Unforgiven won the Oscar for Clint Eastwood in 1992. The best picture nominees that year did not include the year’s best film which was Robert Altman’s The Player. Oscar voters like to reward movies about themselves in a flattering reach-around. But they don’t like it so much when a writer, or a director, nails them. The Player’s basic plot repeats itself continually in Hollywood. Whether it’s the drugged out and discarded hooker who became a modern day Cinderella in Pretty Woman to every focus-grouped happy ending you see before you now. In The Player Hollywood is moving towards their new motto, “Movies Now More Than Ever.” Probably Altman and co. had no idea what Hollywood would become in 2013. The Player was nominated for Director, Screenplay and Editing. Malcolm X nominated for Best Actor and Costume.
Not for Best Actor for the brilliant Tim Robbins and not for Best Picture – of course.
Husbands and Wives, A River Runs Through It, and most notably, Malcolm X also ignored. In their place: A Few Good Men, Howards End, Scent of a Woman, The Crying Game. The Podcast will go up probably around Monday – give or take.
I’m in the minority. I think “Unforgiven” is one of the weakest Best Pictures in the last 30 years. For lack of a better word, I found it boring and formulaic. While Hackman and Eastwood are capable actors, I think the film’s best performance is given by Morgan Freeman. He seemed to flesh out his character the best.
It’s just that there were so many other films in 1992 that I liked a whole lot better: Coppola’s “Bram Stoker’s Dracula”, “Chaplin”, “Addams Family Values”, “Howard’s End”. “Enchanted April”, “Husbands and Wives” . . . I liked them all better than “Unforgiven”.
The whole cast of Howard’s End as an ensemble was great, but I never understood the appeal of Emma Thompson’s performance. I preferred Mary McDonnell’s performance in Passion Fish.
I loved The Crying Game. 1992 was a great year for Miranda Richardson (The Crying Game, Enchanted April, Damage).
Indochine (the foreign-language Oscar winner) was pretty good. Decent performance by Catherine Deneuve.
Other films from that year that I enjoyed were Dracula, Chaplin, Single White Female, and Basic Instinct.
What really makes Unforgiven a great film and a worthy BP winner?
There are a handful of films released in 1992 that are more fascinating to watch. Of the BP nominees, I prefer The Crying Game and Howards End. The other two BP nominees are mediocre and won’t make my 92 top 25.
Nicholson was one dimension in A Few Good Men, I never understood the overwhelming praise for Jaye Davidson in The Crying Game. He was wooden throughout and was only nominated because of the role. Im glad the Academy gave the award to the highly underrated Gene Hackman, his role was the more complex of the 5 and he richly deserved the win.
Of course, Hackman was the deserving winner. He is one of our foremost actors. It was an absolute shame to see him go out with Welcome to Mooseport. I just think Nicholson and Davidson are interesting nominees and surely spark conversation. Same thing with Tomei’s win—there’s an actor who has continued to prove herself. She’s a wonderful actress, from The Wrestler and In the Bedroom, mostly dramatic, to the hilarious My Cousin Vinny.
One thing you may not know that’s pretty funny is Harvey Weinstein’s story about this Oscar night. He was sitting with Neil Jordan, who told him that he felt lucky tonight and thought he had the luck of the Irish on his side for The Crying Game. This film was a huge commercial success for Miramax, and was promoted very effectively with the line “No one is giving away its secrets.” But then, back to Oscar night, Weinstein said Jordan’s entire attitude changed when Clint Eastwood came into the auditorium and there was enthusiastic, raving response from the audience. It was so clear then, even before the ceremony was to start, that Clint would be the big winner.
Please spend some time on Best Supporting Actor and Supporting Actress. Marisa Tomei is such a riot in My Cousin Vinny. I think the win holds up over time, as Tomei has proven herself as a great actress. That movie is one of my favorite comedies. Gene Hackman was a great winner, but Nicholson was iconic and Jaye Davidson equally memorable.
In below the line categories: Bram Stoker’s Dracula (Coppola) cleaned up a few awards—that’s an interesting film, for good or bad. There’s also Aladdin and the hilarious Death Becomes Her with Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn.
