Spielberg on “Commercial Backlash” — “Everybody Loves a Winner but Nobody Loves a Winner”
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wow he came across a little smarmy.
I love it, I love seeing how he cared… And it’s true, he should’ve been nominated for director, but since it was 38 years ago, I’m over it.
This is probably one of my favorite Oscar related videos on youtube.
I love Spielberg from the old days. I little snotty attitude but he’s right. When it comes to high grossing films, let’s look at Jaws first. That was the highest grossing film of all time back in 1975 and early 1976, at least THAT got nominated for Best Picture and managed to win the other three categories it was in. Now let’s look at Harry Potter, the highest grossing franchise of all time, none of those films even came close to scoring a Best Picture nomination nor won any Oscar at all for any tech categories. Because that was 38 years ago, it shows how much respect the Academy has LOST from me.
Considering how much the Academy members hate horror/genre films he was lucky to be nominated for 4 Oscars and one of those for Picture.
Whatever, we already knew Spielberg main obsession is being nominated for the Oscars, that’s the only reason she made films like War horse, Empire of the sun, Amistad, The color purple, etc, etc.
This is so brilliant. It encapsulates so much.
Christopher Nolan must know this feeling by now…
Thanks for posting this. I knew these images existed, but I hadn’t seen it yet.
1976 Spielberg sums up nomination day in 2009 better than anyone else could…
Interesting archive footage. Box Office doesn’t mean Academy Award success -then or now.
saw this some days ago… Spielberg looked to me quite arrogant. Maybe that’s me, but well, his reaction wouldn’t be the one I would have had in the same situation, as he clearly knows what Jaws mainly is and how difficult is to aprecciate mastery in filmmaking in a genre blockbuster at the time it’s made.
I love Spielberg’s attitude in the beginning. He expects a sweep – 11 nominations or something. And he isn’t really kidding. In the beginning I thought: He’s trying to be ironic. But well, he isn’t. And did he really expect to sweep or something against four MASTERPIECES. all due respect to Spielberg but I don’t think he has a place among the best directing nominees because AMARCORD, BARRY LYNDON, ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST, NASHVILLE and DOG DAY AFTERNOON are brilliant films. I can’t let any one of these go in order to make Spielberg happy with a sweep he doesn’t deserve. So kudos to the Academy! And about Nolan: He has his fans but to me he’s still not really deserving. Not that Tom Hooper is deserving either.
It should be noted that while he complains about the lack of a Visual Effects nomination, the Visual Effects category wasn’t used between 1972 and 1977 in favor of Special Achievement Oscars given to only one film. But Jaws didn’t get that Oscar either, so yeah, he should complain. (The Hindenburg did.)
Spielberg is absolutely right,yep it is ,”commercial backlash.” Or a bad case of professional jealousy. The green-eyed monster thrives inside Hollywood.When in doubt denigrate the successful film and turn your back on the director. Now doesn’t THAT make you feel terrific.And as we all know all successful films MUST be lumped together with POTC or Transformers or Spiderman. That way only those venerated films , the indies/art house stuff matter. More gravitas and veritas ,doncha know.
One of the Greatest snubs. Fellini for Amarcord?
Then they snubbed The Color Purple,Empire of Sun, A.I (IT WAS BETTER THAN MOST OF FILMS OF 2001).
This year was another snub for Tiintin.
I HOPE HE”LL BE BACK WITH MASTERPIECE LINCOLN.
OSCAR SNUB FOR TINTIN + SNUB FOR DIRECTING WAR HORSE (THIS FILM IS BETTER THAN Midnight in Paris, Hugo and s.) = OSCAR FOR LINCOLN?????????????
@John – she made films like War horse, Empire of the sun, Amistad, The color purple, etc, etc.
*****************
You used WORD “SHE” for Spielberg? is it right you do it? shy on you.
Zooey: “And about Nolan: He has his fans but to me he’s still not really deserving. Not that Tom Hooper is deserving either.”
Pretty much THIS.
I’m a huge fan of him! And I hope he comes back to take everything he can next year for Lincoln. 3rd in a row for Harvey is too much. And my biggest hope is that John Williams wins also. Now that Meryl Streep finally won her 3rd, it`s time for John Williams to win his 6th. He’s already 80 years old and is one of the biggest movie legends of all time.
”1976 Spielberg sums up nomination day in 2009 better than anyone else could…”
I have prefered the nominations day in almost every year since I started following the Awards Season. But 2009 was cruel… first not listening to Nolan’s name, second listening to Frost/Nixon and knowing The Dark Knight was out… i still had a hope that WALL-E was the last name to be called, but then The Reader and it was all over. My reaction was something like his. And it was also similar to my reaction when Tom Hooper won BD last year.
