Patrick Stoner welcomes your questions about movies and the people who make them. Send your questions to pstoner@whyy.org. Here's the current question and answer:
Q: What was it like at the 69th Annual Academy Awards?A: Tight.
Security took a technological leap forward in Los Angeles this year. In fact, it was so good, a man who had written a book about sneaking into high-profile, invitation-only events got caught and charged with trespassing. I guess they read the book.
As a result of new scanners that checked everyone's credentials by bar code, you were constantly told where you could and where you couldn't go. Security was even tight for people with tickets -- with different auditorium sections more color-conscious than a movie theater in the Deep South in 1950. It sometimes seemed like the ancient Indian caste system had been transported to the Shrine Auditorium.
Most of the time, I was in the duly credentialed, color-coded, carefully screened press room, into which winners are hustled to discuss their new Oscars. Print, radio and television media were combined into one room this year, with the print and radio folks at long tables in the back of the room with phones and speaker plugs, and the television journalists in chairs in front of the mini-stage where they take the questions. (You know it: The stunned winners stand at a mike in front of a blue curtain with little Oscar designs, and you hear bites from their comments for several days afterward).
I was in a seat behind Gene Siskel and across from Roger Ebert (they seldom sit together at these things), along with colleagues I've known for some time from CBS Morning News, VH1, E.T., and others from all over the world, especially the Los Angeles TV people. All in all, there were about 30 TV types, twice as many print people and about the same number of radio folks.
There were some interesting moments: Juliette Binoche's announcement as Best Supporting Actress in THE ENGLISH PATIENT got the loudest gasp. She was also disarming in her answers to questions, saying to one persistent print journalist who asked three times if she weren't embarrassed that SHE won instead of Lauren Bacall (for THE MIRROR HAS TWO FACES), "Look, I don't know why I got this. It's not MY fault."
Billy Bob Thornton was flying high with his best screenplay award for SLING BLADE. Just a few months ago -- when many of us critics were in New York to see a couple of big studio films -- Miramax asked us to check out this small movie that nobody could pronounce correctly. (Many called it "Swing Blade.") He was enormously grateful that we were willing to talk to him, but then he didn't know how much we had fallen in love with his little film -- to our own great surprise. It was NOT easy to explain why viewers should want to see a low-budget movie by an unknown, somewhat eccentric filmmaker about a mother-killer fresh from an insane asylum who runs into conflicts when befriended by a dysfunctional family. So, to stand in front of the media at the Academy Awards with a golden statuette in his hand was a genuine thrill, and well deserved.
Easily the most emotional moment of the evening was when Muhammad Ali was brought in with the men who made WHEN WE WERE KINGS. Every single journalist rose to give the former world heavyweight boxing champion a standing ovation -- not a common event in that room.
Since it was clear that THE ENGLISH PATIENT was winning too many awards to be denied the coveted Best Film honor, the evening's only remaining suspense was the Best Acting duo. SHINE's Jeffrey Rush was no surprise, but the win by Frances McDormand got a BIG cheer. Her FARGO was a film beloved by critics but not the public, and the best thing in it was that sweet, brilliant character played by Joel Coen's wife. Frances has always been a self-effacing, charming interviewee, and I always like the nice ones to get something they both deserve and will respect.
Finally, it was a valuable night for the Hollywood set to see so many people being honored who had worked for the love of the art, not for the fame and fortune. When the beautiful people see THEIR big party celebrating those who concentrated on quality, you can bet that both the stars and the studios will get back to making pictures that put them at the center of attention. Who knows, maybe we'll see some films from the big guys worthy of an Academy Award.
