The 2019 Honorary Oscars

For the films of 2019
nightwingnova
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Re: The 2019 Honorary Oscars

Post by nightwingnova »

It should've been Ullman and von Sydow in tandem. With all due respect to Wertmuller and Studi....theirs has not been a lifetime of towering impact on world cinema.
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Re: The 2019 Honorary Oscars

Post by Precious Doll »

Lynch - Great choice;

Wertmuller - Great choice. Her films from the 1970's to early 1980's are essential viewing and she along with Liliana Cavani & Diana Kurys all more or less did their best work during that period;

Studi - I don't understand this one myself. I had to check imdb to see what he had actually been in and his career only goes back 30 years. I assumed he'd been around a lot longer;

I think the big omission is that nobody from the technical fields have been selected this year. I'm sure there would be numerous people behind the scenes that aren't directors to choose from.
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Heksagon
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Re: The 2019 Honorary Oscars

Post by Heksagon »

Lynch is obviously deserving, I'm not so sure about the others.

Studi feels way too much like an ethnic token. Wertmüller feels like she's getting an Honorary Oscar for getting an Oscar nomination, which is kind of weird.
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Re: The 2019 Honorary Oscars

Post by anonymous1980 »

I guess we can speculate on who's gonna be the presenters/speakers for the honorees:

David Lynch - Laura Dern is the likely and obvious choice. She's a high-ranking Academy member and was probably instrumental for him getting this. Other possible speakers would include: Kyle McLachlan, Isabella Rossellini and Naomi Watts.

Lina Wertmuller - I think it's highly likely they are going to try to get all the subsequent female Best Director nominees to present/speak for her (Jane Campion, Sofia Coppola, Kathryn Bigelow, Greta Gerwig) since she's the first and the trailblazer for them. Giancarlo Giannini is the next likely possibility.

Wes Studi - I suppose any of the other prominent Native American actors will be invited to present/speak (e.g. Graham Greene, Gil Birmingham, Zahn McClarnon, Adam Beach, Irene Bedard, etc.). Other possibilities would likely be directors Michael Mann (The Last of the Mohicans) and James Cameron (Avatar).

Geena Davis - Her Thelma & Louise and fellow activist Susan Sarandon would be the obvious and likely choice. Frankly, I don't know who else would be possible.
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Re: The 2019 Honorary Oscars

Post by Reza »

Interesting choices.

Lynch is clearly deserving.

Was surprised to hear the names of both Geena Davis and Wes Studi until I read why they are both being awarded although the latter is clearly in because of his ethnic status which is kind of cool even though his acting accomplishments aren't all that hot - it's the usual strong whiff of political correctness which now seems to be the Academy's permanent forte even if it means ignoring a far more deserving choice.

Also interesting to see them choose Lina Wertmuller even though there is another director on the roster. Would have been better if they had honoured a "real" actor with a distinguished resumé instead.....Liv Ullmann and Max von Sydow come immediately to mind
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Re: The 2019 Honorary Oscars

Post by Big Magilla »

I have no argument with any of these choices, though I did hope that this might be the year they finally honored Max von Sydow.

I always liked Wes Studi. I knew he was an artist, a Vietnam veteran and an activist as well as an accomplished actor but what I didn't know is that he is married to Jack Albertson's only daughter and probably has Albertson's Oscar on his mantle. His will make a fine companion piece. He may be a choice out of nowhere but if AMPAS can honor indigenous actors from Canada (Dan George, Graham Green) and Mexico (Yalitza Aparicio), maybe it's about time they honored a U.S. born Native American.
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Re: The 2019 Honorary Oscars

Post by Mister Tee »

Well...

David Lynch is an unimpeachable choice. Three directing nominations, over several decades, but it's clear he's too out-there to ever (barring miracle) win a prize in competition. The Board of Governors has seen to it that foreign-born avant-garde artists were feted (Antonioni, Godard, Varda), and it's about time they did the same for the American equivalent.

Geena Davis has been a tireless activist, and is easily deserving of the Hersholt.

Lina Wertmuller is a bit iffy -- her time of worldwide prominence was fairly brief, and there are not many places where she's viewed as a truly major director. But she had at least one film that was widely thought in masterpiece territory (Seven Beauties), and a few others around it (Love and Anarchy, Swept Away...) that were significantly admired. That plus her status as the first (and for a long-time only) female directing nominee makes her a justifiable choice. (By the way, a friend of mine has just made a documentary about Don Rugoff -- a distributor/theatre owner from the 60s/70s who was Harvey Weinstein before Harvey Weinstein -- and makes the case that Rugoff is largely responsible for Wertmuller's US fame.)

But, Wes Studi? Not taking away from his acting ability, but there are hundreds of character actors with equivalent resumes who'd never be considered for such an honor. This seems an embarrassingly clumsy gesture of "inclusion".
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Re: The 2019 Honorary Oscars

Post by OscarGuy »

They've been announced: Hersholt to Geena Davis; and Honorary Oscars to David Lynch, Wes Studi, and Lina Wertmuller. Can't really disagree with any of these choices. I believe Wertmuller becomes the first woman to earn an honorary Oscar for direction.

