The Oscar front-runners for Best Picture were “Argo” and “Lincoln” with a possibility of “Django Unchained,” “Life of Pi” or “Silver Linings Playbook.” It seems like just a few years ago we were lining up to see these films in theaters, and debating who’d win big on the industry’s most celebrated night. But it’s actually been a decade since we were surprised by some snubs, astonished at some wins and a bit flummoxed by the host singing about “boobies.” The ceremony is always at its best when shockers abound, and with an irreverent host like Seth MacFarlane, it’s not surprising that February 24, 2013, was a roller coaster night. Let’s enjoy an Oscar flashback 10 years ago.
MacFarlane infamously opened the 85th Academy Awards ceremony by communicating with a “future” Captain Kirk (William Shatner), who offered examples of how MacFarlane would ruin the ceremony, such as the number “We Saw Your Boobs.” He sang (with the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles as backup) about actresses who have disrobed in films, courting controversy over appropriateness and relevance, although many of the actresses mentioned appeared to be in on the joke. He cushioned this off-color moment with classic song-and-dance numbers featuring Channing Tatum, Charlize Theron, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Daniel Radcliffe, and capped off with a parody of “Be Our Guest” from “Beauty and the Beast,” with lyrics celebrating that year’s films. There’s certainly never been another Oscar opening quite like it, making the ceremony sprinkled with surprises from beginning – to the very end.
The most memorable event surrounding this Oscar ceremony was perhaps the glaring snub of Ben Affleck in the director category for “Argo.” Steven Spielberg‘s “Lincoln” came into the night with a leading 12 nominations, including director, and was expected to take home top prizes, whereas “Argo” received seven bids, with Affleck also shut out of Best Actor. The only acting nomination “Argo” gained was for Alan Arkin (supporting), whereas “Lincoln” received three acting bids: Daniel Day-Lewis (lead), plus Tommy Lee Jones and Sally Field (both supporting). Out of its seven nominations, “Argo” competed with forerunner “Lincoln” for victory in five, and won three. The night did not play out like most odd-makers expected.
Despite his snubs, Affleck walked away with the statue in hand, for co-producing “Argo,” which became the fourth film to win the top prize without a director bid, and the first since “Driving Miss Daisy” in 1990. In 85 years, only four films managed this feat, yet two more films have done it in the ensuing 10 years (“Green Book” and “CODA”), so apparently it started a trend. One of Affleck’s co-producers was George Clooney, who joined an elite group who has been nominated in six different Oscar categories, and one of only a handful of actors to win in both an acting (supporting for “Syriana,” 2006) and a non-acting category. It was a disappointing night for Spielberg; the writing was on the wall by the time Best Picture was announced, with “Lincoln” only winning twice (Best Actor and Best Production Design — “Argo” didn’t have a bid in either of those categories). “Argo” also had two wins by the end, winning over “Lincoln” for Adapted Screenplay and Editing.
Affleck had won the Directors Guild Award; with him out of the running, and with two Oscar newbies unexpectedly thrown in, many assumed Spielberg’s name would be called for Best Director. But Ang Lee prevailed for “Life of Pi,” which was a close second to “Lincoln” for most bids with 11. This charming adventure of a boy and a tiger stranded on a boat ended the night as the big winner, claiming four victories in all (director, score, cinematography and visual effects).
With eight major nominations, including Best Picture, it’s no surprise that “Silver Linings Playbook” earned David O. Russell his second career nomination in this category. Besides Affleck, it was surprising to see three veteran directors from Best Picture nominees left off the ballot: prior recipients Tom Hooper (“Les Miserables,” which had eight nominations) and Kathryn Bigelow (“Zero Dark Thirty”), and two-time nominee in this category, Quentin Tarantino (“Django Unchained”). Instead, two directors earned their first bids.
French film “Amour” became the fourth film to achieve both a Best Picture and a Best Foreign Language Film nomination, winning the latter, and had an impressive five major nominations. Director Michael Haneke garnered his first nomination in that category after nearly 40 years in the industry. The final film to fill both Best Picture and Best Director categories was “Beasts of the Southern Wild,” with director Benh Zeitlin also receiving a Best Adapted Screenplay bid (shared with Lucy Alibar) for his first feature-length movie. In fact, three of the five Best Director nominees earned a second bid in writing: Zeitlin, Haneke and Russell. Ironically, one snubbed in directing won for Original Screenplay — Tarantino.
“Lincoln” had its biggest victory for Best Actor, with Daniel Day-Lewis‘ portrayal as the famous president earning him his third Best Actor statue, a record in that category. Also nominated were Hugh Jackman (“Les Miserables”), Joaquin Phoenix (“The Master”) and Denzel Washington (“Flight”). Also competing in this category was Bradley Cooper, whose film “Silver Linings Playbook” joined a shortlist of prestigious films.
Out of its eight nominations, “Silver Linings Playbook” garnered four for acting, making it the 14th film to receive a bid in each acting category, and the first to do so since “Reds” in 1982. The next year, “American Hustle,” also written and directed by Russell, would accomplish this same feat, with three nominees from this ceremony in contention again (Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence and Amy Adams). Despite its promising start to the ceremony, “Silver Linings Playbook” had only one victory, with Lawrence becoming the second-youngest Best Actress winner (Marlee Matlin still holds the record). In one of the most relatable moments in the ceremony’s history, Lawrence tripped on her dress going up the steps to accept her award. As she received a standing ovation, she humbly said, “Thank you. You guys are just standing up because you feel bad that I fell and that’s really embarrassing but thank you.” She also wished a happy birthday to fellow nominee Emmanuelle Riva (“Amour”), who became the oldest nominee in this category at age 85. Ironically, another record was set at this ceremony for the youngest actress in this category, with nine-year-old Quvenzhane Wallis earning a bid for “Beasts of the Southern Wild.” Rounding out this impressive ballot were Jessica Chastain (“Zero Dark Thirty”) and Naomi Watts (“The Impossible”).
Not only were milestones achieved in the lead categories, but for the first time in the Academy’s history every nominee in an acting category was a previous recipient, with every Best Supporting Actor contender having won in either lead or supporting. With his win for “Django Unchained,” Christoph Waltz claimed his second statue for a Tarantino film. Also competing were Arkin (“Argo”), Robert De Niro (“Silver Linings Playbook”), Philip Seymour Hoffman (“The Master”) and Tommy Lee Jones (“Lincoln”).
Over in Best Supporting Actress, it was no surprise when Anne Hathaway‘s name was called (she had swept the awards circuit). Her moving performance as the tragic Fantine in “Les Miserables” was universally praised, particularly her rendition of “I Dreamed a Dream,” and she is one of a select group of performers to win an acting Oscar for less than 20 minutes of screen time. Also up in this category were previous Best Actress winners Sally Field (“Lincoln”) and Helen Hunt (“The Sessions”), Jacki Weaver (“Silver Linings Playbook”) and Adams (“The Master”).
A film franchise celebrating its 50th year finally made a splash at the Oscars. James Bond films had largely been ignored by the prestigious academy; this year it scored five nominations and two wins. Despite a long history of well-loved theme songs, Adele‘s titular composition became the first Bond film to claim Best Original Song. “Skyfall” also made history by becoming the sixth tie in Oscar’s 85-year history (and the last to date), winning Best Sound Editing along with “Zero Dark Thirty.”
The end of the memoriam segment featured composer and EGOT recipient Marvin Hamlisch; in a moment that surely left not a dry eye, Barbra Streisand, in a rare Oscar performance, paid tribute to her frequent collaborator by singing their Oscar-winning hit “The Way We Were.”
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