I don’t care that he is arrogant here. He’s talking about his film, HIS Jaws, in a context that is not public. He should be a proud papa here. He should be arrogant!
The funny thing is, Spielberg would get nominated for Best Director two years later for “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”, but the film itself would not get nominated for Best Picture. Kind of the exact reverse of what happened with “Jaws”.
I’m not american, so my question has a reason. The guy with the microphone on this video, commenting the nominations, isn’t a very, very famous USA TV reporter/news man, that also appears on the trailer of Spielberg’s “Munich”, on the parts that uses real footage, anouncing that the Israely athetles are dead (“They All Gone”)?? What’s the dudes name?
Love the irony of showing him and his wife in this year’s show, when the presenter was describing/praising the work of directors. I don’t know if it was a genius decission on the part of the director, or they just went for the most recognizable director they could find, Scorsese aside.
Great clip! Love his Freudian slip = “blacklash” before someone off camera reiterates a backlash. I don’t think he’s arrogant. Jaws was an immense hit and a labor of love. He is no different to anybody who has ever directed a movie, and expectations were high for it to score much better at the nominations. I love his moxy, and his friends heightened energy – somewhat playing up to the camera. You have to have some degree of ego to have your creative vision brought to life, even that early on in his career. Art – Box office – always been a tussle at AMPAS.
That push and pull between what was considered artistic and popular was borne out by Jaws’ 4 nods – enough voters couldn’t deny its appeal or success – but the fact that it won 3 of the 4 Oscars it was up for – sound, score and editing – spoke volumes about the success of it. A quote from WIley/Bona’s book from Spielberg is interesting:
“But there was a Jaws backlash. The same people who had raved about it began to doubt its artistic value as soon as it began to bring in so much money”.
Wiley and Bona editorialise that 1975 was a weak year for movies – calling it a very bad year; even though Nashville, Dog Day afternoon anf Cuckoos Nest would be standouts – it seemed to be a bit of a stretch to find enough good films to predict and talk about when examining the best of that year. I also recall the section that is devoted to the fact that 1974 Actress winner Ellen Burstyn makes a tv appearance in 1975 arguing that the Academy should scrap the Best Actress category for 1975, for the lack of good roles for women that year! Boo Hiss!
At least it will always be remembered as the first summer blockbuster, a new kind of genre, forever ruining summers for some, while also making summers worth going to the movies for others.
A true artist would never play the “I made more money” card on artistic awards, ever.
I mean, COME ON. And I know that Oscars are an industry award, but supposedly given on artistic merit.
A young, cocky director makes a classic that breaks all sorts of records and he naively expects to be rewarded with tons of nominations…but only gets a few. Jaws set the precedent for blockbuster, genre films getting the shaft. 2003 was clearly an anomaly.
Was that Joe Spinell with Spielberg? Wow, would not have expected them to be buds. Funny.
I still haven’t seen Barry Lyndon (next week it’s at The Aero so I can cross it off my bucket list) but Dog Day, Cuckoo’s Next, and Nashville? What an American trio, and I can’t say with confidence that Spielberg deserved a nod over Lumet, Forman, and Altman. We’re talking 4 “A” films, and I think Dog Day’s all time top 10. That’s probably why Spielberg looks as bemused as he does frustrated; he was going up against the absolute best and he knew it.
“we already knew Spielberg main obsession is being nominated for the Oscars, that’s the only reason she made films like War horse, Empire of the sun, Amistad, The color purple, etc, etc.”
This is one of the most idiotic statements I’ve ever read on here (and there have been plenty!); thanks for the laugh, John.
“Academy should scrap the Best Actress category for 1975, for the lack of good roles for women that year!”
Fletcher won for a supporting performance, pivotal as it was. Burstyn was right – when I think back on lead performances that year, all I can remember is Ann Margret covered in baked beans.
Spielberg is to Hollywood what Brad Pitt’s character is to baseball. It’s the man who changed the game. And it all started with Jaws.
“1975 was a weak year for movies – calling it a very bad year”
It was a bad year for Hollywood, but not a bad year for movies: Fox and His Friends, The Magic Flute, Dersu Uzala, The Passenger, Picnic at Hanging Rock, Seven Beauties, Cousin/Cousine, The Story of Adele H, The lost Honor of Katerine Blum.
Any year that has Altman, Bergman, Fassbinder, Truffaut, Weir, Kurosawa, Antonioni and Lumet would not be classified as a bad year.
1975 was a bit top-heavy and male-centric, yes, but in addition to the incredible best picture nominees, you’ve got Shampoo, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, 3 Days of the Condor, The Man Who Would Be King, Love and Death, Night Moves…all those movies have major supporters 37 years later.
