Behind the Curtain: The Political Evolution of the Oscars
The Oscars occurred last month, and like the last few years, it followed the same pattern of carrying controversy within the physical news and online spaces. This year’s ceremony was no exception; albeit it was not the slap heard around the world or announcing the wrong Best Picture winner. The political undertones of this year’s ceremony were twofold. Firstly, with the lack of nominations for those who won the public opinion, (Greta and Margot for the summer smash hit Barbie), while Oppenhemier, a movie revolving around the invention of the atomic bomb, nabbed Best Picture. Secondly, in the political charged speeches of those who won the top honors that night; through the words of Jonathan Glazer (Zone of Interest) and the filmmakers behind the award winning documentary 20 Days in Mariupol. The second remark is what this piece will be focusing on; the history of political interferences within Hollywood’s biggest night, how celebrities have addressed their supports/concerns for the world, and the coincidences of the films created potentially coinciding with the fate of the nation and world where we live.
Political crossover is not a new concept in the world of the Oscars. In some examples":
At some of the very first ceremonies in the 30s and 40s, World War II was a hot button issue. The Oscars were nearly cancelled in 1942 due to the Pearl Harbor bombing.
At the 1940 ceremony, Gone with the Wind won Best Picture. Hattie McDaniel, who won the Best Supporting Actress that year, was forced to be separated from her white nominees at the ceremony because of the color of her skin. She was not even allowed to attend the film’s premiere in Atlanta due to the Jim Crow laws of the times.
In the 60s and 70s, the Vietnam war, and the desire for peace, was at the forefront of everyone’s mind even during the highlight of films greatest achievements for that year.
When Marlon Brando got the Oscar for Best Actor in The Godfather back in 1973, he did not accept the award, but instead sent a Native American actress and activist, Little Feather, on his behalf. The woman refused the award, and went on to speak on the cruel crimes and sheer terror that America had with colonization of the United States. Nearly 50 years later, the Academy apologized to Little Feather.
At the 2002 Oscar, mere months after the 9/11 tragedy, there were talks of postponing the ceremony, but ultimately, the show went on. Woody Allen even made a rare appearance and shared a love letter about New York City as part of his acceptance speech.
Green Book, the winner of the 2019 coveted Best Picture prize, had it’s laundry list of controversies. The win came right at the height of the Black Lives Matter movement, and prompted Spike Lee’s rage filled exit from the ceremony. Green Book, to simply summarize, was described by some as Driving Miss Daisy, with the titular roles races reversed, and people took with not only the source material but the context of the film itself, especially since it released during a pivotal moment in African-American history.
In 2021, the majority of the speeches recovered around the COVID-19 pandemic and the effect it took on Hollywood - the ceremony’s location was even changed to Union Station in Los Angeles to accommodate less people and reduce the risks of the virus.
The list goes on and on; no matter the generation, it seem that there will always be a political event that ties a group of films and the political events together.
Over the Oscars nearly 100 year history, many celebrities have addressed current hot button political issues in their acceptance speeches. In recent years some actors and actresses have shown support for their causes the multitude of ways, including most recently seen through yellow ribbons, displayed on their clothing, signifying a desire for a cease fire. However, small actions of such nature can be taken out of context or worse, people can disagree with your opinion and slam your reputation for merely wearing something different on your wardrobe that day.
Several world stopping moments within the last few years have been on the worlds radar. After the 2016 election of President Donald Trump, Trump was the butt of every joke at that year’s Oscar ceremony. Nearly every single speech, from the beginning monologue to the final jab of the night, had a hint of political tension sharp enough to be cut with a knife.
Not every event was joked about. More recently, on October 7th 2023, the Israeli/Hamas conflict rocked the world. Since the initial attack, many people around the world have differing opinions on how the situation should be handled. With the current climate surrounding the Israel and Hamas conflict, it’s no surprise that it was a hot button issue during that the most recent Oscars. Jonathan Glazer, whose film Zone of Interest won several accolades that night, addressed the Israel/Hamas conflict in his speech to mixed results.
The Oscar winners during these turbulent times in our history, signify something of a stranger nature, not so much of a coincidence, but it could be measured as such, just the basic level of understanding. Mr. Miniver, a film highlighting a family’s struggle during World War II, was released while the fighting was still occurring. In 2009, when Sean Penn won Best Actor for his work in Milk, he took his speech to address those who voted against California’s Proposition 8, which denied the right for same-sex marriage. In the same year, The Hurt Locker nabbed the Best Picture trophy, which highlighted a bomb squad’s tale during the Iraq War, which was still going on. The list of political coincidences is uncanny, and there have been many lists of speeches that highlight timely issues - again, the list seems never ending. This pattern of the films that win coinciding with historical moments in the modern years has not been as obvious, but if you read between the lines of dialogue on screen or the context clues behind the plot and history’s place on it, the pattern becomes more obvious (which I believe is sometimes the hidden agenda for filmmakers).
With this year’s Best Picture Oppenheimer, the focus of the film was on the history and development of the first atomic bomb - only being dropped on the towns of Hiroshima and Nagasaki Japan during World War II. Let’s hope that history and film colliding as such won’t be repeating the same pattern and history in the process.
