Posted on 03/27/2002 6:23:08 AM PST by Tumbleweed_Connection
Hollywood, still warming itself in the glow of Sunday night's Oscar ceremonies when blacks won both of the top acting awards for the first time, was wondering this morning whether this amounted to a milestone in movie history or a mere coincidence.
"It's easy for Hollywood to pat itself on the back and to say, oh, that should satisfy them, that should keep them quiet for a while," the director Spike Lee said. "But the same jubilation that people feel now, people were also probably feeling nearly 40 years ago in the aftermath of Sidney Poitier winning the first lead Oscar for a black actor. I'm optimistic, but let's hope there's not another 40-year drought."
Without question the emotional highlights of the 74th annual Academy Awards were the wins by Halle Berry for her role as a condemned convict's wife in "Monster's Ball" and Denzel Washington, who played a crooked cop in "Training Day," especially coming on the same night that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences also presented an honorary Oscar to Mr. Poitier for a lifetime of achievement.
"Halle's reaction was so emotional and so powerful," said Stacey Snider, chairwoman of Universal Pictures, whose film, "A Beautiful Mind," was the year's best picture winner. "But to me, even more eloquent was the moment when Denzel was on the stage, having just won his Oscar, and Sidney was in his box on the side of the theater. They had this moment where they were standing there, just kind of shaking their Oscars at one another. It was this very quiet but still exuberant affirmation."
This sense of joy and emotional uplift that greeted the wins by Mr. Washington and Ms. Berry was particularly welcome, coming as it did at the end of what many felt was one of the most competitive and negative Oscar races in recent memory. But many black filmmakers and leaders today were warning that the moment should not be embraced too fervently, certainly not to the extent of concluding that the struggle for black equality in Hollywood has been won.
"I am thrilled about what took place last night," said Reuben Cannon, who in the 1970's became the first black casting director for a major movie studio, working at Universal and then Warner Brothers. "It is significant. But we should not mistake a moment for a movement. It's a significant moment. Whether it's a movement, only time will tell."
Before Sunday night only six black actors had ever won an Academy Award for their performances and only one of them, Mr. Poitier for "Lilies of the Field" (1963), had won in a leading role. Indeed, counting the nomination of Will Smith for his performance in "Ali," this year's ceremonies were the first in 30 years, and only the second in history, that had three black performers nominated in lead categories.
"I think it was a watershed evening," said Tom Ortenberg, president of Lions Gate Films, which released "Monster's Ball" and spearheaded Ms. Berry's Oscar campaign. "And I think Hollywood picked a great time to correct some historic wrongs. I do think this will help end the pigeonholing that goes on for black actors and other people of color and just help open people's eyes in the corridors of power that old stereotypes don't apply anymore."
Many black leaders, like Kweisi Mfume, president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said before Sunday's ceremonies that they were concerned that the presence of so many black nominees might convince Hollywood that its racial problems had been solved. Not until the presence of black nominees becomes unremarkable, he said, and until there are also just as many black faces behind the camera and in executive suites will the issue be put to rest.
Mr. Mfume and others have been focusing their efforts in recent years on a campaign to increase racial diversity in the television industry. There are no hard figures about whether the numbers of black performers and directors might be increasing in the movie industry. Mr. Washington won his Oscar in a film by a black director, Antoine Fuqua. Indeed, Mr. Washington himself has turned to directing. His freshman effort, "The Antwone Fisher Story," is due out later this year.
In a statement today, Mr. Mfume congratulated Mr. Washington and Ms. Berry. "If this is a sign that Hollywood is finally ready to give opportunity and judge performance based on skill and not on skin color, then it is a good thing," Mr. Mfume said. "However, if this proves to be a momentary flash in a long history of neglect, then Hollywood has failed to learn the real meaning of equality."
Many were struck by the way Mr. Poitier and Ms. Berry took special care Sunday night to thank some of the white producers and film executives who had made their careers possible. "A lot of those guys really stuck their neck out for Sidney, taking positions that were not particularly popular at the time," Mr. Lee said.
But for the most part, the mood in Hollywood today was one of a warm, emotional high.
When asked whether the negative tone and lavish spending of the recent Oscar race might prompt some reforms in the process, Jeffrey Katzenberg, the founder of DreamWorks, said it was too soon to bring up such issues. He did predict that at some point fairly soon the major studios would get together and agree to a voluntary code of ethics to forestall some of the cutthroat tactics and negative campaigning that he said characterized this year's contest.
"It was such a great evening," Mr. Katzenberg said. "So many emotional moments, from Sidney's speech to Halle and Denzel. Let us bask in the warm glow a little longer."
Brian Grazer, producer of the best picture winner, said he was choosing to be optimistic, too. "I just think it was an enormous breakthrough," he said. "And it just happened because two great actors won awards and they happened to be black. It becomes a big statement, and I think it will continue."
Mr. Cannon also said he hoped it would continue and added that he found hope not only in Sunday's Oscar victories but, perhaps more important, in the appearance of more blacks in top executive posts, like Richard Parsons, pending chief executive of AOL Time Warner.
Although no one could point to a recent study of the numbers of blacks playing leading roles in films — whether as actors, directors or producers — the Directors Guild of America did a study in 1999 of the amount of work that women and minorities had received in 1998. Minority film directors, they discovered, worked only 7.7 percent as much as the average union director.
"There are some clear signs," Mr. Cannon said. "You have the events of Sunday night, Dick Parsons at AOL, so you can't afford to be a pessimist. But you also have to be mindful that the only way Hollywood will change is if we permanently change the way business is done in Hollywood."
Mr. Lee agreed.
"The real test comes in what happens next year or five years from now," he said. "I don't think any intelligent person would say this signals a great turnaround because, really, who knows? No one has a crystal ball. We just have to hope that it marks real forward movement and is not just an aberration."
You can have the best actor/actress Oscar every damn year. Just shut the heck up about reparations.
Is this the same hollywood that produced Blaxploitation movies? I kinda like them, they're so out there, and Pam Grier's in a lot of them, but would they amount to Oscar-winning material?
What a stupid argument, and then drag that hack Spike Lee, who hasn't ever made a decent flick, into it...there are plenty of white actors that don't get ANY recognition. Burt Reynolds was great in Deliverance and the Longest Yard. Whiny crybabies.
No Halle, we have a new stereotype. One of leaving the scene of an accident. Isn't that special?
I wonder if he was for the recent campaign finance reform?
…wins by Halle Berry for her role as a condemned convict's wife in "Monster's Ball" and Denzel Washington, who played a crooked cop in "Training Day,"
uh….yeah.
??? You're funny. Someone better call Angelina Jolie and tell her who she's having sex with.
Even less so when he really has nothing to say.
You forgot to add his classic performance in Stroker Ace.
In all seriousness, Burt was robbed when he was nominated for Boogie Nights, but lost to that annoying hack Robin Williams.
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