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March 25, 2003
And the Oscar goes to...
Through overlong speeches and peace signs, tearful thank-you’s and clever witticisms, the 75th Academy Awards Ceremony alternately awed and annoyed through its three and a half hour broadcast. With artists abusing the stage as a slightly inappropriate political platform and winners rambling about peace, their mothers, and life in general, the 2003 Oscars ceremony was certainly memorable.
In fact, this year’s Academy Awards was one of the most exciting ceremonies in years, with several surprise winners and a select few shocking actions. Best Actor winner Adrien Brody passionately kissing stunned and disconcerted presenter Halle Berry takes the award for greatest moment of the evening, but Brody quickly detracted from his splendid moment by babbling on in traditional winner style.
Host Steve Martin broke up the drone of actors’, producers’, and crews’ similarly boring speeches with quips refreshingly concerning everything but the war. Unfortunately, Bowling for Columbine director Michael Moore was not so tactful upon his Best Documentary win, proceeding to disobey all proscribed Academy regulations in a no-holds-barred anti-Bush, anti-war barrage, with the rest of the category’s nominees behind him in a show of support. He made a great speech and a great point… but it was neither the time nor the place and as he finished in a wave of audience booing, he seemed more self-important than world-concerned.
Show antics aside, and onto the actual awards, Chicago was the big winner this year, by a landslide. This large-scale motion picture credited with bringing musicals back in style— although Moulin Rouge was similarly endorsed last year— won Best Picture and Best Supporting Actress (a very pregnant Catherine Zeta-Jones), along with a horde of technical and artistic awards. The Pianist, the haunting story of a Holocaust-era pianist, came in a close second in terms of big awards, with a surprise Best Director win for charged sexual offender director Roman Polanski (most believed the Academy would avoid such a controversial award), a Best Adapted Screenplay win over Chicago and the above-mentioned Best Actor win for Adrien Brody.
The Hours’s Nicole Kidman won Best Actress, the only award for this touted screen adaptation of Virginia Woolf’s masterful novel. Salma Hayek’s ambitious project, the critically acclaimed Frida, swept up two smaller awards, Best Original Score and Best Makeup, as did Best Picture nominee The Lord of the Rings for Sound Editing and Visual Effects.
The complete list of winners is as follows:
Picture: "Chicago."
Director: Roman Polanksi, "The Pianist."
Actor: Adrien Brody, "The Pianist."
Actress: Nicole Kidman, "The Hours."
Supporting Actor: Chris Cooper, "Adaptation."
Supporting Actress: Catherine Zeta-Jones, "Chicago."
Original Screenplay: "Talk to Her," Pedro Almodovar.
Adapted Screenplay: "The Pianist," Ronald Harwood.
Animated Feature: "Spirited Away."
Animated Short Film: "The ChubbChubbs!"
Art Direction: "Chicago."
Cinematography: "Road to Perdition."
Costume: "Chicago."
Documentary Feature: "Bowling for Columbine."
Documentary (short subject): "Twin Towers."
Film Editing: "Chicago."
Foreign Language Film: "Nowhere in Africa," Germany.
Live Action Short Film: "This Charming Man (Der Er En Yndig Mand)."
Makeup: "Frida."
Original Score: "Frida."
Original Song: "Lose Yourself" from "8 Mile," Eminem, Jeff Bass and Luis Resto.
Sound: "Chicago."
Sound Editing: "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers."
Visual Effects: "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers."
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In fact, this year’s Academy Awards was one of the most exciting ceremonies in years, with several surprise winners and a select few shocking actions. Best Actor winner Adrien Brody passionately kissing stunned and disconcerted presenter Halle Berry takes the award for greatest moment of the evening, but Brody quickly detracted from his splendid moment by babbling on in traditional winner style.
Host Steve Martin broke up the drone of actors’, producers’, and crews’ similarly boring speeches with quips refreshingly concerning everything but the war. Unfortunately, Bowling for Columbine director Michael Moore was not so tactful upon his Best Documentary win, proceeding to disobey all proscribed Academy regulations in a no-holds-barred anti-Bush, anti-war barrage, with the rest of the category’s nominees behind him in a show of support. He made a great speech and a great point… but it was neither the time nor the place and as he finished in a wave of audience booing, he seemed more self-important than world-concerned.
Show antics aside, and onto the actual awards, Chicago was the big winner this year, by a landslide. This large-scale motion picture credited with bringing musicals back in style— although Moulin Rouge was similarly endorsed last year— won Best Picture and Best Supporting Actress (a very pregnant Catherine Zeta-Jones), along with a horde of technical and artistic awards. The Pianist, the haunting story of a Holocaust-era pianist, came in a close second in terms of big awards, with a surprise Best Director win for charged sexual offender director Roman Polanski (most believed the Academy would avoid such a controversial award), a Best Adapted Screenplay win over Chicago and the above-mentioned Best Actor win for Adrien Brody.
The Hours’s Nicole Kidman won Best Actress, the only award for this touted screen adaptation of Virginia Woolf’s masterful novel. Salma Hayek’s ambitious project, the critically acclaimed Frida, swept up two smaller awards, Best Original Score and Best Makeup, as did Best Picture nominee The Lord of the Rings for Sound Editing and Visual Effects.
The complete list of winners is as follows:
Picture: "Chicago."
Director: Roman Polanksi, "The Pianist."
Actor: Adrien Brody, "The Pianist."
Actress: Nicole Kidman, "The Hours."
Supporting Actor: Chris Cooper, "Adaptation."
Supporting Actress: Catherine Zeta-Jones, "Chicago."
