Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Back to Ninotchka


Word on the street (or straight out of the Academy's mouth) is that next year's field for Oscar's Best Picture will be expanded to ten movies.

This is actually nothing new. Many years in the late 30s and early 40s sported ten nominees for Best Picture. In 1939, for example, Gone With the Wind prevailed over such classics as The Wizard of Oz, Stagecoach, Ninotchka, Dark Victory, Love Affair, Of Mice and Men, Wuthering Heights, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and Goodbye, Mr. Chips.

But there's a big difference between then and now: quality. Those early years sported many classics worthy of nominations. Now, there's a real chance we may hear the phrase, "Best Picture nominee The Hangover."

Don't get me wrong, that's a great movie, and so are others like Star Trek that are likely to benefit from this ego boost. But it's also going to lessen the prestige associated with awards. It's not going to be as special to be nominated for an Academy Award. Yes, more movies will get notice they deserve, but the club will get bigger.

Where will they hold the Oscars in 2020? Wrigley Field?

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