Amidst the clang and clatter of inconsistencies and doubt, the head of opportunism rises.
At long last, the annual Oscar nominations have been announced, to the chagrin of some and the joys of many. Begone the murky waters of our troubled seas; out with the finery and frippery of traditional double standards.
The royal crowning of Hollywood’s Kings and Queens is at hand, regardless of the sombre state of burning ashes. They would not be robbed of their glory.
The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences welcomes the idolaters to the altar of Oscar — a 13.5 inch bronze god, dipped in gold — who makes his divine appearance one night a year and worshippers kneel and kowtow willingly, in subservient manner.
Smiles adorn their perfect faces, but their hearts are filled with anxiety, envy, trepidation and fear. So much rides on a little statuette. Fortunes, futures, careers and destinies may rise and fall at his very whim and whimsy. He may be small, inexpensive, fake and of little worth, but Oscar means big business.
Twice delayed because of tragic fires, they could wait no longer. The august body of the academy (AMPAS), has finally announced the nominations of the biggest awards in motion pictures. Because of the grieving circumstances, the announcement was virtual, as if in hiding. The presenters were not the usual luminary superstars, unwilling to accept the dreaded mission.
Ten nominations for Best Picture are usually crowded as the number has doubled in the last decades. Many nominated films had never been seen or heard of, but capricious members pick their favourites, while the public is left in the dark, for no rhyme or reason.
Try to remember the film Everything, Everywhere All At Once. It won an Oscar for Best Picture in 2022. No one still knows. What about The Shape of Water? It won Best Picture in 2018. Who remembers? Gone are the great movies of yesteryear that our memories never erase.
Leading the list is Emilia Perez, a Spanish speaking, French production, which harboured 13 nominations, followed by 10 nominations each for The Brutalist and Wicked.
The busy buzz is over The Brutalist, which swept the awards at the Golden Globes early in January, before the sudden eruption of the fires.
Hearing of The Brutalist, we imagined the title was about Benjamin Netanyahu, the PM of Israel, notorious for his brutality, but no such luck in Hollywood. The Brutalist is an architectural style of the 1950s and 1960s, characterised by simple block-like forms and raw concrete construction. The term originates from the French beton brut, used by the pioneer modern architect and painter Le Corbusier. So much for the term, what is the movie about?
Alack and alas, the subject of the film is about yet another Holocaust.
Escaping post-war Europe and the horrors of the Holocaust, Hungarian Laszlo Toth, a visionary architect, flees to America to rebuild his life, career, and marriage. Alone, in a strange new country, he settles in Pennsylvania, where a wealthy, prominent industrialist recognises his talent. In 1980, a retrospective of Lazlo’s work was honoured at a gala in Venice, for his artwork which displays the horrors of his Holocaust experiences. Another layer of his complexity is revealed in his relationship with Harrison, who was subjected to sexual abuse in order to build a new life with his family.
An international co-production between the US, the UK, and Hungary, the film stars Adrien Brody who is nothing less than an actor’s actor. Maybe not a matinee idol or a household name, but has great respect for his peers and has already garnered an Oscar for Best Actor in 2002. At age 29, Brody was the youngest actor ever awarded for this category.
As luck would have it, or by design, Oscar was awarded to Brody for the role of Wadyslaw Szpilman, a Hungarian pianist caught in war torn Warsaw ghetto, during the Nazi ear. A critical smash of a one man’s survival, The Pianist was recognised by scores of well-deserved international awards. His work is legendary as the emaciated pianist. At 185 cm, he lost 14 kg, dropped to 59 kg, resulting in fame, fortune and an unforgettable performance.
Twenty years of hard work in films and TV since, but no gold from Oscar. Great roles for Oscar are infrequent.
Ramy Malek won his Best Actor Oscar in Bohemian Rhapsody in 2018, for the impeccable role of Freddie Mercury in the rock band Queen. What have you heard of Malek since? An Oscar may be a boon, a curse, or a kick upstairs.
Brody is fortunate that two decades later, another plum role comes along that is the talk of Hollywood and Oscar bets for a second trophy.
Hungarian roles are not by accident. Born in Queens, New York, 1973, Brody’s mother is Sylvia Plachy, a Hungarian Catholic aristocrat and his father is Elliot Brody, a Polish Jewish painter and professor. He claims has no connection to either religions.
Drawn to high-risk roles, Brody has portrayed multiverse characters in his 60 movies, from Salvador Dali to Houdini, Arthur Millerand many others.
Now comes his three-hour epic film, The Brutalist, dazzling more gold.
“He who conquers himself is the mightiest warrior.” Confucius (551-479 BC)
* A version of this article appears in print in the 27 February, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
Short link: