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Will 'Les Miserables' duplicate success of 'Chicago' at Oscars?

By Tariq Khan

Dec 09 2012 10:25 am

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One hundred years from now, film historians may look back at an Oscar race from the early 21^st century and note the fascinating slate of Best Picture nominees.

1. A Christmas time release of a lavish screen adaptation of a noted Broadway musical

2. A depiction of key American events in the mid 1800’s with Daniel Day-Lewis in the lead

3. An enthralling true story of hiding out and escaping from a radical political regime

4. A portrait of an individual coping with depression and its impact on family members

5. A visually stunning fantasy based on a book many considered too difficult to film

But will they be referring to this year’s “Les Miserables,” “Lincoln,” “Argo” “Silver Linings Playbook” and “Life of Pi”?

Or the 2002 contest which featured “Chicago,” “Gangs of New York,” “The Pianist,” “The Hours” and “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers”?

The similarities between the two derbies exactly one decade apart are fascinating. What could be even more interesting is if the musical prevails again -- with the same number of nominations and wins in the exact same categories.

To refresh your memory, ten years ago “Chicago” earned a near-record 13 Oscar nominations. It went on to win six of bids: Picture, Supporting Actress (Catherine Zeta-Jones), Art Direction, Costume Design, Film Editing and Sound Mixing.

This year, it’s quite possible that “Les Miserables” will hit the same notes with the Academy and also receive 13 nods. And it’s conceivable that it could win the same six categories as “Chicago.”

Most Oscaralogists would agree that “Les Miz” has a very good chance of claiming the top prize of Best Picture; it’s probably much farther ahead than “Chicago” was at this time back in 2002.

Anne Hathaway is widely seen a near lock for Best Supporting Actress. Her singing “I Dreamed a Dream” in the trailer recalls Zeta-Jones tuning “All That Jazz” in the “Chicago” previews.

Despite tough competition from other period films, “Les Miserables” is a good bet to win for both Production Design and Costume Design. And since musicals often win Sound Mixing, don’t be surprised if it wins again there.

Editing may be its toughest race, with the flashy “Argo,” “and “Zero Dark Thirty” likely to be in contention. But since Best Picture and Film Editing often do match up, “Les Miz” can’t be ruled out.

With a month to go before the Oscar nominations are even announced, there’s a lot that could still change. But if history repeats itself, it will be the subject of great discussion for many years to come. Chicago and Paris – think of it as a tale of two cities (and films) both filled with Oscar gold.

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