Big change in Oscar nominating process

[dirac]

The Academy Awards will now nominate ten movies in the Best Picture category, expanding the number from five.

In opening up this year's field of Best Picture nominees to 10 contenders instead of five, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences made the first fundamental change to the most important award ceremony in the entertainment industry in decades.

It will have a major impact on the season that grips Hollywood from about September to February of every year -- and the reaction from the community was decidedly mixed.

[sandik]

Wow -- this is a major change, and not necessarily a good one, I think. Though the comment after the article (that it will make the Academy Awards more like the Golden Globes) was meant as a criticism, I don't think that's such a terrible thing.

[Helene]

Even before I opened the link, my thought was "Are they voting members even going to watch them?" I don't think it's a terrible thing for more movies to get recognition, though.

[Mme. Hermine]

Oh,I don't know. I kind of like the idea. Consider 1939, often called the greatest year in American film, and the list of nominees:

Gone with the Wind - Selznick, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer - David O. Selznick

Dark Victory - Warner Bros. - David Lewis

Goodbye, Mr. Chips - Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer - Victor Saville

Love Affair - RKO - Leo McCarey

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington - Columbia - Frank Capra

Ninotchka - Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer - Sidney Franklin

Of Mice and Men - Roach, United Artists - Lewis Milestone

Stagecoach - United Artists - Walter Wanger

The Wizard of Oz - Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer - Mervyn LeRoy

Wuthering Heights - Goldwyn, United Artists - Samuel Goldwyn

[dirac]

Thanks for commenting, all. It's true that back when the Academy used to nominate many more movies, but that was under very different circumstances. 1939 was a banner year in a time when Hollywood made more pictures than they do now, in terms of sheer numbers, and it's atypical.

As the article notes, the impetus behind the decision was the fact that a big comic book hit with serious pretensions, The Dark Knight, got left out. It has been a big studio beef that big moneymaking pictures don't get nominated. The motive is not necessarily to include better movies, in other words, but more successful ones, and to increase marketing opportunities and expand the Oscar audience. We'll see how it turns out.

Though the comment after the article (that it will make the Academy Awards more like the Golden Globes) was meant as a criticism, I don't think that's such a terrible thing.

I agree, the Golden Globes show is a good one but as rewards for merit they're not considered to be worth much, because everyone and his brother gets a nomination and votes are more or less bought and sold.

I'm inclined to agree with Helene, the voters are unlikely to watch all ten, especially if they already have an idea of whether they'll like the picture or not.

More clips to sit through on Oscar night. Oh, dear.