And the Award for Best Awards goes to...
That's it, then. The film awards season is finally over. Bigelow done good. A Prophet missed out. Steve Martin had Alec Baldwin as a co-host. Why not Tina Fey, by the way? Is Sam Fox to blame? The End.
And there is now a short intermission before the whole awards / festivals / frock thing swings back into action. A good time to reflect and to consider which, of all the awards and festival prizes, is the best guide.
Berlin, Venice, Cannes, the Baftas, Golden Globes, Sundance and the Oscars are but a small selection of the myriad events where gongs are given around the world each year. Each has its own editorial niche and perspective, but is there one that is truly simpatico with the art of film? An event that overcomes the pressures of marketing, nationalism and sponsors and consistently succeeds in recognising truly great films?
The Hurt Locker was shown at the Venice Film Festival in September 2008 and then embarked on a tour the Rolling Stones would consider extensive: Toronto, Montreal, Oslo, Dallas, Edinburgh... It won at some stops; it didn't at others. Why? Are the American and British Academies wrong? And if so, who's right?
People use awards as a way of choosing a movie. Laurel leaves sell. But which is a better guide to a great night in or out: an Oscar or Palme d'Or?
An arts journal by 
Comment number 1.
At 8th Mar 2010, ian-russell wrote:Well, the big questions can easily be decided by the ordinary people but we'd still need these big guys to tell us who best paints the starlet's toenails and who best combs the leading man's hair. I mean, how would we know?
Complain about this comment (Comment number 1)
Comment number 2.
At 9th Mar 2010, Slainte wrote:How shallow am I?
I licked on the link to this page, expecting to see images and critiques of the physical awards (statuettes and the like), and which were most highly-prized by recipients for their multi-use - other than the ubiquitous doorsteops or toilet-roll stand.
Complain about this comment (Comment number 2)
Comment number 3.
At 9th Mar 2010, Slainte wrote:Re my #2:
My tongue has been nowhere near my computer touchscreen, although my omission of a single letter "c" (giving "licked" instead of "clicked" in my earlier contribution) does give me pause to wonder if I could use other than my finger to manipulate the cursor....
Complain about this comment (Comment number 3)