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THE OSCARS - 2011 3/2/2011 6:32:31 AM
My Feb 26 Op-Ed Blog was written prior to the Academy Awards ceremony and was not published because I was enroute to Memphis at 6 AM on Saturday to be there for the arrival of my newest grandson (I didn’t make it; he was born at 4:47 AM CST.) For pictures, go to Facebook and look up Phillip Faucette, the proud papa; there are 4 trillion shots posted there. . . .We watched the ‘Oscars’ from my daughter’s hospital room, and when Christian Bale beat out Geoffrey Rush for best supporting actor, the show was over as far as I was concerned. Here is the Blog I would have posted:
THE OSCARS – Feb 26, 2011
It’s a fait accompli, a done deal. Colin Firth will win the Academy Award Sunday night for the BEST actor in a leading role for his performance as King George VI in “The King’s Speech.”(which will win handily as Best Picture.)
Pity. The award Best Acting award should go to Geoffrey Rush for his characterization of Lionel Lugue, the king’s speech therapist, in the same movie.
Mr. Rush will, however, receive an ‘Oscar’ for best SUPPORTING actor — but tough tamales, the Aussie should be given absolute top honors. Life in unfair — and then you die.*
There is no question among the avant-garde which is the more pivotal role and who is the more polished and trained performer. While Mr. Firth assumed the mantle of the film’s chief protagonist, Mr. Rush was given the plumiest part and lines with which to steal major scenes from his co-star.
Note too that Mr. Rush was also given the “curtain shot” just before the final fade to black. This is the spot normally reserved for the lead actor. Hmmm.
Not to take anything away from Colin Firth, a most deserving, accomplished and talented thespian in his own right. But being ten years Mr. Rush’s junior, the Brit has not had the previous roles and training significant to share the limelight with his illustrious colleague. His time will come — just not yet.
Of course, a most prestigious award should go to David Seidler, the bloke who wrote the original screenplay in the first place. Mr. Seidler, for decades afflicted with stuttering and stammering similar to the plight of George VI, has made a rather sad career of this misfortune. He even went so far as to write the Queen Mother (the late king’s wife) to ask for her permission to write the story. She answered, “Too painful. Please, not while I’m still alive.” The playwright, being a dutiful Englishman, waited twenty-five years for her to pass away at 102.**
There are many who will shout curses at the TV screen Sunday night because one of their personal favorites does not win. That is understandable. Of the ten flicks up for consideration, “The Fighter,” “True Grit,” and “Black Swan” are strong contenders — in any other year, each could have been victorious. But not against “The King’s Speech.”
After all, most of the films are flagrantly American. When has applehood and mother pie ever stood a chance against the Union Jack and a stiff upper lip?
Hold on. Isn’t “Black Swan” a Limey import? Ah, not true, its theme and international title notwithstanding. It stars Natalie Portman, an Israeli-American, in a flick about the NYC Ballet — and therein lies the rub. Dancing. Adagios. Dancers. Arabesques. Homosexuals. Pas de Deux. Lesbians. Crime. Etc. ***
While the other movies explore subjects already exploited ad infintitum by Sylvester Stallone, Robert DiNero and Mohammed Ali — not to mention John Wayne and Kim Darby — who in their right mind will dare vote against genuinely handicapped royalty?
A couple nominees even appear to have been tossed in because of grotesque box office receipts — but when has a picture won just because the masses liked it? Okay, okay — “Going My Way”, “Dances With Wolves”, etc.
In “The King’s Speech” a handful of scenes stand out as true bombshells that assured an Academy Award. Chief among them takes place in Westminster Abbey when Lionel Lugue rehearses the Duke of York just prior to his coronation as King George VI. The Duke and the Archbishop of Canterbury question Mr. Logue’s lack of standard, acceptable credentials, while Logue points out with eloquence the Duke’s lack of desire to be king. This might well be the most perfectly staged example of two men’s quest for recognition and realism. When Logue plops down and casually sits himself on the throne, the essence of true drama, rarely seen outside the Globe Theater, is, after hundreds of years, apparent for all to cheer, admire and enjoy.
At that point, the ‘Oscar’ was a lock, and all the producer Iain Canning, the director Tom Hooper, and the scriptwriter David Seidler have to do is grab hold of it and say, “W-w-we w-w-want to th-th-th-thank the Aca-aca-academy for m-m-m-making us all as r-r-r-rich as k-k-k-k-kings!”
Of course, they won’t. Not being Americans, they will maintain regal decorum with stiff upper lips and emote little more than controlled glee. . . . Where is Jack Palance when we need him?
*Mr. Rush was ignominiously ignored
**Mr. Seidler deservedly won Best Original Screenplay honors
***Ms Portman (also deservedly) received the Best Actress accolade