Yep, that is Joe Spinell. It doesn’t surprise me that they were friends. From all accounts he was a nice guy and mentor to many.
He seemed surprised by the BP nom for Nashville. Not disgusted, just ‘Tree of Life’ surprised maybe…?
“all those movies have major supporters 37 years later.”
Yes, Jesse – at the time, it was an issue of not being able to see the forest for the trees.
So Spielberg was the new kid on the block who:
a) may or may not have just hit it lucky with the adaptation of a very popular bestseller, which happens all the time;
b) may have had lots of help from his editor and composer to contribute to his success;
c) also had lots of troubling press during the filming because of delays, glitches – which questioned his ability to control things.
By reputation, although he wasn’t a nobody, he was no auteur, either. Looking back today, we consider Jaws a major feat.
@Steve50: I agree with all those perceptions you listed. Jaws went way over-budget and over-schedule and was seen as an impending disaster during filming. That certainly played a role when compared to leaner films like Dog Day or Nashville…Sasha’s said that Hugo would have won best picture had it turned a profit, and even with Jaws’ incredible grosses, I’m sure an easier production would have boded better for Spielberg’s chances.
@Mattoc: Oh, I’m not saying Spinell wasn’t a nice/cool guy. He just always seemed like a fringe player, drug problems, married to a porn star, big personality. …whereas Spielberg was famously straight-laced and awkward even in the mid 70′s.
Not many opportunities to mention the The Mirror these days…arguably the best film of ’75
Steve50, excuse my pedantry – but Cousin/Cousine and Seven Beauties were entered into the 1976 race, not the 1975 one. Also Picnic at Hanging Rock was released in Australia in 1975, but not in UK or USA until later in 1976. My own take on 1975 was that it was not a weak year, i was lifting and attributing the comment to the authors of Inside Oscar.
I don’t agree with Burstyn’s wish to remove a category because good roles were scarce that year. Louise Fletcher’s emotional speech and signing to her parents is one of my favourite acceptance speeches from an actress, and her Nurse Ratchet remains an iconic reference in movie culture.
I just checked my Maniac DVD (don’t ask) but it has the same clip on it.
I thought I had seen it before.
Noted, daveinprogress (I know you were quoting). I was going by release dates.
I think Burstyn was just making a harsh point on a very correct observation. I surely don’t begrudge Fletcher’s Oscar, one of the best performances of all time, and had she been in supporting (where she belonged), Lee Grant would be oscarless, which would be a travesty.
’75/76 were not great years for lead roles for women. Great bounceback in ’77, but it was never sustained.
Yes 1977 one of my favourite years for actresses, Steve – Marsha Mason, Jane Fonda, Anne Bancroft, Shirley Maclaine and Diane Keaton. You don’t think the next few years saw some continued greats? It was the rise of Mason, Jill Clayburgh, Meryl Streep,Sissy Spacek, Susan Sarandon, Judy Davis, Jessica Lagne, Bette Midler, (an amazing Oscarless performance). Continued leads for Keaton, Fonda, Sally Field, Geraldine Page, Ellen Burstyn, Gena Rowlands…
I like the late 70′s, early 80′s for acting roles for women – lots of romantic comedies where the women emerged as witty, real and dynamic – not just pretty ornaments. More title roles – An Unmarried WOman, The Rose, The Goodbye Girl, Coal miner’s daughter, Norma Rae.
Spielberg is not right. That kind of statement like academy doesn’t like big grossing movies is bullshit. Only someone with brain washed with media marketing says something like that. AMPAS has already gave the oscar to the Box Office champions many times like Gone With The Wind, The Lord Of The Rings, Titanic, Gladiator and Ben Hur but they never gave it to foreign language films. Amarcord, Nashville, One Flew On Cuccoo’s Nest, Dog Day Afternoon and Barry Lindon were all deserved. I believe this is the best academy choice for best director ever.
Hollywood brainwashed fan: “Films that made money and get praised by mainstream “marketing” media should win an oscar. They are so discriminated. Please join the cause. Harry Potter, Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes, Jaws, Superman, Star Trek and The Dark Knight are the new black people”. Just give me a break.
Nolan is no Spielberg, not comparable, sorry.
He’s not a Spielberg yet. If Christopher Nolan keeps making movies with the quality that he has, he’ll go down as one of the best.
Anyhow, this is a very young Spielberg, and so it makes sense that he’d express disappointment in not being nominated, especially when he had made the biggest picture of that time. Still, he takes it pretty well.
