Nominees: Mon Oncle d’Amérique, Atlantic City, Aakrosh, Confidence, Airplane, Coal Miner's Daughter, The Elephant Man, Kagemusha, Raging Bull, The Shining, Pixote
Oscars pick: Ordinary People
Nominees: Coal Miner's Daughter, The Elephant Man, Raging Bull, Tess
I think Oscar did a great job; they selected 5 outstanding features and bestowed the top honor to the best film of 1980. Oscar got it right, damn it! (well, IMHO)
This year gets under my skin, primarily due to a movie blog and in particular, Danny Peary's book, which lavished praise on Ordinary People and then manufactured all manner of excuse for why it wouldn’t be selected, mostly due to popular opinion. Ordinary People is no longer the trendy choice, so the writers buckled under critical pressure and took Raging Bull instead. Which begs the question, what happens if the next generation of film viewers adopts Airplane, Atlantic City, or Coal Miner's Daughter as the year's best? Do you switch allegiances? Change your blogs and rewrite your books? Personally, I'm of a mind that if you genuinely prefer Ordinary People, and you spend time articulating its strengths over any other film, then you should stick to your guns.
Yes, Ordinary People was particular to 1980. Film-goers and critics embraced it warmly (along with Melvin and Howard, which bested Raging in the NY Film Critics Circle and National Society of Film Critics awards). And yes, since then it has been bowled over by the juggernaut Raging Bull - which has replaced it as the consensus favorite. But I'm not writing this piece to appease the masses (or even the huddled few here). And neither should anyone else who undertakes this endeavor.
Both movies are dark and painful examinations of a human soul in turmoil. Jake LaMotta in Bull is violence personified – violence is all he knows, it’s the only way he deals with situations. Conrad Jared in OP is a person shattered by a tragic event for which he can't forgive himself, and worse, can't find forgiveness from his own mother.
I remember this year and what it was like to view Martin Scorsese's Raging Bull. It was a raw, blood and guts story, and the scenes in the ring were some of the best boxing footage ever filmed. But I rarely felt like I got into the mind of the character, even when he was used up and old at the end - and the only time he became fully human and engaged me was the scene when he breaks down in tears after throwing a fight.
Ordinary People was difficult as well, but I'm more in tune with its sensitive, damaged protagonist (Timothy Hutton) than I am with an emotionally stunted bully. I got to know these people and was fascinated by the thorny family dynamic, Mary Tyler Moore was a revelation, branching beyond her usually likable, bubbly personality and delivering the dramatic goods like I never expected. The uncomfortable and awkward conversations between mother and son were beautifully acted and painful to watch. This was Robert Redford's directorial début and aside from the voiceover flashbacks being cheesy (especially during the jogging scene, where Donald Sutherland's expression says all that needed saying) the fair-haired actor helped create a picture that Roger Ebert described as "Intelligent, perceptive and deeply moving."
Raging Bull I respect on its technical filmmaking merits (rather than on story or characterization) and on those merits I nominated it. If I was handing out director awards (and I don't because, for the most part, my Best Picture's and Director's would be the same), I'd likely select Martin Scorsese or Stanley Kubrick (Shining) as Best Director. I think Scorsese is not only a genius but a genuinely likable person, with a deep love and respect for film history that I admire. But I'd rather sit through Louis Malle's smartly written and acted Atlantic City, or Alain Resnais ingenious, Mon Oncle d’Amérique, or István Szabó's absorbing WWII drama, Confidence, and most especially the emotionally resonant Ordinary People. If that makes me an idiot in some people's eyes so be it. But at least what your getting here is my honest opinion and not one filtered through the Rotten Tomatoes aggregate scoring system.
In addition, I love my actors, their work is rich and full - Spacek is incredible, so convincing and real as she grows from sheltered young teen to superstar - and Shah's character arc in Aakrosh is equally as strong, playing an idealistic lawyer who becomes increasingly paranoid and disillusioned by the system (and he's lent great support by Om Puri, Smita Patil & Amrish Puri) - he was also good in Sparsh (Touch) in this same season.
Honorable Mentions:
Burt Lancaster, Atlantic City * Edward Woodward, Breaker Morant * Jack Nicholson, The Shining * Tatsuya Nakadai, Kagemusha * John Hurt & Anthony Hopkins, The Elephant Man * Robert De Niro. Raging Bull * Timothy Hutton & Donald Sutherland, Ordinary People
Honorable Mentions:
Chieko Baisho, A Distant Cry from Spring * Nathalie Baye, A Weeks Vacation * Susan Sarandon, Atlantic City * Louise Portal, Cordélia * Ellen Burstyn, Resurrection * Mary Tyler Moore, Ordinary People * Gena Rowlands, Gloria * Marie Tifo, Good Riddance * Anda Onesa, Gently Was Anastasia Passing
