A Decade of Oscars: 2002
The year 2002 marked the 75th time the Oscars were presented. The Academy had gone a long way since that little banquet in 1927 where 12 awards were handed out in about 40 minutes. Now, it was the biggest show on television (after the Super Bowl). The telecast was elaborate, grandiose, and very, very long. Between the late Seventies and now, it was common for the show to run close to (or slightly over) 4 hours.
Five years prior, in the year of Titanic, The Academy did a fascinating thing to celebrate 70 years. They had all living actors who had ever won an Oscar get on stage at the same time and be recognized individually. It was wonderful to see the old faces and the new faces on one stage. I had anticipated even bigger things for the 75th ceremony – the most elaborate show of all. Unfortunately, there was nothing fancy about it. Perhaps the whip had been cracked about time constraints, or perhaps the budget wasn’t there, but the show went on like business as usual.
2002 was a fairly mediocre year for movies. I feel like it was much more of a year for acting pieces than it was for overall great movies. Sure, there were a bunch of good movies, but no runaway favorites to win the Best Picture.
When the nominations came out, the leader of the pack was Marin Scorsese’s Gangs Of New York, with 10 nominations. It’s a period piece starring Daniel Day Lewis as heartless crime boss and Leo Dicaprio as a young Irishman seeking revenge for the death of his father. Gangs was my favorite film of the year, and I was excited that I might get to see Marty Scorsese finally win Best Director. Usually, the film with the most nominations has a good shot at winning Best Picture, so my fingers were crossed.
Chicago had taken audiences by storm over the Christmas holiday as well. This cinematic adaptation of the Broadway musical was probably helped along by the success of last year’s Moulin Rouge. People found that musicals weren’t as cheesy as they were when they dominated the 50’s and 60’s, and the box office receipts reflected that. Casting counts too. Renee Zellweger, Queen Latifah, John C Reilly, and a very pregnant Catherine Zeta-Jones were all nominated for acting awards, with the latter winning for Best Supporting Actress.
The Pianist was a Holocaust movie, and we all know that if there’s a film about the Holocaust, it’s guaranteed to be loved by the Academy. There may not be a more rewarded film subject in all of cinematic history. This one starred an unknown Adrian Brody and was directed by the controversial Roman Polanski, who had been fleeing extradition to the US for a 1970’s rape charge. When Polanski’s name was called as the Best Director, whispers of shock and surprise echoed throughout the auditorium. Everyone knew he wouldn’t be there to accept, but I’m guessing no one thought he had a chance of winning due to his potentially criminal past. This win speaks volumes for the director’s branch, which had the ability to set opinion aside and reward what they thought to be the best directed film. Unfortunately, that meant that the winless Scorsese would have to try again. The Pianist’s Brody also upset Daniel Day Lewis for Best Actor, which came as a general surprise as well. That build up some momentum going into the final award of the night, and it made me think that the Holocaust might just be unbeatable.
The Hours was an acting piece that saw Nicole Kidman win her first Oscar. Meryl Streep and Julianne Moore also added to this tragedy about three generations of women who were all affected by the same novel in one way or another. It’s a pretty good film, and I wasn’t surprised that it made the short list. I did think, though, that it may have been a tip-of-the-hat nomination. The Academy may have picked this film as to include a straight-up drama in the mix. If I had a choice, I would have picked Julianne Moore’s OTHER 2002 film: Far From Heaven, which centered on a 1950’s family struggling with racial bias and homophobia.
To no one’s surprise, the second third of the Lord Of The Rings saga was also nominated. The Two Towers is actually the best MOVIE of the three of them (although I had no way of knowing that then). Despite being the middle portion of the overall movie, it actually has a beginning, middle, and ending – making it conceivable that it could stand on its own. Obviously, it wouldn’t stand on its own, but as far as nominations for Best Picture go, this is the one that most deserved it. But again, how silly would it be to reward the middle third of a film with Best Picture? I had no problem with the technical awards it received, but I thought a Best Picture spot was taken away from some other well-deserving films. In particular, I thought the independent sensation: My Big Fat Greek Wedding would get nominated. Here was a small film that made over $100M and was in the theatres for almost an entire YEAR. To me, that’s the epitome of a Best Picture nominee – not 1/3 of an epic fantasy.
As the night came to an end, Gangs of New York was 0-9. The Pianist had won three big ones, but Chicago had the most with 5. Best Picture ended up going to the musical, Chicago, and my favorite – the one with the most nominations – went without a win. It was frustrating, but not nearly as frustrating as the next year would prove to be. I had a feeling that the finale of Lord Of The Rings would be prominent at the Oscars. Just how prominent remained to be seen.
What happened in 2003? Find out here.
-Steve
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