Awards season wrapped up on Sunday with a hostless Oscars ceremony full of surprises, snubs and some more or less expected wins. Like every other year, there were lots of moments to talk about.
The biggest winner of the night was “Bohemian Rhapsody,” which secured four awards: Best Actor (Rami Malek), Best Film Editing, Best Sound Editing and Best Sound Mixing. The only award it was nominated for that it didn’t win was Best Picture.
“Green Book” won Best Picture, the top prize of the night, in addition to Best Supporting Actor (Mahershala Ali, his second time winning in that category) and Best Original Screenplay. It’s Best Picture win was not warmly received by many, with critics saying the film perpetuates a white savior narrative and is inaccurate. This didn’t seem to convince the Academy to overlook the film.
“Roma,” a favorite to win Best Picture going into the ceremony, scooped up three awards as well: Best Foreign Language Film, Best Cinematography (Alfonso Cuaron) and Best Director (Alfonso Cuaron). Cuaron became the first person to win Best Cinematography for a film he also directed. “Roma’s” wins also made Netflix a bona-fide Hollywood force with a seat at the table.
“Black Panther” tied with “Green Book” and “Roma,” earning three awards: Best Production Design, Best Original Score, and Best Costume Design. Ruth E. Carter became the first African-American to win an Oscar for Costume Design, and Hannah Beachler became the first African-American to not only be nominated for an Oscar in Production Design, but also the first to win.
Spike Lee finally won an Oscar, earning Best Adapted Screenplay for “BlacKkKlansman.” In his speech, he urged everyone to “do the right thing” in the upcoming 2020 election, cleverly referencing one of his most famous films.
Disney’s juggernaut success was somewhat squashed during the ceremony. “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” won Best Animated Feature, a category that Disney has ruled, beating out Disney film “Ralph Breaks the Internet” and Pixar film “Incredibles 2.” “Shallow” from “A Star Is Born” alsowon Best Original Song, another category Disney usually wins. “Shallow” earned the lone award for “A Star Is Born,” and beat out “The Place Where Lost Things Go” from “Mary Poppins Returns,” a Disney film.
“The Favourite” was tied with “Roma” for the most nominations going into the ceremony, but only walked away with one – Olivia Colman won Best Actress in an upset over the frontrunner Glenn Close. Regina King won Best Supporting Actress for her role in “If Beale Street Could Talk,” securing the only win for that film.
Julian Madison ’21 was able to attend the red carpet, ceremony and Governor’s Ball. “My dad’s law firm is outside general counsel for the Academy Awards so they are tasked with overseeing the venue’s security. I was lucky enough to be his [plus one],” he said.
While there, he was able to meet a variety of stars. “I had conversations with Jeff Bezos, Amy Adams, Adam Driver, Mahershala Ali, and gained some insight into the film industry from Peter Farrelly and Guillermo del Toro,” Madison said.
In addition, he said “I had a quick conversation with Viggo Mortensen and told him how much we all want him to come back to campus for a visit. He told me he’s busy directing his first film (‘Falling’), but said he would try to make a visit soon.”
Regarding the winners, Madison said “I was really hoping that Viggo would win Best Actor for his performance in ‘Green Book.’ Olivia Colman was a pleasant surprise to see win Best Actress. ‘Green Book’ was my choice for Best Picture and I was thrilled to see it top its competitors.”
On the overall experience, Madison said “I was extremely fortunate and grateful to be able to attend the biggest night in cinema and hope I get another chance to go in the future!”