Here are the five nominees: (Winner in Bold)
Biggest Snub:
James Bridges – The China Syndrome
My Overall Thoughts:
This was a year where the choice came down to do very different films that are both great.
My Rankings:
Directing
5. Edouard Molinaro
4. Peter Yates
3. Bob Fosse
2. Robert Benton
1. Francis Ford Coppola
Movies
5. All That Jazz – Good music and choreography, but I felt the plot was missing key elements. Great performance by Scheider, but that’s pretty much all this movie has to offer. This is supposedly somewhat of an autobiography of Director Bob Fosse near death breakdown in the mid-70’s.
4. La cage aux folles – Was probably quite groundbreaking and innovative when it came out, but the social issues have changed a bit over the past four decades. Perhaps due to the need for subtitles I found this version much less funny than the American remake with Robin Williams and Nathan Lane despite the stories being virtually identical besides the language issue. Still a bit confused how this film got nominated for Best Director at the Oscars because it doesn’t seem as if they manage to do anything unique here that should warrant such a nomination.
3. Breaking Away – Inspirational character study of heartland youths seeking to find their futures.
2. Kramer vs. Kramer – Depicts some of the hard aspects of divorce from a father’s perspective. Done very well.
1. Apocalypse Now – Movie that can be understood on multiple levels but any way you look at it, it’s close to being a masterpiece.
Do I agree with the Oscar winner? – Yes and No! AN is such a groundbreaking film depicting some of the horrors and complexities of war. KvK , on the other hand is a great depiction of the way life can be for divorced men and women and is done so realistically that it’s quite scary in its own right. The Academy chose to go with the “easier” choice depicting domestic war as opposed to foreign one even following just a year after another Vietnam War film was able to cross the barrier and win.
Let me know what you think about these films and my rankings!