Original Screenplay: "Talk to Her," Pedro Almodovar.
Adapted Screenplay: "The Pianist," Ronald Harwood.
Animated Feature: "Spirited Away."
Animated Short Film: "The ChubbChubbs!"
Art Direction: "Chicago."
Cinematography: "Road to Perdition."
Costume: "Chicago."
Documentary Feature: "Bowling for Columbine."
Documentary (short subject): "Twin Towers."
Film Editing: "Chicago."
Foreign Language Film: "Nowhere in Africa," Germany.
Live Action Short Film: "This Charming Man (Der Er En Yndig Mand)."
Makeup: "Frida."
Original Score: "Frida."
Original Song: "Lose Yourself" from "8 Mile," Eminem, Jeff Bass and Luis Resto.
Sound: "Chicago."
Sound Editing: "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers."
Visual Effects: "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers."
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Discuss this Article
The academy didn't barn political commentary, but asked people to refrain. Frankly I think Moore did a wonderful thing. He got his message across at the perfect time, when people were listening.
First, the Academy Awards have always been a forum for actors to express their views on what's going on in the world (yes, even out of LA). Just because it's "war time" doesn't mean they shouldn't be permitted to bring up political topics.
Secondly, yes, Adrien Brody's spontaneous french kissing of Halle Berry was incredible. So was his speech however. It personally brought tears to my eyes. He was amazing in The Pianist, and his speech lived up to his Best Actor Oscar. I haven't heard a single person who wasn't awed by his speech.
Third, and last, I cannot believe you would attack Roman Polanski. As a film student I can tell you that The Pianist was one of the best films which has come out in quite some time. The Academy Awards honor great films (in the best cases-- personally, I didn't care for "Chicago" at all), and the people who make them possible. It wouldn't matter if someone was a convicted murderer, if they made a great film, it was a great film, regardless of what they have done. Something that happened with Polanski 28 years ago should not be factored in to whether or not he recieves an Oscar.
Sorry this is so long. Just so you know, I respect everyone's opinion, and I'm not attacking you, just putting my own two cents in and being a general pain in the ass.
--Sam J
and i can't believe you would support roman polanski. his RAPE of a young girl has everything to do with him winning an oscar. there were plenty of other worthy nominees this time around, like multi-nominated martin scorcese who still has not won an award despite his brilliant career. granted, gangs of new york wasn't his best work, but most of the time, the academy votes for oscars based on lifelong achievement and established names, not actual merit of the precise nominated film.
this oscar honored roman polanski in a way such a fugitive NEVER deserves to be nominate. i hold no respect for this disgusting man and am dumbfounded that anybody would support giving an award to this man who probably psychologically damaged this girl for the rest of her life. never mind that she says it's okay that he won, never mind that she says she holds no resentment towards polanski: this girl was brainwashed, this girl was frightened, this girl was irrevocably damaged.
yes, being a rapist should affect the rest of your life. yes, being a rapist means that you should have LASTING consequences. i have no forgiveness for him. i believe he should be punished and CONTINUE to be punished. this isn't a case where maybe he didn't do it, maybe he's being punished for something he didn't do. this is a case where a man admittedly raped the girl, is blase about it, and in fact by all accounts seems to think he had the right to do it.
so he made a great movie. so maybe he has a great mind. so what? he doesn't NEED this oscar. he's doing just fine. he's doing great for a CRIMINAL PIECE OF YOU KNOW WHAT. giving him an oscar was honoring him. roman polanski does not deserve to be honored. HE IS A RAPIST.
I'm a film student with a focus on editing and screenwriting, trust me I understand that many other oscar winners were just as worthy of more time as Brody. Don't you wnder though, why the Best Actor is the last award given? It -is- the most prestigious award... Everyone waits to hear who won that final award. The fact is, he's the only one who (excuse the expression) had the balls to quiet down the wrap up music.
B) It seems you've got some pretty strong views on Polanski, however, maybe you haven't read up on the facts. An Oscar -is- awarded on the quality of the work. Gangs of New York really wasn't that good (in my opinion at least), and despite the fact that Scorsese himself is definitely deserving of an Oscar after all these years (his work has recieved Oscars, jst not him directly), it just doesn't work that way.
Alfred Hitchcock never won an Oscar, despite his invention of many new filming techniques and some amazing films, and Greta Garbo also never received an Oscar, despite being one of the most memorable female actors in film in this century.
Read up on what Polanski's rape-victim said -herself-: http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/03/02/1046540066443.html
I don't debate the guy's a rapist, but that has -absolutely nothing- to do with his art, which he is amazing at.
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Your line, ".. most of the time, the academy votes for oscars based on lifelong achievement and established names, not actual merit of the precise nominated film" if true, would mean that the Oscar's would snub indipendent films, and not worry about the actual quality of the work, as long as it was by someone who was a "good director." That is not how the Oscar's have -ever- worked. Films are voted on based on just that-- "the actual merit of the film."
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"so he made a great movie. so maybe he has a great mind. so what? he doesn't NEED this oscar."
Does anyone really "need" an Oscar? No. Should it have gone to another director of a less-worthy film just because we don't want to "honor" Polanski? Of course not. The Oscar goes to the best director, not the "best director who hasn't necesarily done anything really wrong in their life."
Polanski's Oscar honors his art and his film-- NOT his rape of a young girl.
Sorry I took so long writing this... I know it's a little beyond Oscar season now. I had to track down this page again as I never got an e-mail saying you had accepted my comment, I just assumed it had been tossed ;) Thanks again, Sam J