Nominees: Ju Dou, My Fathers Glory/My Mother's Castle, Miller’s Crossing, La Femme Nikita, The Match Factory Girl
Oscars pick: Dances with Wolves
Nominees: Goodfellas, Godfather III, Ghost, Awakenings
1990 was lean for the U S of A. Dances with Wolves won it all and it was a good movie, though marred by bloat & egocentricities (Costner sure loves Costner). Goodfellas was the critics' choice, but I felt the film got tedious at its middle and fell apart by the final reel - plus, the awful and shrill Lorraine Bracco ruins every scene she's in. The Coen's impeccably directed Miller's Crossing is certainly a worthy contender... it has an old-school vibe that I prefer in my gangster films, and the acting is amazing from top to bottom.
My range of choices improved when I turned my eyes toward foreign lands, in France, I found Cyrano de Bergerac with Gerard Depardieu, the twin feature, My Fathers Glory/My Mother’s Castle, which is a warm family biography, and Luc Besson's story of an assassin, La Femme Nikita.
In China, director Zhang Yimou offered the tragic tale of a beautiful young woman who has been sold as a wife to an older man who works as a cloth dyer. Ju Dou is a gorgeous looking feature, and better than anything released in the States.
From Argentina came, I, The Worst of All, Finland, The Match Factory Girl, Iran, Close-Up, Hong Kong, Days of Being Wild, Japan, Takeshi: Childhood Days. Russia gave us Freeze Die Come to Life! along with The Second Circle. And a trip to Germany revealed two gems based on true stories: Europa Europa tells of a Polish Jew who pretends to be German in order to survive. The Nasty Girl ("Das Schreckliche Mädchen" - the title in German loosely translates as "The Terrible Girl") is an art-house piece about a young Bavarian woman who decides to write a paper on how the local Church resisted the Nazis. She instead uncovers dark secrets these “respectable” townsfolk don’t want uncovered. The picture successfully blends humor and stylish directorial flourishes into its troubling tale, all of which kept me riveted to my seat. Actress Lena Stolze is likable and determined in the lead role. It's fascinating to watch her wide-eyed curiosity turn to bemusement and later, cynicism.
Considering the Academy: Even though I don't think it was the “best” picture on the year, I can’t complain too much over Wolves winning the Oscar as it was pretty hot stuff at the time. But Oscar voters did a strange thing when it picked Journey of Hope as its best foreign language film. Ju Dou and Cyrano were locked in as heavy favorites to win it, followed by Nasty Girl and the controversial Open Doors. Journey of Hope was by far and away the lesser nominee. I don't know if the other films split voters, or if people simply genuinely preferred the winner, but it was a baffling choice.
Anyway, aside from Miller's and Whit Stillman's Metropolitan (and arguably Goodfellas) the U.S. productions were not as strong as what was offered in the foreign market, so the foreign market is where I'm placing my award for Best Picture. And the picture's that stood out were Ju Dou, and slightly above it, the Nasty Girl. Which admittedly isn't everyone's cup of tea and probably comes out of left field for some. I thought it was marvelous -- thought-provoking, striking and original. It is stylized, but not at the expense of my emotional involvement with the story.
Oh, and Godfather III? This was seriously - laughably bad. I wanted to turn it off several times, but I was like a rubber-necker at a car wreck and couldn’t stop staring. Brand recognition might be the reason for the nomination – coupled with the relatively weak field, which also allowed the wispy Ghost to slip in. Oscar should have kick both to the curb and gone with the Coen’s and (since they’d nominated most of my others for the foreign award), how about something outside the Academy's box, a selection that would have made them look a little more progressive, like To Sleep with Anger, which featured (IMHO) a career best performance from Danny Glover?
Honorable Mentions:
Johnny Depp, Edward Scissorhands * Jeremy Irons, Reversal of Fortune * Ray Liotta, Goodfellas * Gabriel Byrne, Miller's Crossing * Paul Newman, Mr. and Mrs. Bridge * Gérard Depardieu, Cyrano de Bergerac * Richard Harris, The Field * Maynard Eziashi, Mr Johnson
Supporting Actor: Albert Finney, Miller's Crossing
Honorable Mentions:
Kati Outinen, The Match Factory Girl * Kathy Bates, Misery * Lena Stolze, The Nasty Girl * Joanne Woodward, Mr. and Mrs. Bridge * Kerry Fox, An Angel at My Table * Anjelica Huston, The Grifters * Gong Li, Ju Dou * Carmen Maura, ¡Ay Carmela!
Supporting Actress: Annette Bening, The Grifters (pictured left)
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