I’m a fan of Christopher Nolan. He’s one of the very few directors nowadays that cares about making smart blockbusters. But he didn’t change the game…. there’s no two Spielbergs. Spielberg is only one. He created an universe of his own, he changed (and saved) Hollywood forever… As there’s only one Scorsese, one Woody Allen, etc.
Harry Potter shudda been better. Very much deserved more respect, but it shudda been better.
War Horse shudda been better. shudda been much, much, much better.
I want better big films…. want films that draw multitudes into theaters and change the world.
I think that he’s come close. Memento could have been another crime/revenge story. Instead, he put an interesting spin. The Dark Knight took what could have been another comic book film, and turned it into an ultimate story of morality, and an allegory of modern times. The list goes on. Like I said, he could change the game, even if he hasn’t yet.
“he changed (and saved) Hollywood forever”
Yes, he was a milestone in the evolution of sorts in the types of movies that are box office hits and continue to be made – so that, in a sense, did save Hollywood by making the product they turn out universal.
But [dons face mask and bulletproof vest], he is partially responsible for changing the focus from the thoughtful material that was prevalent world cinema in the 70s to the finely crafted entertainment epics that we see today, primarily from the States. The uncomfortable ambiguity of complex plots and characters that required thought and stimulated discussion was replaced by dazzling thrill rides where you are cued what to think and feel in precisely the right places, but call for no further thought just days after seeing the film.
He did change the game, just as there are others who will change it yet again as his style of movie becomes old hat.
oh, yeah – and Nolan could very likely be one of the contenders to change it up again.
Of course he’s right, and there’s always that perception.
And he deserved a nomination for it. Jaws was the best that year. Only movie people rewatch from the nominees, aside from Dog Day.
And he’s mostly humorous throughout the video. People can keep overanalyzing if they want
Cry me a river on your $100 million bank account. Girl, bye!
Spielberg and Lucas responsible for the Blockbuster. Prior to them the 70′s had the Irwin Allen’s, and other ‘disaster’ movie hits and Cubby Broccoli’s Bond franchise. Spielberg and Lucas ushered into the cinemas and the culture, the crowd pleaser fare and used the shifts in technology to their potential. I agree with the sentiment that there is only one Spielberg – his legacy will be enormous and prolific.
We won’t know… Nolan could change things. OK. But Spielberg started changing things when he was 29 years old. Nolan is 42… with this age, Spielberg has already made Jaws, Close Encounters of Third Kind, E.T., two Indiana Jones and The Color Purple, films that are talked and rewatched decades later. As I said, Spielberg is only one. There’s a long road for Nolan. There’s a long road for David Fincher (who I read being compared to scorsese). They can change the game but, as I said, Spielberg and Scorsese… only one.
Jaws is a masterpiece. And he deserved to be nominated for Best Directing. Although I also read a couple of books criticizing the 1975, it’s one of the best BP lineups of all time.
@ steve 50
You may be right in basically everything you said. But there’s a reason people are still talking about and rewatching E.T. and Jaws, for example, 30 and 37 years they were released. Those films represent the magic of going to the movies. They stood the test of time.
In cinema, there’s space for all the kinds of films… for all the kinds of directors… for him, for scorsese, copolla, woody allen… and all of them started to reinvent Hollywood in the 70s.
Maybe it’s because I just read Pauline Kael’s autobiography “A Life in the Dark,” but I’m a little hesitant to feel too much pity for Spielberg and Jaws. Kael was a fan of Jaws, by the way, and I pretty much love the movie too. And I agree with some of the previous posters who claim that Spielberg was a big force for changing the direction of cinema. Where I disagree with a lot of posters is that I don’t necessarily think Spielberg (in the long run) changed cinema for the better. Spielberg and Lucas, with Jaws and Star Wars, are largely responsible for shifting cinema from the early 70s “auteur” cinema to the late 70s “sensationalist” cinema that is still largely dominant to this day–Nolan, for example, is pretty much a disciple of the latter. So too are the Harry Potter movies that everyone seems to love to jump upon as an example of great cinema, where all I see (pretty much) are special effects and “sensation.”
But admittedly, I’m a lover of movies like the Godfathers, Chinatown, Taxi Driver, Mean Streets, Cabaret…movies that aren’t just about the sensation. Unfortunately, it seems to me what people respond to these days is pretty much the shock effect, the sensation, the “big” plot driven special effects movies. I almost feel depressed when so many people view Inception as an example of great cinema. That’s a trend that movies such as Jaws and Star Wars began, I think…as long as you get a thrilling roller coaster ride, it must be a great movie. I enjoy a thrill ride movie as much as anyone, but I don’t necessarily view it as great cinema or great art. I always feel outside the loop when I realize that’s all it takes these days for so many people to think a movie is “great”–some thrilling special effects, a few good shocks, and a twisty plot.