I’m interested too, if Al Pacino wasn’t overdue, who wins Best Actor? hmmm…
Unforgiven (A-) truly deserved the BP Oscar and all the rave reviews.
It also helped prove that American Western genre would never wither away. And the film was fun to watch — this, to begin with, being taken at a primarily mainstream level. En plus de plus with the overall feels of good, old-fashioned yeefreakyhah-horsesensed traditional films, the piece represents one work of art that is quiet yet beautiful, at relatively slow yet stylish and beauteous a pace, and so on. Eastwood simply has known how to blend in the best of both worlds – whether or not one be of his own gen or posterity such as myself, one by all means would most likely find oneself entertained by his great efforts, this beauty included.
This is a great film to watch at any level of taste.
—
One of my own alternate three BP-nom lists would have looked like this:
UNFORGIVEN (winner in my alternate time-space as well)
& [not in any particular order]
The Player
Howards End
These three pieces are a must, an integral part in toto to the alternate universe of BP Oscar nom list.
Though parts of My Cousin Vinny are complete fast-forward, Marisa Tomei completely deserved that BSA recognition. This movie is always on cable and I view it just at the wonderment of what she pulled off.
“Marisa Tomei [My Cousin Vinny] completely deserved that BSA recognition.”
+1
That hyperbolic bed-room seduction scene in which she amazingly delivers those lines without ever missing a beat, not to mention in perfect tempo, something that goes so well along with her character’s gesture and movements, – everything is perfect.
I can’t believe some people kept brining up her name whenever the topic of undeserved actress for Oscar, lead or not, was in discussion.
[… movements — everything is perfect.
I can’t believe some people kept bringing up her name whenever the topic of undeserved actresses for Oscar, lead or not, was in discussion.]
I liked Tomei’s performance (and the movie) but it didn’t feel Oscar-worthy at all. Her nomination for The Wrestler was deserved, however (I haven’t seen In the Bedroom). But I’m happy that Gene Hackman won Supporting Actor. A phenomenal performance. Jaye Davidson and Jack Nicholson were great too.
@m1,
“I liked Tomei’s performance (and the movie) but it didn’t feel Oscar-worthy at all.”
Thank you for your response.
I am glad that more people seem to admire her performances. To each his own; the key word I am looking for is to like or something like that; so, that is by all means good and fair enough.
Marisa Tomei is amazing as an actress. Therefore, all the best to her.
(Dear Studio Big Shots,
Show me you are for real, too, by continually hiring great actresses slightly beyond their prime such as Marisa Tomei, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Juliette Binoche, to name a few. Merci in advance.)
Unforgiven was by far the best picture of 1992. They got it right.
First of all I have to say what a mammoth year this was! At first, when I put together the list, the number of titles stroke me as absurd so then I attempted to get rid of titles that were clearly not essential, and let’s just say I astruggled big time –enbarassment of riches.
Essential Viewing for 1992
1. UNFORGIVEN
2. LOVERS ON THE BRIDGE
3. LIFE, AND NOTHING MORE
4. RESERVOIR DOGS
5. THE PLAYER
6. THE BEST INTENTIONS and THE CRYING GAME [tie!]
7. MALCOLM X
8. TWIN PEAKS: FIRE WALK WITH ME
9. HARD BOILED
10. ALADDIN (The best of the Disney Reinassance films)
11. TITO AND ME
12. GLENGARY GLENN ROSS
13. BASIC INSTINCT
14. EVIL DEAD 3: ARMY OF DARKNESS
15. BROTHER’S KEEPERS
16. HOWARD’S END
17. EL MARIACHI
18. BENNY’S VIDEO
19. BRAM STOKER’S DRACULA
20. BAD LIEUTENANT
21. PORCO ROSSO
22. LEOLO (AMARCORD meets WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE but Canadian)
23. DAMAGE
24. BATMAN RETURNS
25. THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS
26. A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT
27. CANDYMAN
28. A MIDNIGHT CLEAR (Ethan Hawke = <3)
29. LA VIE DE BOHEME (Still very at odds with this film. It's so intelligent, but I think I despise all the characters)
30. UNDER SIEGE (yet another majestic turn by Tommy Lee Jones)
31. THE LONG DAY CLOSES
32. BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER
33. ONE FALSE MOVE
34. HUSBANDS AND WIVES
35. MY COUSIN VINNY
36. ORLANDO (Guilty pleasure? Nah, I only saw it once! But it sort of felt like it)
37. THE LIVING END
38. WHITE MEN CAN'T JUMP
Exceptional Achievement: HEIMAT II: A CHRONICLE OF A GENERATION
Worst Film of the Year: MAN BITES DOG
Guilty Pleasures: SCHOOL TIES, FAR AND AWAY, UNIVERSAL SOLDIER
Yes, it’s really that bad:: ALIEN3
I’m with you, Tony, 1, 2, and 3, in the same order, and feel the same about Passion Fish, Husbands & Wives and Damage.
