So, every year, when the Venice Film Festival announce their winners, special attention goes to the acting prizes for us awards watchers.
Since 2000, there have been 16 acting prizes given for acting. 6 of those have gone on to Oscar nominations (7 if you count Sean Penn) and 4 have been serious players in the awards race: see below:
Javier Bardem – Before Night Falls - NOMINATED
Julianne Moore – Far From Heaven - NOMINATED
Sean Penn – 21 Grams – NOMINATED for ‘Mystic River’
Javier Bardem – Mar Adentro – Serious Contender.
Imelda Staunton – Vera Drake - NOMINATED
Good Night and Good Luck – David Strathairn - NOMINATED
Hollywoodland – Ben Affleck – Serious Contender.
The Queen – Helen Mirren - NOMINATED
Brad Pitt – The Assassination of Jessie James by the Coward Robert Ford – Contender.
Cate Blanchett – I’m Not There – NOMINATED (supporting)
This year Colin Firth won the Volpi Cup for Best Actor for Tom Ford’s beautiful looking ‘A Single Man’. Now, usually this would mean a serious boost for him in the Best Actor race, but somehow it just doesn’t seem like it will happen or perhaps that is years of Academy homophobia clouding my judgement. What do you think? Will he be a serious contender?
3 comments:
Do you really think that the AMPAS is homophobic. I mean CRASH over BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN aside...I guess some people just rathered CRASH. I've never seen them SNUB a film or character that was gay.
I do think that the Academy did have a tendency to be homophobic. Sure straight men playing gay characters have won Oscars (but the character usually dies).
They are getting better, but very few openly gay people have won Oscars (I can't even think of an openly gay actor winning).
Plus when Ernest Borgnine and Tony Curtis led the
attack on Brokeback Mountain. Borgnine made disparaging comments on the critically acclaimed film, saying it defamed the late legendary cowboy
icon John Wayne.
There is a large portion of older voters in the Academy who have these thoughts. Over time they will get smaller.
I do think homophobia plays a part (AMPAS loves their gays tragic and ideally dead, and of course played by a straight man - Oh that Ian McKellen had won to prove us wrong!)
But now with the Weinsteins behind A Single Man, I do hope that Mr Firth has reasons to get a tux fitted for Oscar night.
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