In short, movies like Jaws and Star Wars ushered in the era of the “blockbuster” movie that haunts us to this day, at the expense of movies that are more daring and groundbreaking, more personal and smaller scale, more idiosyncratic and “auteur,” more driven by art than by money and commerce, by marketing and comic book sensibility. I enjoy Jaws and Star Wars as much as anyone, but I also understand what cost these movies had on the great artistic/auteur movies that were being made all the time in Hollywood in the early and mid-70s…and apparently, post Jaws and Star Wars, will never be made in quite the same way in Hollywood again.
@Robert A: It was pretty much a shift from “If we spend 6 million dollars, we can make 12″ to “If we spend 25 million, we can make 100″ that continues to escalate today. Filmmakers and studios had to make films that appealed to a wider audience to justify higher budgets and got rich in the process. But I agree with you about how the more interesting, daring pictures got shunted aside. Because really, the best films are when a killer auteur hooks up with studio resources, and we just haven’t had enough of that in the last few decades.
ugh to call HP only visual effects and “senssations” is to simplify it too much.
If HP isn’t something, it isn’t – thank God – the easy manipulative stunt Spielberg would have directed. It wouldn’t have surprised me if Rowling actually banned Spielberg when talks were made about translating the books to film. ’cause Spielberg was the obvious choice in everyone’s minds back then.
“ugh to call HP only visual effects and “senssations” is to simplify it too much.”
See, but to me, that isn’t oversimplified. That’s pretty much the way I see the Potter movies. But I understand that I’m now living in a Potter-ized culture, and I’m in the minority viewpoint on this one.
“But I agree with you about how the more interesting, daring pictures got shunted aside. Because really, the best films are when a killer auteur hooks up with studio resources, and we just haven’t had enough of that in the last few decades.”
Agreed, Jesse. And every now and then we get a movie like The Social Network which echoes back to 70s-style film making before all the special effects took over.
Then best man for the HP job back then and now would be Joe Dante. To me he’s always been the master of balancing effects and story – in the right order.
I went and saw a theatrical re-release of “Amarcord” a few years ago. I enjoyed “8 and 1/2″. Couldn’t stand “Amarcord”. Meandering stories of growing up in Italy, boring and weird. And I speak Italian and lived there for a few years, so it’s not a culture thing. I just think Fellini is kind of a nut job. And what’s with Italian filmmakers’ love of showing kids masturbating when they’re in love with the town siren? It’s popped up (yuk yuk) in a lot of Italian films that I’ve seen.
I have to admit, I’ve never seen Amarcord! I rather love early Fellini (La Strada, Nights of Cabiria, La Dolce Vita), and I admire 8 1/2 even if I don’t feel the love that a lot of cinephiles do. But post 8 1/2, I really haven’t responded to Fellini. Juliet of the Spirits didn’t do much for me, and I actively disliked Fellini’s Roma. But I should make an effort to see Amarcord. *runs to update Netflix queue*
Jaws should have been nominated for Spielberg (obviously), Screenplay (great storytelling), Robert Shaw (come on, he was excellent, even poetic), and Cinematography (the underwater photography was exquisite). Would have been 8. Don’t know how he thought they were getting 11, though.
Jaws only getting four nominations but winning the other 3 – forget Harry Potter – this feels like what happened this year with Dragon Tattoo being thrown the deserved bone that was Best Editing.
It sucks that directors historically won’t recognize directors like Spielberg, Hitchcock, Nolan, and Fincher who really drive their films. Directors shouldn’t be in the business of nominating directors who got by on great scripts or top-notch casts. Directors shouldn’t be the members of the Academy who are most blind to genre films. Directors shouldn’t be the ones to proliferate the idea that an award-worthy production doesn’t necessarily mean award-worthy direction.
Robert, I agree with all your comments, and also perceive that there has always been a market for the big, blockbuster type of film, long before the Spielbergs and Lucas’s came along. There has also always been a market for the quiet, and smaller films that will only get the boutique audience, unless an award comes long to propel its publicity machine. I don’t think Jaws, Raiders etc pushed asunder those other genre films – period pieces, comedy of manners, literary adaptations,innovative andoutside of the box type constructs etc – they both have and always will co-exist in the market place. Granted that the big musicals and epic pictures of the golden years of Hollywood don’t have the technics of the extravaganzas today – essentially they are no different. The Oscars has always struggled with those polarities. It loves success, but it also loves quality and art – sometimes it gets both in one movie.
