Oscar Politics: Great Performances That Did Not Win

by John W. Whitehead
2/21/2005

Do you ever wonder why some of the greatest performers and directors of all time have never won an Oscar? It certainly has nothing to do with lack of talent. For example, the man considered the greatest director of all time, whose films have affected millions and changed the history of cinema, never received a best director Oscar. And Alfred Hitchcock never forgave the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for the slight.

But things have worsened since Hitchcock’s day. Now to win an Oscar one must have the backing of a major studio and advertising agencies. Indeed, the Oscar proceedings have turned into something akin to a political campaign involving millions of dollars with stump speeches, daily media briefings and even smear tactics. All to get the attention of the 6,000 voting members of the Academy. “I’m not sure if I am a filmmaker anymore or trying to run for Congress,” Peter Jackson, director of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, has said. “You find yourself becoming a sort of politician in an election year.”

Why all the hype? The answer, as usual, is “money.” Winning a key Oscar extends the life of a film and pulls in moviegoers. Also, when the movies arrive on DVD, the packaging comes with a stamp proclaiming it an Oscar winner.

What all this means is that the artistry of many films and actors is lost within the haze of Hollywood hype. This has been especially true of some great acting performances. The following are some, among many others, that have been clearly overlooked over the years.

• Gene Tierney in Leave Her to Heaven (1945). The beautiful, neurotic Tierney takes drastic measures to keep her husband to herself. Great performance by a great actress.
• Alastair Sim in A Christmas Carol (1951). Every actor playing Scrooge since Sim has studied his amazing performance and tried to emulate it.
• Montgomery Clift in From Here to Eternity (1953). Remarkable acting in this fine pre-war Pearl Harbor epic. Clift was the defining actor of his era. He influenced both Marlon Brando and James Dean. He was bitter about being overlooked by the Academy.
• Kirk Douglas in Lust for Life (1956). A great performance as the painter Vincent Van Gogh. His friend Burt Lancaster once said that the acerbic Douglas had made many enemies in Hollywood in explaining why he never won an Oscar.
• Kim Novak in Vertigo (1958). Novak was one of the great beauties of fifties cinema. In this Hitchcock film (perhaps his best), Novak convincingly plays a dual role.
• Rod Steiger in The Pawnbroker (1965). Brilliant acting by Steiger as a Jewish pawnbroker haunted by his horrific experiences in a Nazi concentration camp during the Holocaust.
• Peter Sellers in Being There (1979). Although Sellers should have won an Oscar for Dr. Strangelove (1964), he certainly deserved one for his performance as the feebleminded gardener in this film. Comedic actors have long been ignored by the Academy. Otherwise, such versatile and creative talents as Jerry Lewis, Bill Murray and Mike Myers would be winners.
• Johnny Depp in Edward Scissorhands (1990). Depp’s performance as a young man created by an eccentric scientist is one of the finest pieces of acting ever on film. He is the most versatile actor in Hollywood today.
• Harvey Keitel in Bad Lieutenant (1992). Keitel’s portrayal as a thoroughly corrupt cop in this very graphic, violent film should have placed him at the podium on Oscar night with a gold statuette. But he wasn’t even nominated. A great actor.
• Samuel L. Jackson in Pulp Fiction (1994). No one has ever played a hit man like Jackson. He is so convincing that one can imagine him staring you in the face as he gets ready to park your brains on the wall.
• Anthony Hopkins in Nixon (1995). Never has an actor melted into a character like Hopkins does into the late President. He creates the illusion that he is Nixon.
• Cate Blanchett in Elizabeth (1998). A brilliant performance by the very talented Blanchett as Queen Elizabeth I of England.
• Richard Farnsworth in The Straight Story (1999). This is the true story of a man who drives 300 miles on a riding lawnmower to see his ailing brother. Farnsworth plays the lead character as a gruff, straight-talking septuagenarian. The sentimentality in this film is portrayed in Farnsworth’s evocative, tear-soaked eyes.
• Ellen Burstyn in Requiem for a Dream (2000). Burstyn’s performance in this dark, violent film is one of the best ever on screen.

This is only a partial list of great performers who didn’t take home the prize. There are, however, solutions to this dilemma. Although the Golden Globes have many flaws, one aspect the Globes has right is giving separate awards for comedies and dramas in major categories. The Academy should also give more than one best actor, etc., award. Reducing everything to one single person on Oscar night is absurd. And stop allowing publicists and studio executives from serving as Academy members.

By all means, end the media blitzes and advertising money spent to promote performers, directors and films. These have nothing to do with art or talent. As Oscar-winning actor Russell Crowe said several years ago: “I think we ought to examine the amount of money we are spending on these Oscar campaigns. As soon as it costs that much money, that takes people to a different place. This is supposed to be about the joy of filmmaking, about celebration, and it shouldn’t get into these kinds of politics.”