Analysis: Substance triumphs at Oscars
Analysis: Substance triumphs at Oscars
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By Darren Estwick. |  |
Monday, 08, Mar 2010 02:17
By Lewis Bazley.
With his lead in the opinion polls dwindling, David Cameron could do worse than to peruse last night's Oscars results if he wants an idea of what is foremost in voters' minds in these troubled modern times/broken society/delete as applicable.
Though both entered the Kodak Theatre with nine nominations, it was the cast and crew of Iraq bomb disposal drama The Hurt Locker who popped the champagne corks, with six wins, including the coveted best director and best picture award, while Avatar slunk away with three statues.
Avatar's groundbreaking CGI and photorealism might have changed film forever - and its three Oscars were richly deserved - but The Hurt Locker's success in the major categories represents victory for the head as well as well as the heart, for the intellect and the imagination. The sheer artistry and vision behind Avatar meant it was all too easy to forgive the box office beast's threadbare, derivative plot and just enjoy cheering on the blue cat people as they took on the nasty imperialist Americans. But pay attention to the man behind the curtain we must and six wins for The Hurt Locker shows that great effects, a massive budget and a fearsome publicity machine aren't all that's needed for Oscar glory. To quote Pixar's creative genius John Lasseter, "story is king". As well as being stunningly made and unbearably tense, The Hurt Locker includes a gripping and relevant plot alongside committed performances and a taut script. You can throw in all the jawdropping visual effects you want but if the viewer's left thinking "Alright, alright, lay off with the Vietnam and 9/11 references, I get it", what you've offered is a sumptuously decorated - but empty - gift box.
You can bang on about "change" all you want - if the electorate don't know who you are or what you believe, they might just plump for the dour but dedicated Scot on the other side. It's a flippant argument but after a night of backslapping, champagne quaffing and a god-awful contemporary dance section, I'd say a bit of flippancy was permitted.
The Hurt Locker's wins, crowbarred-in political comparisons aside, are also to be applauded for the sense in which could easily not have happened. Kathryn Bigelow has shattered a glass ceiling that's stood for far too long in becoming the first woman to win the best director Oscar but her success didn't almost fall at the last hurdle like the Iraq drama's best picture win. With the expansion of the category to ten films and the use of a instant run-off voting system - meaning a split vote could have seen an outside bet such as Inglourious Basterds taking the Oscars - The Hurt Locker could easily have missed out for the biggest prize of the night. And while the "ethical lapse" of Hurt Locker producer Nicholas Chartier - who emailed Academy voters urging they cast their ballot for the military drama rather than a $500m film", in a clear reference to Avatar - proved irrelevant, it could have proved fatal to Bigelow's hopes for glory.
These thorns in the side of The Hurt Locker's bid to become one of the lowest grossing best picture winners ever were little than superficial wounds and while Slashfilm's Peter Sciretta might be right in suggesting Avatar will be a more fondly remembered film in 50 years thanks to its connection with the public and level of cinematic achievement, it's with a tired but relieved head that we can salute six glorious Oscars for Bigelow's nerve-shredding, affecting and startling film.
Click here for the inthenews.co.uk review of The Hurt Locker.