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Prospero

The Academy Awards

And the Oscar should go to...

Feb 23rd 2011, 10:32 by More Intelligent Life, N.B. | LONDON

The King's SpeechI’M NOT a gambling man, but I’d put money on this year’s Best Picture Oscar going to a film with a three-word title, the first word being “The”. I’d also bet on “127 Hours”, “The Kids Are All Right”, “The Fighter”, and “Winter’s Bone” not winning. As nice as it is to see them acknowledged, the policy introduced by the Academy last year of having ten films in the Best Picture category means, inevitably, that several of them are there to make up the numbers. And at the moment what we have is a very exciting, very close two-horse race.

In all the award shows preceding the Oscars—ceremonies which are now seen primarily as part of the Oscar build-up, rather than institutions in their own right—“The Social Network” and “The King’s Speech” have been way ahead of all the other runners and riders. For most of the way, “The Social Network” led the field, named Best Drama at the Golden Globes and Best Film by most of the critics organisations. But “The King’s Speech” swept the boards at the Baftas, which has added to a feeling that it’s edged ahead. As I write, “The King’s Speech” is the favourite. Of course, that phenomenal Bafta triumph may have done it more harm than good. Some Oscar voters might feel that if the Brits supported their homegrown product so unashamedly, then the Yanks should throw their support behind the American contender.

Ultimately, though, the choice between “The King’s Speech” and “The Social Network” isn’t between a British film and an American one, but between a reassuring film and an unsettling one. As excellent as “The King’s Speech” is, it tells us that things were better in the olden days when everyone knew their place, and when a stiff upper lip was all it took to win a war against the Nazis. There are chilling moments—Bertie’s stories of his abused childhood, David’s sneering at his younger brother—but they lead us to the comforting conclusion that love and friendship conquer all, disabilities can be overcome, and, as long as you believe in yourself, good will prevail over evil.

“The Social Network” is another matter. It offers more questions than answers, leaving us to debate which of its characters are heroes and which are villains, who’s been exploited and who’s done the exploiting. It makes some viewers want to log straight onto Facebook, and others vow never to Update their Status again. And it doesn’t let us relax, as “The King’s Speech” does, by being set 60-odd years ago in the art-deco past. It’s a film about now.

The Academy’s voters have to choose, then, between a typically Oscar-type film—middlebrow and unchallenging, for all its shining virtues—and one which takes risks. For my money, the other eight nominees, lest we forget that they’re still in contention, are broadly conventional, too. I’m a fan of almost all of them, but if any film other than “The Social Network” wins, it’ll be a cop-out.

I’m keeping my fingers crossed for Colin Firth in the Best Actor category, though.

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Ourobouros wrote:
Feb 23rd 2011 2:20 GMT

Solid blog, and I can't help but agree. Moreover, here are a couple of points that detracts from The King's Speech:

1. the real king wanted to appease to the Nazis. King George IV wasn't a stubborn stalwart in the face of irredeemable evil. The House of Windsor was actually in support of the Nazis, and threw in with the great appeaser, Neville Chamberlain.

2. The real King was not chummy with Winston Churchill either. In reality, the prime minister was violently against the older brother Edward's abdication.

3. The movie exaggerates the honorifics of the royal family. They should never be considered as the chief vessel of the country, but actually the symbols of a class-segmented hierarchy.

4. Pure Oscar bait:
* a protagonist struggling with an affliction we don't often see
* setting with extreme historical significance
* melodramatic with emotional arc
* sufficiently moving but easily forgotten

Orcuspay wrote:
Feb 23rd 2011 5:48 GMT

Just a couple things:

1) "Winter's Bone" is not there to make up numbers; it's very good. It's also not exactly conventional. But it won't win.
2) I see Social Network in a long line of movies like Scarface, Citizen Kane, etc., where the American hero has to do some pretty nasty things to get to the top (interesting comparison with the British film about the King having to come down to the commoner's level to stay at the top).

@Ourobouros - Your first and second points (about the historical reality vs. the film's portrayal) certainly have their comparison points in Social Network. There has been a lot written about its inaccuracy.

Even so, I'm hoping for Social Network over King's Speech.

Feb 23rd 2011 10:45 GMT

Neither is worth it in my opinion. The King's Speech is competently acted, with OK writing and some nice sets. Also, as someone mentioned above, it's pure Oscar bait.

The Social Network on the other hand is...nothing. Would anyone watch it if it wasn't about Facebook? Will it be relevant in a decade or two? No.

Black Swan on the other hand rises above its contenders: the direction and cinematography are clearly the year's best, and it deals with timeless and universal themes; self-sacrifice in search of perfection was, is, and will always be relevant to the human condition in every way that Facebook is not.

Feb 24th 2011 7:03 GMT

Inception is going to get robbed at the Oscars simply because it was popular.

Myggen wrote:
Feb 27th 2011 12:27 GMT

"The Social Network on the other hand is...nothing. Would anyone watch it if it wasn't about Facebook? Will it be relevant in a decade or two? No."

I do not agree with this at all. First of all, the movie is directed by one of the best directors of this generation (Fincher) and written by a fantastic writer (come on, Sorkin made The West Wing for christ's sake!). They both did an absolute brilliant job. The reason why it's my pick for the Oscars isn't because it's about Facebook, but because it portrays timeless subjects such as friendship, betrayal etc. in such a fantastic way.

You seem to be too focused on the fact that it's a "facebook movie", but it's clearly much more than that. And your point about the film not being relevant in a decade or two...who knows? It's difficult to predict. But will the Black Swan be more relevant in a couple of decades? As good as that film is (and I really loved it), I think you can argue that it's a well acted and directed thriller, but not anything more than that. The Social Network on the other hand, has the potential to be a film about "our" generation (teens and twenty-somethings), and thus has a good chance to stay relevant for a long time.

It's speculation, I know, but there you have it.

glasshouses wrote:
Feb 27th 2011 7:43 GMT

None of them are best picture material. The King's Speech is a sentimentalized portrait of a doubtful protagonist. The Social Network is about a guy essentially with a kind of autism probably Asperger's Syndrome. I know people have been saying this forever but these Academy Awards just don't really recognize the kinds of things that will keep the cinema vital. I really threw in the towel after the Hurt Locker won last year. A political screed so factually inaccurate as to be a total fantasy, but I am sure that's not how the honorers or the honorees intended it. It excelled at nothing. These awards are a narcissistic celebration for the Hollywood types, but they don't really mean anything for the rest of us.

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About Prospero

Named for the hero of Shakespeare's "The Tempest", an expert in the power of books and the arts, this blog features literary insight and cultural commentary from our correspondents, and includes our coverage of the art market.

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