Die Oscars

Documentary about the Academy Awards. It covers how and why they came into being and how they evolved and changed over the years. It consists of actors, producers and directors talking about getting nominated and getting (or not getting) the award. It also shows footage from Oscar TV telecasts and some of the more memorable acceptance speeches. The most amusing were seeing Ben Affleck and Matt Damon winning Best Screenplay for "Good Will Hunting" and Michael Moore winning Best Documentary for "Bowling for Columbine". They even cover the technical awards. All in all I was entertained but wanted more. They totally ignore the Best Song category and (for some reason) go into detail about animated films being recognized. So it's worth seeing but is lacking.

On the opening night of its annual 31 Days of Oscar festival, Turner Classic Movies presents the world premiere of "And the Oscar Goes To...", a documentary tracing the history of the Academy Awards.

Let us not try to say the movies are any more important than they are. And the Oscars are a celebration of these not terribly important things. But, at the same time, let us not underestimate how important the movies really are. They bind us as a culture, connect us to other cultures and define generations. Sometimes they even change the way we look at the world.

And we get some great classic moments (Charlie Chaplin) alongside some more modern moments (Affleck and Damon, Diablo Cody). I almost wish I had started watching them sooner...

"And the Oscar Goes To..." is a 2014 documentary shown on TCM recently. Some of the interviews, like the one with Jane Fonda, were not recent, but most of them seemed like they were.

The documentary took us through the early days of the Academy Awards through to the 21st century, though more recent years seem to have been left out. I think the latest clip was in 2010 announcing The Hurt Locker as best film.

Lots and lots of clips of past Academy Awards, including hosts Whoppie Goldberg, Bob Hope, and Billy Crystal; past winners -- Hattie McDaniel's heartfelt speech after winning for Gone with the Wind, Michael Moore winning for Bowling for Columbine, Jane Fonda for Klute, Sasheen Littlefeather accepting for Marlon Brando (Godfather), "Good Will Hunting" stars Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, Henry Fonda's win accepted by Jane Fonda; Dustin Hoffman, Ruth Gordon, Marlon Brando (the first win) and many others. There was a discussion of the McCarthy era and the blacklist; and footage from backstage, where the press and photographers meet the winners.

So I'd say they packed a lot into 90 minutes. Also, there was a look at some of the classic stars announcing the awards: Rock Hudson, Elizabeth Taylor, Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, Jimmy Stewart, etc. Narrated by Angelica Huston.

Highly entertaining.

This is a power packed 90 minutes. Granted the whole history of the Oscars should be a mini-series, maybe produced by Ken Burns, but for a quick historical perspective and a look at the glamor of the whole thing, this isn't bad. We get to see a multitude of stars, a few acceptance speeches, features on the different categories, all done in snippets, and there is a friendliness and honesty here that isn't usually present in these kinds of shows. I always look forward to the Oscars and ever time I'm bored and disappointed because the show is often so dull (the first five minutes is usually the best with a great production number) and endless. The other problem lately is that it's like watching election coverage where all of the races are already called before the show starts. The internet and the press usually tell us who all the winners are ahead of time. Granted, in close races, there are some surprises, but you immediately know that three of the five nominees don't have a chance. Anyway, I thought that for a little insight into the Academy Awards, this was a nice job.

"And the Oscar Goes To..." is a documentary about, naturally, the Oscar. However, if you are looking for an exhaustive film about the awards or one that is chronological, then you might be disappointed. Instead, the film mostly consists of some living Oscar recipients talking about their experience receiving the award along with a few clips of past winners. The past winners are mostly from the 1950s on--which isn't surprising since that is when they started showing the ceremony on television. And, many recent recipients aren't interviewed as well--making me wonder how they picked who would be on the show.

While the film isn't perfect, it is enjoyable and gives you many nice little vignettes about the film and the craftspeople who make movies.