I like this proposition put forth by Vanity Fair’s John Lopez — this, responding to the criticism about the various award campaigns. ¬†When I think about this stuff it always reminds me of the different colored buttons they test the intelligence of chimps with: “oh, pretty red button means I get sweet treat.” ¬†Lopez says the modern route isn’t the way to go with The Social Network. ¬†At this point, I would say no ad campaign could change the course of this race….The King’s Speech, in fact, had a terrible ad campaign heading into the season – it didn’t make any difference whatsoever:
In fact, going the “we’re topical” route rarely wins for Oscar campaigns: Rocky creamed All the President’s Men; Apocalypse Now lost to Kramer vs. Kramer; and of course, Brokeback Mountain wiped out Crash. Interestingly, for all its relevance, The Social Network has a much more traditional card to play: at heart, it’s a familiar tale of greed, ambition, betrayal, and regret. Despite the sarcastic vim and vigor of its youthful cast, The Social Network is really an old-fashioned story that hearkens back to sharp-tongued morality tales such as The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. So, it’s surprising the campaign has thrown the “classically well-made film” gauntlet at The King’s Speech. If the Academy is ultimately a conservative institution that prefers Ordinary People to Raging Bull,might appealing to its archetypal side not be such a bad idea?
Final thought: The objective here is to make the better movie that stands the test of time. ¬†Winning the Oscar is supposed to be the reward for that. ¬†I don’t think you can really trick voters into deciding your film is better. ¬†The only thing you can really do is not look desperate to win. ¬†For the Social Network, it’s all about the merit of the film. ¬†That is how you sell it. ¬†It stands on its own that way. ¬†”Movies you feel” works to win the Oscar race. ¬†It wins the right now.