Diner
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
Gandhi (winner)
An Officer and a Gentleman
Tootsie
I like 1982 as a year in film. I stand by earlier comments that June of 1982 is the greatest single month of science fiction and horror film ever. To that end, Poltergeist is a film that I think should have been considered here. Videodrome probably doesn’t really belong here, but I like it quite a bit, so I’m adding it. I might also consider El Norte as a possibility, even though that’s still one of the most depressing movies I’ve ever seen. The film that really belongs in this list, though, is Fitzcarraldo.
Weeding through the Nominees
5: An Officer and a Gentleman is a pretty good movie, but I like it mostly for Lou Gossett Jr. The screenplay is honestly nothing that special. There aren’t any real surprises in where this movie goes or how it gets there. Even the first time I saw it nothing surprised me that much. Sure, the ending is cute and Lou Gossett kills the role. But it doesn’t deserve to be in the company of the nominees.
4: Spielberg was attached to two movies released in June of 1982. E.T. was by far the more successful of the two but Poltergeist is the much better film. E.T. gets maudlin and sappy, and goes far too quickly and easily to Spielberg’s early career go-to pair of absentee fathers and evil government conspiracy. There are good points to this film, but there simply aren’t enough of those good points to get it where it needs to be.
3: The problem with Gandhi is that it’s far too indulgent. This is a grand story told on a grand scale but it’s also a movie that has few charms the second time around. In all likelihood, it won because it was Gandhi’s year. I’m not particularly surprised by it winning. I’m just a little disappointed that the Academy took the obvious easy way out here rather than looking a little deeper. Gandhi isn’t a terrible choice; it’s just not the best choice, even with what we’re presented.
2: It’s evident that Tootsie is a film that I like better than almost everyone who reads this site. I stand by the idea that this is a very good and smart screenplay. There are plenty of things here that are genuinely funny and some that are specifically heartfelt and honest. I like this screenplay quite a bit, and a great deal of that comes through in the performances. That’s especially true of Dustin Hoffman and Bill Murray. More Bill Murray, and it might take the top position.
1: Of the five movies we’re given here, I’m going with Diner. I went into this only knowing that at some level it was sort of The Big Chill in a different vein. That does this movie a huge disservice. The dialogue is what makes the film work, and the dialogue is about is good as you’ll find from this decade. Limited to the nominees, it’s the one I’d pick. But I’m not limited to the nominees here, so my vote goes elsewhere.
My Choice
It’s Fitzcarraldo all the way. Feel free to disagree with me on this, but Fitzcarraldo was such an insane undertaking and it all still works so well that I can’t in good conscience go anywhere else with this award. It should have been nominated and once nominated it should have won. (And before you say anything, Das Boot was based on a novel.)
Final Analysis
From the options, I'd also go with Diner. That stands out to me as such a good screenplay and more deserving than Gandhi. I have only good things to say about Fitzcarraldo.
ReplyDeleteAgreed. It's a shame that generally speaking foreign language nominees don't happen that often.
DeleteGandhi is not worthy! Diner is, but its low-key charm is also too unspectacular/unpretentious/un-messagey to win. And Fitzcarraldo was probably far too european ;-)
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure if Fitzcarraldo was too European or simply not American enough.
DeleteI love the part in Diner where the guy gives his fiancee the football test ...
ReplyDeleteAnd then walks down the aisle to the team's fight song?
DeleteI agree with you about how good the screenplay for Tootsie is! For me it is up there with When Harry Met Sally in terms of a story that hits all its emotional points well and is truly funny and very clever.
ReplyDeleteEvidently, it's you and me. In the past when I've put Tootsie near the top of an Oscar category, pretty much everyone has disagreed with me.
DeleteI actually do like Tootsie and more so everytime see it. To my shame I never saw Fitzcarraldo, but that happen one day, I promise.
ReplyDeleteWell, eventuallly you'll get to the 1980s on the list and then you'll have to see it!
DeleteWhen I read the five nominees I wasn't really impressed with any of them. I agree that by default Diner is probably the best for the reason of what you said about the dialogue.
ReplyDeleteI can't speak for anyone else in regards to Tootsie. I just know I was unimpressed by it when I saw it a couple years after it came out and it seemed like everybody and their brother was praising it. It felt like every single joke was telegraphed practically before the movie started. Joke about uncomfortable shoes? Check. Joke about having trouble with bras/girdles? Check. Joke about being catcalled by men? Check. Joke about being around women undressing? Check. Although, as a teenager I didn't really mind the last one.
AFI put it at number 2 in their ranked list of the best American comedies of all time, so you're in good company there. By the way, Some Like It Hot was number 1, so apparently men in drag is the funniest kind of comedy there is.
I honestly don't know what I think of Fitzcarraldo as the winner. What I remember from watching the film was being very impressed with the visuals and knowing that they actually did winch a damn riverboat over a mountain in real life to make this movie. That's just insane.
Other possibilities - The Wrath of Khan would probably be considered adapted since the characters were first used on a TV show. And E.T. had probably used up the rare SF nomination anyway. I was going to suggest Missing, but when I looked it up it says it was based on a book.
One of the biggest problems I have when I hit this category is that most of the movies I really want to include end up being adapted from something. Looking at the five great science fiction/horror movies of June, 1982, we see E.T. (nominated), The Thing (adapted), Wrath of Khan (likely adapted as you say), Blade Runner (adapted), and Poltergeist (ignored).
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