I may recall that in 1968, Clarke lost an oscar as screenwriter of 2001: Odissey in space - the winner was Mel Brooks with The Producers (The original with Zero Mortsen and Gene Wilder)
So I'm hardly surprised of anything in the Oscars folies.
Said so, It's a foreign film.
Ok, many americans here and there, but was a british film.
So an 'alien' film, in the narrow vision of most americans.
Done by a Comedy British director, moreover.
It's done on the same blueprint of 'The Longest Day': many faces, same author of the book.
But was done ten years later 'The Longest Day', when the formula was already boiled over into 'Midway': famous faces shaked and baked with newsreels.
The Vietnam war was over, and the cinema was climbing out of downbeat warweariness and wanted new exciting and winning stories (Star Wars is a WWII film in disguise, in many places)
So, to be honest, A Bridge Too Far was a good film, but I'm not that sure that was really that shining Oscar materièl.
To be honest, not even 'The Longest Day' was Oscar Materièl: it got a couple of minor ones (cinematography, B/W and special effects) and a nomination for another techincal.
And mostly because half of Hollywood starred there and the whole movie was of the 'godfather' Zanuck - and giving at least an oscar was an offer none could refuse.
A bridge too far has no godfather in it - or, better, it has a lot of british godfathers, enough to get any possible british award, but none in US.
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rasheed_node
12 years ago
Locomotiva1,
Thanks for responding, I appreciate whatever you said in your write up except one line which is as follows:
"So, to be honest, A Bridge Too Far wasgood film, but I'm not that sure that was really that shining Oscar materièl."
Thanks, again.
(I'm little consoled by the fact that the topic of 'Oscar/A Bridge Too Far' is being discussed on the IMDB pages, at last!
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Locomotiva1
12 years ago
Matter of opinion, of course.
Keep in mind that 'Be oscar materièl', IMHO, is not always a positive comment for a movie.
I saw too many films that were deliberately orcar-jackers: they sacrified the 'art' to be more in line with the Academy standards, or with some kind of strategy that was outside the movie.
Not all: many great films earned Oscars without any bow to the Academy Goodfellas, But 'Oscar-winning movie' doesn't means automatically 'good movie', to me.
Again, The Longest Day got a couple of Oscars because Zanuck was Zanuck, top banana in Hollywood - Star Wars get a couple of minor Oscars because George Lucas was George Lucas, an outcast.
Many felt that Kathryn Bigelow 's The Hurt Locker won because the Academy wanted to slap James Cameron's face hard - him, his ego and his 'Avarar'.
And so on.
So, that A Bridge Too Far is not 'oscar materièl' isn't in itself a bad thing: it's film trying to be a film, and not trying to praise some award-pinning Jury.
To be honest, A Bridge Too Far has a couple of scenes not too sincere and a bit award-oriented here and there - not to mention the absolute commercial idea to add some stories for no purpose exept add a famous face (Elliot Gould clowny colonel, anyone?)
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rasheed_node
12 years ago
Locomotiva1,
Thanks for the insightful input about the behind the scene 'mechanism' of the Oscar distribution. Being a non-American (Indian), I wouldn't know much about it.
Meanwhile, I have finished watching following movies by Sir Richard Attenborough (I try to watch movies of a particular director in a row):
Gandhi, Cry Freedom, Magic, Young Winston and Chaplin.
I'm having little difficulty in finding one last movie of Attenborough named 'Shadowlnad', but I think I'll manage.
Thanks and regards.
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Hancock_the_Superb
11 years ago
Said so, It's a foreign film.
Ok, many americans here and there, but was a british film.
So an 'alien' film, in the narrow vision of most americans.
Done by a Comedy British director, moreover.
Ah, that explains why Attenborough won Best Picture
and Director for Gandhi five years later!
"Do you know what lies at the bottom of the mainstream? Mediocrity!"
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