Dark Knight overlooked for Best Picture
Academy opt against change as The Reader secures top nod
Nov 18, 2008
Each year throws up some interesting choices, and it is terrific to see the likes of David Fincher, Heath Ledger and In Bruges writer Martin McDonagh getting the recognition that their talents deserved.
OMISSIONS
However, there were a few glaring omissions that will have left some people disappointed. For instance, not nominating the legendary Bruce Springsteen for his truly moving ‘The Wrestler’ from the film of the same name was grave injustice, as was the absence of Clint Eastwood from a number of categories. The biggest let-down though was reserved for the epic Batman sequel, The Dark Knight.
While it was nominated for 8 awards, including Ledger as Best Supporting Actor, it was absent from three categories which more than warranted inclusion. Christopher Nolan as Director could be forgiven perhaps due to the talent included in the final five, but the absence of the score because of a technicality was just plain wrong. Something similar also denied Johnny Greenwood’s magnificent There Will Be Blood to be considered last year, and the eligibility laws in this category will have to be looked at.
Yet, it doesn’t come close when compared to its snub in the ‘Best Motion Picture Of The Year’ category, as comic book film once again struggles to be taken seriously by award voters. While I wouldn’t argue with the inclusion of The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button, Slumdog Millionaire, Milk or Frost/Nixon, I find it hard to accept that The Reader is a better film that The Dark Knight (which isn’t to say the other four nominated film are either).
HOLOCAUST
While it is a perfectly acceptable film, it is hard to escape the feeling that it was nominated because of its subject matter (The Holocaust) and also because of the untimely death of two of the film’s producers, Sydney Pollack and Anthony Minghella. Its inclusion gives suitable ammunition to those who say that if you make certain kind of film, then you are almost guaranteed to get a Best Picture nomination.
This probably reflects unfairly on films in the genre of ‘The Holocaust’ as Schindler’s List and The Pianist are both terrific films. The Reader, on the other hand, has a number of flaws. None more so than the fact that the whole film is spoken in English, despite the fact that the books and the restaurant menus in the film are in German. It also weighs heavily on the performance of Kate Winslet, who fully deserves a long overdue Oscar for her role.
The Dark Knight managed something that The Reader didn’t. It instantly won acclaim as the best film of its chosen genre. It also blended in elements of different genres to make it more than just your average comic-book/superhero movie. It achieved that rare combination of box-office success as well as garnering critical acclaim. This is only tipping the iceberg though, as there are many other elements that help to make it a modern-day masterpiece (the casting and cinematography being prime examples), and there is simply too much quality in the film for it to be ignored for such a prestigious category.
QUESTION
There are those who question how much the Oscars really mean any more, and this was an excellent opportunity for the Academy to show that they were willing to do something different. Because they opted not to do this, it is likely than even more people will question the importance of such a massive and historical awards ceremony.
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