Just watched Hugo and I think it was a very very good film! It felt a little clausterphobic and failed at being a kids film, but other than that, it was brilliant! It was visually stunning and it moved at a beautiful pace with a good meaning at the films core about self discovery and having a purpose in life! Ben Kingsley should have been a contender and I think he should have won the Supporting Actor Oscar this year! Probably should have won Best Picture, but I’m not going to put down The Artist because I actually liked The Artist a tiny bit more than Hugo!
oh no
the Harry Potter fans again?
how can Oscar possibly be avoiding Box Office since it has nominated the 2 highest grossing films ever made: “Titanic” and “Avatar” and along with that the director as well.
yes, it doesn’t recognize high grossing films on a regular basis, but it still pays attention to some of them.
HEY! what “helped” the “The Help” snatch Oscar nominations? Viola Davis? or it’s $169,702,942 at the U.S. box office?
The Lord of the Rings trilogy totally got the recognition it deserved, all 3 films are among the highest grossing productions of all time, and in addition these films are great! In decades to come, HP will be in the same water as the James Bond films, sort of good, for some very good, not more; and for few – totally amazing, but just few.
and at the end of the day, why should Oscar be about box office? yes, I’m also not a fan of the sexist, racist academy members, but why throw box office in the game?
Whoever said that the Academy Awards are not the People’s Choice Awards is right. Yes, some of the blockbusters are really good, sometime fantastic, but most of the time they are endlessly disappointing!
That Spielberg clip was great! Thanks for sharing it
As we can see Steven got more than recognized in the decades to come so I’m sure he can go back in time, watch this and have a great laugh with friends.
Steven Spielberg was prescient predicting 11 nominations. Ten years later it would happen for The Color Purple – and he would once again be left off the Best Director nomination list.
Meanwhile, Joe Spinell was wrong about Francis Coppola. He did get nominated for The Godfather. Actually, anyone watching the night of the 1972 Academy Awards wouldn’t have wondered how Coppola lost to Fosse, but how Cabaret lost the Best Picture Award to The Godfather.
I honestly think Nolan is far more interesting and than Spielberg ever was. He doesn’t have the mile long CV Spielberg has, but if Nolan makes more films like The Prestige and Inception, I have no hesitation putting him above.
NOLAN is the most overrated Director of past 5 years. WHY?
Everyone knows, because of Heath Ledger.
The Dark Knight is simple superhero film (IT IS LEDGER FANS, NOT NOLAN FANS THAT OVERRATE THIS MOVIE) and if Ledger was still alive at the time of awards season they would not nominate him. PS. Tim Burton version is better.
And you can never compare Spielberg with Nolan. No one can do that Spielberg did and doing for movie industry.
“Actually, anyone watching the night of the 1972 Academy Awards wouldn’t have wondered how Coppola lost to Fosse, but how Cabaret lost the Best Picture Award to The Godfather.”
Absolutely correct. It’s hard to imagine now, with our current perception of The Godfather as one of, if not THE, best American movie ever made, that there was actually a horse race that year that Cabaret came very close to winning.
Frankly, Fosse’s choreographed camera was a lot more interesting in its movements than Coppola’s, who was then relatively new with no estabished reputation, other than he barely got (and kept) the job of director. Another case of box office hit – was it earned or was it just lucky?
After Godfather II and The Conversation, of course, all that changed. Looking back, It is probably a good thing that the original Godfather did not have the Oscar competition that GII had, because I’m pretty sure Chinatown would have won BP.
All this comments about “Jaws” (and those few about “Nashville”), make even more disapointed withe the fact that neither of them had a Blu ray edition, and there is no news on the horizon that they will get one in the months to come.
PS: Still don’t know the answer for the question about the reporter that I did in the begining of these replies.
Joao, Jaws blu-ray is coming Aug 14th!
This footage is actually from an hour-long televised special from 1976 that followed certain nominees and potential nominees around right up to and after their Oscar victories/losses. I was too young to have watched it back then but a friend of mind lent me a video copy (it was apparently also released on VHS). I remember Lee Grant, Ronee Blakley and Louise Fletcher were also prominently featured. Fascinating stuff
TVTV looks at the Academy Awards is what it’s called. It’s actually available on amazon!
Nolan’s filmography can’t be compared to Spielberg just yet, but there are comparisons to be made between the Academy’s notorious snubbing of them both during the early part of their careers (Nolan is only a decade in, we’re still in the “early part”). Daldry and Howard over Nolan in 08? The Coen Bros. relatively pedestrian work on True Grit over Nolan’s groundbreaking work on Inception? Pathetic.
WOOOOW, great news, Ryan! I will pre-ordered as soon as possible.
^ The complete Indiana Jones collection was just confirmed for BD this year as well with no date yet.
