{"id":6993,"date":"2019-02-25T12:36:45","date_gmt":"2019-02-25T17:36:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dailyfilmfix.com\/?p=6993"},"modified":"2019-02-25T12:53:50","modified_gmt":"2019-02-25T17:53:50","slug":"green-book-oscar-controversy-keep-driving-hard-spike-youre-making-a-difference","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyfilmfix.com\/?p=6993","title":{"rendered":"\u201cGreen Book\u201d Oscar Controversy: Keep Driving Hard Spike, You\u2019re Making a Difference"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Spike Lee held nothing back after the Oscars ceremony. His criticism of the Academy for their selection of \u201cGreen Book\u201d as best picture included an astute observation that \u201cevery time someone\u2019s driving somebody I lose.\u201d This was a reference to the 1990 loss of his classic film \u201cDo the Right Thing\u201d to the pleasant and familiar \u201cDriving Miss Daisy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee\u2019s 2018 film \u201cBlacKkKlansman\u201d was nominated for the top award this year but never seemed to be the frontrunner. When he took the golden statue for best adapted screenplay early in the evening, it seemed possible that the Academy might also award the film best picture. Of course, \u201cGreen Book\u201d had taken the best original screenplay award the same evening, which was a surprise to many. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Spike Lee’s “BlacKkKlansman” was nominated for best picture this year.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Best picture was a hotly contested category this year, with unique and challenging films competing against popular and crowd-pleasing ones. \u201cGreen Book,\u201d like another nominee \u201cBlack Panther,\u201d was a broad audience charmer. But the movie, about a white driver and his African-American musician employer, drew criticism for perpetuating the \u201cwhite savior\u201d narrative. While this read of the film is understandable, I responded positively to \u201cGreen Book\u2019s\u201d message of friendship and understanding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But best picture? No way! My pick was \u201cRoma,\u201d as the year\u2019s best film, and I thought the moody and quietly contemplative \u201cFirst Man\u201d should have, at least, been nominated for the top prize. The Academy has consistently shown that easier to digest narratives fare better than difficult ones. This is why \u201cMoonlight\u2019s\u201d victory was so important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A small picture, writer\/director Barry Jenkins\u2019 2017 win, that was marred by an envelop mishap, proved that the Academy could take serious notice of movies that focused on underserved populations, telling their stories in a complex, intellectual, and moving way. \u201cMoonlight\u201d was a true American epic, as it spanned decades and beckoned us to feel an intimate connection for an African-American man coming to grips with his sexuality. The structure of \u201cGreen Book,\u201d on the other hand, is anything but complex, falling securely into traditional Hollywood story-telling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Mahershala Ali won the best supporting actor in 2017 for “Moonlight.”<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

While Lee might be justified in his outrage, I submit that a win for \u201cBlacKkKlansman\u201d would not have been as significant as, say, a victory for \u201cBlack Panther.\u201d Just last year the Academy rewarded \u201cThe Shape of Water\u201d as best picture. That movie was a science fiction horror entry from the gifted mind of Guillermo del Toro.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But even though the fantasy genre elements of \u201cWater\u201d made it a unique best movie, similar in some respects to the win of \u201cThe Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King\u201d in 2004, \u201cBlack Panther\u201d was a popular blockbuster that featured a largely all African-American cast. Giving the top award to a superhero film that celebrated diversity so exquisitely would have been a real game changer. It may have also helped to quell the plan for a popular movie Oscar category. Arguably, with its significant reach to viewers of all stripes, a \u201cPanther\u201d victory would have put an indelible stamp on its serious call to address racial inequality. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Octavia Spencer was nominated for her work in Oscar winner “The Shape of Water.”<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is important to note that last year Octavia Spencer was nominated for best supporting actress for her work in \u201cThe Shape of Water.\u201d Spencer, who won the Oscar for her performance in another frowned upon Southern fried tale \u201cThe Help,\u201d is an executive producer on \u201cGreen Book.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While having African-Americans as producers and in front of the camera doesn\u2019t insulate a film from criticism for racial insensitivity, the makeup of \u201cGreen Book\u2019s\u201d cast and crew cannot be discounted. The problem is that the movie just won best picture. Best Picture! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As \u201cGreen Book\u201d found itself embroiled in controversy, star Viggo Mortensen unintentionally made a mess of things. In his well-meaning but less than articulate way, he proved to be a clumsy ambassador for the movie. Someone should have encouraged him to let others take the lead. In interviews, Mahershala Ali did his best in disputing the \u201cwhite savior\u201d criticism. But when Mortensen uttered the n-word at a Q&A, things got exceedingly difficult for him to control things. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali in “Green Book.”<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Sure, Mortensen\u2019s use of the word was in context and not directed as a slur toward someone; no one would say he\u2019s a racist, but it took all discussions thereafter in a completely different direction. Instead of talking about coming together and understanding, the word itself caused immediate division. Mortensen had to apologize in an effort to cause people to move on. And what was he apologizing for? Using a word that should not be spoken by anyone, even in context. It was a lesson learned so publicly that white people everywhere uttered a collective mental \u201couch.\u201d It was a wincing self-harm that reduced a gifted and sensitive actor to rubble, but, also, served as a teaching moment evoked by, yes, the populist Oscar winner \u201cGreen Book.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The power of the best picture designation can be felt both financially and socially. Barry Jenkins knows this all too well. Without \u201cMoonlight\u201d being recognized, it\u2019s not likely that he would have been able to bring James Baldwin\u2019s book to the big screen in \u201cIf Beale Street Could Talk.\u201d Regardless how much people scoff about the Oscars and how silly awards shows are, the Academy matters, and Spike Lee knows it. Ever since the success of \u201cDo the Right Thing,\u201d he\u2019s been driving his own pictures, and as he showed us with \u201cBlackkklansman,\u201d he\u2019s getting better and better behind the wheel.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Spike Lee held nothing back after the Oscars ceremony. His criticism of the Academy for their selection of \u201cGreen Book\u201d as best picture included an astute observation that \u201cevery time someone\u2019s driving somebody I lose.\u201d This was a reference to the 1990 loss of his classic film \u201cDo the Right Thing\u201d to the pleasant and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[309,1299,1040,1041,1302,76,1300,1301,1043],"class_list":["post-6993","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog","tag-black-panther","tag-blackkklansman","tag-green-book","tag-mahershala-ali","tag-octavia-spencer","tag-oscar","tag-spike-lee","tag-the-shape-of-water","tag-viggo-mortensen","no-thumb"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyfilmfix.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6993","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyfilmfix.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyfilmfix.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyfilmfix.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyfilmfix.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6993"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/dailyfilmfix.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6993\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7005,"href":"https:\/\/dailyfilmfix.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6993\/revisions\/7005"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyfilmfix.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6993"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyfilmfix.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6993"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyfilmfix.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6993"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}