For most people, the results of the Oscars are instantly forgotten about the second the ceremony is over, and thoughts quickly turn to the reason that Jane Seymour decided to take a tiny guitar to the show.
But not everyone has been able to forget the results of the Oscars so easily. Annie Proulx, for one. She wrote Brokeback Mountain – the film that was widely tipped to win the Best Picture Oscar this year. But Brokeback Mountain didn’t win – Crash won instead. And it turned Annie Proulx into the bitterest person on Earth. Bitterer, in fact, than Jennifer Aniston. Yes – Annie Proulx is that bitter.
Anyone who has watched Brokeback Mountain must have built up a basic
mental image of Annie Proulx (Books), the woman who wrote the original Brokeback
Mountain story. Anyone who could write a story as sensitive and
thoughtful as Brokeback Mountain must be a very calm, serene human
being. Not so – Brokeback Mountain didn’t win at the Oscars, so Annie
Proulx is pissed.
Annie Proulx is so pissed that she actually took it upon herself to
write an angry article about how shit the Oscars are, and then got in
published in The Guardian:
We should have known conservative heffalump academy voters would have
rather different ideas of what was stirring contemporary culture.
Roughly 6,000 film industry voters, most in the Los Angeles area, many
living cloistered lives behind wrought-iron gates or in deluxe
rest-homes, out of touch not only with the shifting larger culture and
the yeasty ferment that is America these days, but also out of touch
with their own segregated city, decide which films are good.
At
least Annie Proulx left it there. Good job she didn’t realise that Crash
– the eventual winner of the Best Picture Oscar – rhymed with ‘Trash’.
Imagine the uproar if she’d have worked that out. What’s that? She did? Oh:
And rumour has it that Lions Gate inundated the academy voters with DVD
copies of Trash – excuse me – Crash a few weeks before the ballot
deadline. Next year we can look to the awards for controversial themes
on the punishment of adulterers with a branding iron in the shape of
the letter A, runaway slaves, and the debate over free silver.
You
know what they say, though. It’s Hard Out There For An Author Of Short
Stories About Heath Ledger Being Bummed By Jake Gyllenhaal.
Read more:
Blood on the red carpet – Guardian
[story by Stuart Heritage]
Is it really unjustified? says
I can understand why the Oscars are causing such a controversy. After getting rewards, praises from the media worldwide who unanimously stated that although the subject was really thorny, it was a brilliant story, played by bold and daring characters. Certainly more innovative and groundbreaking than the theme related to “Crash”. The Oscar for best picture was almost a foregone conclusion and many specialists had foreseen Brokeback Mountain as a winner. It has hurt the academy’s integrity and sense of judgement when members publicly admitted they hadn’t seen the movie (BBM). And the distribution of Crash DVDs before the end of the ballot is somehow foul play (I’m surprised they have the right to do this). Had it been another story or if Brokeback had been competing against one of these all-time blockbusters such as Titanic the loss would have been understandable and accepted. But by snubbing a great movie which meant so much for a lot of people and which could/can change the way people in general see same-sex couples, it was as if they said ok but keep what is different and marginal at bay… Hence, not rewarding merits, talents and a revolutionary act of cinema but norms.
Samantha says
Brokeback…great??? I think not – at least not worthy of a second look (or a first look in my opinion). I despised even the thought of this movie and I’m not surprised it didn’t win best pic. I am surprised that Crash won. I didn’t see either one, but the previews of both were enough to make me puke.
Personally, I don’t watch the Oscars or any other awards show. The stuff I like will invariably lose to some mediocre piece of garbage.
Fortunately I’m never asked because 95% of the movies on the Oscar ballot would never even be nominated. They are terrible. Period.
Mark Del Mar says
I did it. I did it and it wasn’t easy. This (unapologetic) Bush voter and (social conservative) actually forced himself to sit down to watch the entire recent Academy Awards program. It was torture.
I did this for one reason: Brokeback Mountain wopped (not whooped) me upside my head. Don’t tell me it was not the best picture of the year. (again, this unapologetic Bush voter just wrote that).
To those who put Brokeback together, just remember Hollywood obviously is koo koo. Whether they snubbed Brokeback or not, it doesn’t change the truth that Brokeback was, in every way, the best picture of the year and knowing and truly believing this is all that is really important.
George Greene says
Excuse me for being gay AND black,
but Annie Proulx is full of shit.
This is NOT about Brokeback Mountain.
Everybody understands what Brokeback
Mountain is about, and a lot more
people saw it than saw Crash.
People in general STILL do not
understand what race in America is
about. Of the two films, Crash
was both more complex in style and
structure AND dealing with an issue
that was more complex. The whole
triumph of Brokeback was in making
the core attraction look simple.
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