Spielberg, being a good human being and never a bottom-feeding shitstain like Weinstein, refused to strike again, however sadly the shitstain’s plan labored. Whereas the Beard did go residence together with his well-deserved Finest Director prize, Ryan misplaced finest image to Shakespeare. Within the fallout, the trendy, ceaseless and aggressive Oscar marketing campaign was born. It’s a tragedy worthy of the Bard himself, even when the rom-com about him wasn’t.
A Stunning Thoughts vs. The Reality (?)
Questioning the presumed veracity of a biopic or historic drama is one thing we do on a regular basis now on this period of on the spot on-line reactions. Nonetheless, it have to be pressured many times (though it by no means appears to sink in) that narrative motion pictures should not documentaries; they don’t purport to supply the unvarnished reality of an individual’s life or sure occasions in historical past, nor are they obliged to. However that didn’t cease a depraved smear marketing campaign towards Ron Howard’s A Stunning Thoughts (2001) during which Russell Crowe performed the sensible however schizophrenic mathematician (and Nobel Prize winner), John Nash.
With A Stunning Thoughts thought of a frontrunner within the Finest Image, Director, Actor, and Supporting Actress races, the movie was attacked for sanitizing Nash’s character (unsubstantiated rumors circulated that he was each an antisemite and a closeted homosexual man), whitewashing the portrayal of his spouse (who was born in El Salvador however was performed by a decidedly non-Latino Jennifer Connelly), and usually playing around with the accuracy of its story. The assaults got here from all sides, starting from publications as disparate as The Guardian and The Drudge Report, and naturally it was suspected that Harvey Weinstein was behind it. Ultimately, it didn’t matter: the film, Howard, and Connelly all received their respective classes. Nonetheless, some speculate that it value Crowe a second Finest Actor Oscar, though we surprise if he might have ever actually crushed a efficiency as formidable as Denzel Washington’s in Coaching Day.
Slumdog Millionaire vs. India
Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire, launched in 2008, tells the story of an 18-year-old boy (Dev Patel) from the streets of Mumbai who finally ends up profitable the grand prize on the Hindi model of Who Needs To Be a Millionaire? whereas reuniting with the love of his life (Frieda Pinto). Flashy, unique, and extremely energetic, the movie collected a hefty eight Oscars on the 2009 ceremony, together with Finest Image, Finest Director, and Finest Tailored Screenplay. Nevertheless it didn’t get to these lofty heights with out some assaults alongside the best way, though whether or not these have been launched by rival campaigns stays unclear.
First, the movie was accused of downplaying the work of “co-director” Loveleen Tandan, who the producers insisted was billed that means for cultural causes in India. There have been additionally accusations of cultural appropriation, with a movie steeped in Indian tradition helmed by a Westerner. However essentially the most critical allegations urged that youngster actors Rubina Ali and Azharuddin Ismail, who each lived within the slums of Mumbai and performed youthful variations of two of the movie’s leads, have been paid subsequent to nothing for his or her work and remained within the slums after manufacturing was accomplished.
Boyle and producer Christian Colson pushed again, saying that belief funds had been set as much as pay for the actors’ schooling, well being care, and different wants. Each Ali and Ismail reportedly bought out of the slums ultimately and into homes paid for by their funds whereas Slumdog received all these Oscars. Nonetheless, we wonder if the movie might survive such a gauntlet of accusations at this time.
