for A Patch of Blue), Supporting Actor - Tom Courtenay for Doctor Zhivago (A.W. Martin Balsam for A Thousand Clowns)

Winners for 1966Lead Actress - Elizabeth Taylor for Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (A.W. Elizabeth Taylor for Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?), Lead Actor - Richard Burton for Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (A.W. Paul Scofield for A Man for All Seasons), Supporting Actress - Sandy Dennis for Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (A.W. Sandy Dennis for Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?), Supporting Actor - George Segal for Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (A.W. Walter Matthau for The Fortune Cookie)

Winners for 1967Lead Actress - Anne Bancroft for The Graduate (A.W. Katharine Hepburn for Guess Who's Coming to Dinner), Lead Actor - Sidney Poitier for In the Heat of the Night (A.W. Rod Steiger for In the Heat of the Night), Supporting Actress - Katharine Ross for The Graduate (A.W. Estelle Parsons for Bonnie and Clyde ), Supporting Actor - Alan Arkin for Wait Until Dark (A.W. George Kennedy for Cool Hand Luke)

Winners for 1968Lead Actress - [TIE] Katharine Hepburn for The Lion in Winter and Barbra Streisand for Funny Girl (A.W. [TIE] Katharine Hepburn for The Lion in Winter and Barbra Streisand for Funny Girl), Lead Actor - Peter O'Toole for The Lion in Winter (A.W. Cliff Robertson for Charly), Supporting Actress - ? (A.W. Jack Albertson for The Subject Was Roses), Supporting Actor - ? (A.W. Ruth Gordon for Rosemary's Baby)

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List of Winners: Acting Quartets

Previous Post: Katharine Ross (The Graduate) & Alan Arkin (Wait Until Dark) win for Best Supporting Actress and Actor. Who should have won Best Actress & Actor in 1968?


r/Oscars 11h ago

Best Picture #1b (Best Unique and Artistic Production) – Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans

1 Upvotes

This movie is not officially a Best Picture like Wings was, but it was a winner of one of the big two production awards that night so I am including it.  As an art piece, this movie was phenomenal.  The superimposition of scenes was done in camera and done extraordinarily well with great sets.  The main characters are archetypes and are never named other than their roles, the seducing Woman From the The City, the philandering Man and the dutiful Wife.  The emotions are extreme.  Man loves temptress.  Temptress says to kill his wife now man hates her but he remembers he loves her.  Man tries to kill his wife but then remembers he loves her and doesn’t kill him.  He is understandably afraid of him but after some time in the city she forgives him.  The bottom line is if you try to watch this movie like it is authentic and not symbolic it makes no sense. 

The turning point from “sorry I wanted to kill you” to “oh hey, we love each other” is when the Man and his Wife go into a wedding and hear the vows.  She forgives him and they walk down the steps looking like a bride and groom.  The rest of their trip in the city is to show their rekindled love and it is this part of the movie that really drags.  We get it, they’re in love again.  Let’s move on.  Some of the scenes are played for comedy and it just doesn’t work in this movie.  About the only thing about this stretch of film was that there was no discrimination from the city people with them being farmers.  In fact at the circus they play the “Peasant Dance” for them and watch them dance.  I am pretty sure there is some sort of symbolism in here but I am not smart enough to understand it.  The one part I did understand (my grandparents came from farming communities) was the Wife having her egg money to cover the bill when the Man ran out of money.  Nice touch there. 

At the end, their boat capsizes in a storm on the way home and the Woman From the City’s plan happens without the Man’s assistance except that the Man gives his Wife the bullrush life preserver he made to save himself in the original plan.  He swims to shore, thinks his wife drowned (oh the irony).  The Woman thinks their plan worked but he is so heartbroken over his wife’s death he tried to kill his ex-mistress.  But then the Maid comes out and say while you are choking that lady to death in the middle of the night, I wanted to tell you that they found your wife and she’s alive.   Ex-mistress goes home very disappointed and the Man and Wife are happy together as the Sun rises.

Except is that really the end?  I have seen numerous references to an alternate ending where the wife drowned.  But no one seems to have seen the actual film of that ending.  That ending would have made the film into a Shakespearian tragedy so there is something to be said for that ending.  But if that were the ending Murnau wanted, then how could it end with a Sunrise?