That is indeed Joe Spinell in the footage with Spielberg. I actually happened upon this clip prior to seeing it on this site as it appears on the Blu-ray for “Maniac”, a little cult film from 1980 starring Spinell. Disc 2 of the set has the Joe Spinell Story documentary as a special feature. This footage is in the doc. Apparently as an unknown, he approached directors like Friedkin and Coppola and asked for parts and wound up successful. Pretty interesting guy who met an untimely demise.
@ ATC,
what exactly is groundbreaking in Nolan’s work in Inception? Please share because I don’t really understand what so groundbreaking there!
Robert A: Your points are excellent and I agree with them totally, but just to clarify, the Kael book A Life in the Dark is a biography, not an autobiography.
Also, re: 1975 — for groundbreaking masterworks, have to include
Ken Russell’s TOMMY.
Zooey, go ahead a name the blockbusters with that kind of sophisticated storytelling married with action and visual pinache that actually is a part of the story. An action film were the emotional aspects of the protagonist isn’t just thrown in (the matrix ect) but is a vital part of the story. Say whatever you like about it, but it wasnt just the lame side story. Were the protagonist is morally bankrupt and there is no good/bad guys. The films take on dreams is something every human being can relate to and is conceptually unbelievably creative and original. Shoots the film in cinema verite to back up the thematic values and never betrays those by showing off. Is so visually baroque and it’s metaforical narrativ storytelling is landmark for this kind of film. Completely puts James Cameron and Steven Speilberg in the duster.
The thing with Nolan is that you can be a snobb and analyse his films and find new things and nuances on multiple viewings. His films are so dense and creative. Inception is a million times more complex than most arthouse films and its a blockbuster with james bond aesthetics, and he pulls it off.
@ James
Inception is amazing. But it still has to face one test (and it looks funny because the film is exactly about this): time! But… don’t dismiss Cameron and Spielberg. E.T., the two first Terminators, Jaws, Aliens and Raiders of the Lost Ark were all more critically acclaimed than Inception. And although not one of the most commented and rewatched Speilberg’s film, Minority Report has a couple of similarities with Inception.
And Minority Report had very similar critical reaction in comparison to Inception. The difference is box office, which Inception was a lot stronger.
WOW! Great films coming out this year:
The Hobbit-the return to peter jacksons beautiful middle earth world that ive been waiting for for far too long! Should be stunning and I think this will have a better story than the other three!
The Dark Knight Rises-after two best directing snubs and a snub for The Dark Knight which is why the academy changed the rules for best picture, I dont see this not getting a Best Picture nomination unless its horrible, but Nolans never made a bad movie yet and I dont think he would of made this film if he knew it wouldnt be amazing!
The Master-it just sounds awesome with a promising director and great actors, this could be a big winner come Oscar night!
Wettest County-Weinstein picked this up for a reason! Its a best picture winner, i have a feeling! A period piece of its own with tom hardy and jessica chastain, I don’t really see anything beating this out for Best Picture come Oscar night, although The Hobbit, The Master, and Les Miserables seem like strong contenders!
Les Miserables-Tom Hooper, period piece musical. Thats all I gotta say!
Gangster Squad-I see this as being the male The Help of the year! We need a great gangster film and I think this one will please audiences and critics, and the acting will most definately be amazing, just look at the cast!
The Great Gatsby-Baz Lurhwhatever his name is, I think will do a good job with this film, a good cast, a spicy and new feel and style from the director, period piece factor,
and a brilliant story should lead this to the Oscars!
Django Unchained- I can’t wait for this bloody stylish western from the brilliant mind of none other than Tarantino! This should be a big hit with audiences and critics! Has a good chance of getting a bp nod!
Lincoln-Spielberg,biopic. Thats all I gotta say!
The Surrogate-I think its this years The Kids Are All Right, and Helen Hunt and John Hawkes are already getting alot of buzz for their performances! Im hoping this gets a Best Pic nod!
The others include:
Prometheus-I seen the Sci-Fi love in 2009 when Avatar and District 9 got Best Picture nominations and Star Trek was getting bp buzz! I wouldn’t count this one out because by the looks of the trailer it seems pretty promising, unique and cool! Also a bit horror-ish which could push the Academy members away!
Hyde on Hudson Park-it may turn out to be like My Week With Marilyn, only acting nominations!
Anna Karenina-i dont really care about this one!
I’m sure I might be forgeting a couple but oh well. Its to early to tell what will happen but its fun to predict right now! Last year I predicted 5 of the bp nominees in March! Lets see how well I do this year! I’m gonna predict 9 for right now!
@ James,
and I still don’t see what the groundbreaking in Nolan’s filmmaking is. You can praise him as the filmmaker behind intelligent blockbusters but it doesn’t make him a groundbreaking filmmaker!