THE ACADEMY TO HONOR GEENA DAVIS, DAVID LYNCH, WES STUDI AND LINA WERTMÜLLER AT 2019 GOVERNORS AWARDS

LOS ANGELES, CA – The Academy announced today that its Board of Governors voted (Saturday, June 1) to present Honorary Awards to David Lynch, Wes Studi and Lina Wertmüller, and the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award to Geena Davis. The four Oscar® statuettes will be presented at the Academy’s 11th Annual Governors Awards on Sunday, October 27, at the Ray Dolby Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland Center®.

“These Governors Awards given by the Academy each year recognize individuals who have devoted themselves to a lifetime of artistic accomplishment and brought outstanding contributions to our industry, and beyond,” said Academy President John Bailey. “It is with great pleasure that we announce this year’s recipients.”

Davis, who won an Oscar for her supporting performance in “The Accidental Tourist” (1988), has been a passionate advocate for gender equality in media. She is the founder and chair of the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, a nonprofit dedicated to educating and influencing film and television content creators to eliminate gender bias and stereotypes and create a wide variety of female characters in entertainment and media aimed at children. Davis was appointed Special Envoy for Women and Girls in Information and Communication Technologies for the United Nations’ International Telecommunication Union in 2012, and served as chair of the California Commission on the Status of Women. In 2015, she launched the Bentonville Film Festival to support women and diversity in the entertainment industry. As an actor, she is recognized for portraying strong leading roles in such films as “Thelma & Louise” (1991), for which she earned an Oscar nomination, “The Fly” (1986), “Beetlejuice” (1988), “A League of Their Own” (1992) and “The Long Kiss Goodnight” (1996).

Born in Missoula, Montana, in 1946, Lynch is a filmmaker, musician and artist. He wrote, produced and directed his first full-length feature film, “Eraserhead,” in 1977. With editing, scoring and sound design also led by Lynch, the film continues to draw a large cult following. Its success brought Lynch the opportunity to direct “The Elephant Man” (1980), which received eight Oscar nominations including Directing and Adapted Screenplay for Lynch himself. His prolific career has included two more Directing nominations – for “Blue Velvet” (1986) and “Mulholland Drive” (2001) – and additional directing credits for “Dune” (1984), “Wild at Heart” (1990), “Lost Highway” (1997), “The Straight Story” (1999) and “Inland Empire” (2006).

Studi is a Cherokee-American actor who has appeared in more than 30 films, becoming known for portraying strong Native American characters with poignancy and authenticity. Born and raised in Nofire Hollow, Oklahoma, Studi became deeply involved with Native American politics and activism after a tour of military service in Vietnam. He began his acting career with the American Indian Theater Company and his first film role in the independent feature “Powwow Highway” (1989) led to a memorable appearance in “Dances with Wolves” (1990). He has since co-starred in such films as “The Last of the Mohicans” (1992), “Geronimo: An American Legend” (1993), “Heat” (1995), “The New World” (2005) and “Avatar” (2009).

In 1976, Wertmüller became the first woman to receive an Academy Award nomination for Directing when she received both Directing and Original Screenplay nominations for “Seven Beauties.” Known for focusing on political and social issues, Wertmüller has written and directed such notable films as “The Basilisks” (1963), “The Seduction of Mimi” (1972), “Love and Anarchy” (1973) and “Swept Away” (1974).

The Honorary Award, an Oscar statuette, is given “to honor extraordinary distinction in lifetime achievement, exceptional contributions to the state of motion picture arts and sciences, or for outstanding service to the Academy.”

The Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, also an Oscar statuette, is given “to an individual in the motion picture arts and sciences whose humanitarian efforts have brought credit to the industry.”

The 11th Annual Governors Awards is proudly supported by Rolex, the Exclusive Watch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
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Re: The 2019 Honorary Oscars

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Godard accepted the award but claimed he could not take the flight from Europe to the US because he couldn't go that long without having a smoke.
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Re: The 2019 Honorary Oscars

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Big Magilla wrote: "When I mentioned this in my recent appreciation after her death earlier this month, I got a note from a former AMPAS president who told me she had been proposed, but that word came back she not only would not show up but also would not accept it."
But what about Jean-Luc Godard? He didn't show up and he openly bashed the award in the press.

I guess he accepted it anyway so he could get more money for his films, perhaps?
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Re: The 2019 Honorary Oscars

Post by Big Magilla »

Interesting article. Selections will be made today with the announcement following notification to the winners.

Also of note, The Doris Day omission is finally explained by Pete Hammond:

"When I mentioned this in my recent appreciation after her death earlier this month, I got a note from a former AMPAS president who told me she had been proposed, but that word came back she not only would not show up but also would not accept it."
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The 2019 Honorary Oscars

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