Steve,
Nice that we’re in sync for a change.
🙂
I did not want “Unforgiven” to be the winner.
I really loved “Howards End.” Coupled with my love for “A Room with a View” (which I had hoped would defeat “Platoon”), this win would have pleased me most.
“The Crying Game” would have been my first alternate to “Howards End,” and “The Player” would have been my second alternate.
For me, “A Few Good Men” was about on par with “Unforgiven.” “Scent of a Woman” was waaaay overrated.
I would have liked to have seen more love shown to “Enchanted April,” “Damage,” “Husbands and Wives” and “Passion Fish.”
“My Cousin Vinny” was fun.
Downey was great in “Chaplin.” Ditto Denzel in “Malcolm X.” In both cases, though, I think the performances were better than the movies.
“Indochine” was one of the few movies that improved with a big amount of extra footage added.
I felt bad for the disqualified foreign film “A Place in the World.”
I FEEL OLD!
Oh you’ve seen A PLACE IN THE WORLD too? That’s a nice film, and nobody has seen it 🙂 My mother is Argentinean, so I’ve seen more than my share of their cinema. THE HEADLESS WOMAN would make my top 100 of the previous decade.
Yeah, I saw it in the theater and enjoyed it. For years, VHS was the only way to see it on home video (no laserdisc release). I was glad when it finally came out on DVD a couple of years ago, but I haven’t re-watched it yet.
I love The Player. While it is loaded with sardonic wit, it avoids the dangerous trap of cynicism. In the end, it admits that these are the waters and we all swim in them.
I would argue that had it not been for Unforgiven (a film I really, really like), The Crying Game might have just edged out pretty much everything else. Outside of Psycho, has there ever been a film that dared to pull its big twist so early in a film? So original and lithe in its direction, when you watch it again the layers just reveal themselves in a fascinating fashion.
Two of the other nominees; Scent of a Woman and A Few Good Men were major mistakes. Big and bombastic, much better to have acknowledge Malcolm X and Husbands and Wives.
I have not yet seen The Player but I really want to; thank god it’s on my DVR (along with many other things that need to be seen). Unforgiven really is fantastic, and The Crying Game (in spite of some pacing issues) is impressive as well. I have not seen Scent of a Woman or Howards End, but Rob Reiner has directed better movies than A Few Good Men.
agree with what you said about The Player being the best film of the year.
I look forward to the podcast SO much. Love the current stuff. Love the old Oscars stuff, too. Im actually hoping you guys dig into the 60s eventually. Another great, if different, decade for film.
I love these podcasts and I hope they never end.
ALSO
QUESTION:
Does anyone remember what the cooking oil was that Sasha raved about in a previous podcast? Am trying to find out if it was garlic oil or sesame oil or something else.
It was sesame oil.
Wasn’t it chili oil? Or something like that?
I distinctly remember chili being mentioned.
Oh yeah, that might have been it too haha. I think Sasha needs to confirm.
I think Sasha said chili oil. It might have been me who said I use sesame oil too. We agreed that chili oil makes everything better.
…except sex.
Thanks Ryan! A star again!
Am rushing out now to buy some!
Sasha, when are the Year by Year’s going to end? I kinda hope they take a hiatus as we get into Oscar season.
NOT because I don’t love them – but because I want them to return after Oscar season. Us addicts to the podcast need our fix throughout the year!