Academy Awards Oscar trophies are displayed backstage in the course of the 93rd Annual Academy Awards at Union Station on April 25, 2021 in Los Ang
Academy Awards Oscar trophies are displayed backstage in the course of the 93rd Annual Academy Awards at Union Station on April 25, 2021 in Los Angeles, California.
Handout | Getty Photos Leisure | Getty Photos
If there’s one redeeming factor about Sunday’s Oscars, it is that all of us now know the Academy actually would not know what’s within the envelopes.
Even after the 2017 finest image debacle during which the unsuitable title was named the highest prize of the evening, the Academy of Movement Image Arts and Sciences has continued to maintain the winners a secret till they’re learn on air.
It appears the producers had positioned a big wager that the late Chadwick Boseman can be named finest actor. In a break with custom, the academy introduced one of the best image winner earlier than it introduced the recipients of finest actor and finest actress. Sometimes, one of the best image award is saved as the ultimate reveal of the night.
Many have speculated that this was completed to ensure that the evening to finish with Boseman’s win and a tribute to the actor. Nonetheless, the award went to Anthony Hopkins for his position in “The Father,” resulting in an anticlimactic end to a present that already felt too hurried and, but, too lengthy.
Hopkins, 83, is the oldest particular person to win an Oscar in an performing class, and didn’t attend the ceremony. As an alternative, he was at dwelling in Wales. He addressed the win in a video posted to social media Monday morning.
“Good morning, right here I’m in my homeland of Wales and at 83 years of age, I didn’t count on to get this award. I actually did not,” stated Hopkins. “I’m grateful to the academy and thanks. I need to pay tribute to Chadwick Boseman, who was taken from us far too early, and once more, thanks all very a lot. I actually didn’t count on this, so I really feel very privileged and honored. Thanks.”
Hopkins’ heartbreaking efficiency as a person fighting dementia additionally earned him a BAFTA for finest actor in addition to vital reward. That is his second Academy Award from six nominations and follows his 1991 finest actor win for “Silence of the Lambs.”
His absence from Sunday’s occasion might not have brought about a lot controversy if the present’s producers had not switched one of the best actor presentation to final. A lot of the ire for the abrupt ending and innocuous ceremony was directed on the producers for hyping up the prospect of Boseman profitable.
Following Hopkins’ win, which was accepted on his behalf by Joaquin Phoenix, who had introduced the award, the Academy Awards unceremoniously ended.
The ceremony’s ending was par for the course for the night.
There isn’t any denying that the 93rd annual Academy Awards introduced a a lot wanted highlight on various expertise and honored these within the trade, who up till now, haven’t been broadly celebrated. Nonetheless, the ceremony, which was anticipated to interrupt the mildew and shake issues up, turned out to be similar to each different Oscars present earlier than it.
Filmmaker Steven Soderbergh, who helmed the manufacturing, teased main modifications to the telecast forward of the ceremony. Producing alongside Stacey Sher and Jesse Collins, he stated the workforce would deal with the occasion like a film, not a TV present. One of the notable modifications was the cobalt blue colour scheme of the occasion, which changed the normal crimson curtains and carpet of previous Oscars.
Whereas there was some promise of a singular expertise, significantly as Regina King strutted by way of Union Station in Los Angeles as colourful credit popped up on display screen, showcasing the presenters of Sunday’s program, finally the present slipped again into outdated type.
Academy Award nominee Glenn Shut dances to “Da Butt” in the course of the 93rd annual Oscar ceremony on Sunday, April 25, 2021, at Union Station Los Angeles.
ABC | Walt Disney Tv | Getty Photos
As a result of coronavirus pandemic, the academy vastly restricted the visitor checklist for the occasion and determined to prerecord one of the best track nominees and play them earlier than the awards present started. Normally, one of the best track performances assist break up the ceremony, providing moments of levity and spectacle between speeches.
With out these performances, extra focus was on the presenters. They had been working solo resulting from social distancing pointers, which additionally restricted the everyday moments of comedic banter between the presenters. The manufacturing changed the scripted repartee with “enjoyable info” concerning the nominees, together with final 12 months’s finest director Bong Joon-ho reciting this 12 months’s directing nominees’ solutions to the query: What’s directing?
The pre-award biographies about nominees’ favourite films or first jobs in Hollywood had been properly which means, however finally solely served to elongate the run time of the occasion. The present additionally appeared to verify why the academy has previously positioned caps on how lengthy winners are allowed to talk after amassing their trophies.
Hostless ceremonies have been all the craze since 2019 when actor Kevin Hart stepped away from the gig after outdated, problematic tweets he’d posted resurfaced. Nonetheless, Sunday’s ceremony might have benefited from a star information. Particularly to easy issues over on the finish of the evening and supply closure to the ceremony.
The evening was considerably salvaged by impassioned speeches, significantly from filmmaker Tyler Perry who accepted the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, and a wierd scripted second the place Glenn Shut danced to the ’80’s funk hit “Da Butt.”
Finally, Sunday’s Academy Awards had been a product of the coronavirus, but in addition a illustration of how tough it may be to reimagine award ceremonies.