It continues to perplex me that people take any interest in the Oscars. For a start, I fail to see why it’s considered appropriate to apply the competitive principle to any field of the arts, since there are no definitive criteria by which to measure relative merit. Secondly, even if there were, the Oscars are geared almost wholly towards mainstream cinema. Some of the films that I’ve most enjoyed were never in contention because they were the ‘wrong sort’ of film. And then there’s all the lobbying and political manoeuvring that goes on, or so I’m told, which makes me wonder just how honest and objective the whole thing is anyway.
So why do people continue to believe that the Best Film really is the best film? And why do actors, directors and the like continue to get caught up in the whole silly business, to the extent that they’re prepared to make simpering asses of themselves at the ceremony? I can only assume it must come down to large doses of ego and insecurity.
Meanwhile, I have little doubt that the Oscars phenomenon amounts to little more than an already wealthy industry finding a way to further publicise itself. If that is the case, an awful lot of people are being just a little bit taken in.
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