@Zooey
He revolutionized the comic book film genre. Thus, groundbreaking.
@ Colin Biggs,
this sounds ridiculous. How did he revolutionize the comic book film genre?! By making an intelligent movie?! Is that what you consider a revolution? Really?! Then Tate Taylor made a groundbreaking movie with The Help because he made an intelligent chick flick! That’s your logic.
@Zooey
Because in a day and age were there is no originality in our big films, Nolan is almost alone in pushing the storytelling forward. Memento, Prestige and Inception all have narratives unlike any other film ever made. His dark and grounded take on the batman films have been put on every other franchise since Batman Begins. He is a progressiv and forward thinking filmmaker, not trying to make films like others do. What Cameron and partly Speilberg does is push the way their films are presented… But the stories are never original anymore. (and even there Nolan shits on Cameron by saying fuck you 3D and giving us IMAX.)
I loved Jaws! But it cannot compare to Amarcord, Nashville, Barry Lyndon, Nashville and One flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Something poetic is missing. It is a super good thriller and Spielberg and even better film than this one : E.T., Schlinder’s List.
The Nolan fans are pretty ridiculous. Are they really saying The Dark Knight is comparable with Jaws? The Dark Knight was bloated, pretentious and full of holes, the action was badly staged and cut… Then there’s the scene where Batman jumps out of the window to rescue Maggie G and doesn’t bother going back up to face The Joker or to follow him… he just forgets about him.
Now before anybody accuses me of being a ‘hater’ I have all of Nolan’s films on DVD and enjoy them for what they are, decent Hollywood blockbusters. But they’re not masterpieces, or Academy-deserving films at all.
Memento is still his most accomplished work IMO.
@Steve50: Coppola didn’t move the camera much on ‘The Godfather’ for a reason, he was going for a tableaux look and feel. To me it’s much more interesting than the camerawork on ‘Cabaret’.
Yeah, Joe Spinell and Frank Pesce (the other guy in the video) were friends of Spielberg’s at the time. They were both originally cast in “Jaws” (as the two guys on the dock trying to catch the shark at night with the roast), but I believe Pesce couldn’t do it for some reason.
@Mark
I’m a huge fan of Gordon Willis and thinks his work on The Godfather pics are some of the best. We all now that Oscar like “flash” – in costumes, acting, editing, cinematography – so that’s why they jumped for Cabaret that year. Bur I am in agreement with you on the work in The Godfather – especially the moody dark, rich tones that lent an operatic feel to the film. It doesn’t get better than that.
steve50:
But [dons face mask and bulletproof vest], he is partially responsible for changing the focus from the thoughtful material that was prevalent world cinema in the 70s to the finely crafted entertainment epics that we see today, primarily from the States. The uncomfortable ambiguity of complex plots and characters that required thought and stimulated discussion was replaced by dazzling thrill rides where you are cued what to think and feel in precisely the right places, but call for no further thought just days after seeing the film.
With this paragraph, you’ve become my favorite commenter. Completely agree. I’m in the midst of a fiery debate on another forum which was sparked by a Terry Gilliam video describing the difference between Kubrick and Spielberg, and how the latter doesn’t challenge the audience with his movies, provides all the answers and asks very little questions. That’s Spielberg’s stuff to a tee.
He has made a huge impact on the perception and production of the Hollywood blockbuster but I would argue that the price American cinema paid for this was too high.
As for Jaws, next to the names/movies that were nominated that year, I’m not surprised he wasn’t nominated for Director and he shouldn’t be either and I don’t think he really was. “They picked Fellini” haha. Yeah, imagine that!
Appart from the “commercial backlash” argument, I gotta say he has a point about the totally incongruent “best pic/best director” split that the Academy favors. “A film cannot direct itself” – neither it can be directed by the producers. Correct me if I´m wrong, but I don´t know any other prestigious international award that follows this split. Cannes? Venice? No such thing. I guess it only makes sense (if it makes) in Hollywood.
Actually, the award for Best Director at Cannes has only matched the Palme d’Or twice in its history.
@ Matt: But the recipient of the Palm D’Or is the director, not the producers. That was my point.
Spielberg and Kubrick… each one is/ was a genius in their own way. I think Kubrick would never have done the movies Spielberg did. And Spielberg would never do what Kubrick did. They are just difference. As Spielberg is different from Woody Allen, who’s different from Scorsese…
What many people can’t accept is that there’s a genius who makes amazing commercial hits and who makes movies to please the general public.
Go Spielberg!!!!! I love this clip. He’s so whiny, and right.
He was deserving of a Director nomination this year as well–certainly over Woody Allen.
Also, “E.T.” should have won BP.
He is indeed the American who showed us filmmaking a cut above.