20 Years After Oscar: Silence of The Lambs Holds Up, Jack Palance Not So Much
I have no idea how this concept eluded me for two years, but there it is: The 3rd annual 20/20 Awards were announced recently, honoring the best films of 1991 after two decades worth of distance and hindsight. Great idea — even though the event turned out just about as anticlimactically as this year's real thing. That's what happens when Oscar apparently gets it right.
To wit, the Silence of the Lambs once again swept the major categories of Best Picture, Director, Actor, Actress and Screenplay (Adapted), claiming five "Felixes" on the night and leading the way among an unprecedented eight "Odd Couples" to win both Oscars and Felixes. (HA! Cute.) Alas, '91 Supporting Actor Jack Palance and Supporting Actress Mercedes Ruehl were overthrown by John Goodman (Barton Fink) and Geena Davis (Thelma & Louise).
Find the full list of winners below. Congrats to all! (* denotes an Oscar winner)
BEST PICTURE
THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS*
BEST DIRECTOR
Jonathan Demme – THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS*
BEST ACTOR
Anthony Hopkins – THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS*
BEST ACTRESS
Jodie Foster - THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS*
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
John Goodman - BARTON FINK
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Geena Davis – THELMA & LOUISE
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Callie Khouri – THELMA & LOUISE*
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Ted Tally – THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS*
BEST FOREIGN FILM
DELICATESSEN
BEST DOCUMENTARY
HEARTS OF DARKNESS: A FILMMAKER’S APOCALYPSE
BEST SCORE
Wilson Pickett – THE COMMITMENTS
BEST SONG
Until The End Of The World – UNTIL THE END OF THE WORLD
BEST EDITING
Conrad Buff, Mark Goldblatt, Richard A. Harris – TERMINATOR 2: JUDGEMENT DAY
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Lun Yang – RAISE THE RED LANTERN
BEST ART DIRECTION
Dennis Gassner - BARTON FINK
BEST COSTUME
Valérj]ie Pozzo di Borgo – DELICATESSEN
BEST MAKEUP
THE ADDAMS FAMILY
BEST VISUAL FX
TERMINATOR 2: JUDGEMENT DAY*
BEST SOUND DESIGN
TERMINATOR 2: JUDGEMENT DAY*
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Comments
But Davis was nominated in the Best Actress category at the Oscars. Had she been put in the Supporting category (leaving Sarandon in the Best Actress category alone), I have a feeling both would have won, rather than potentially splitting the vote. Foster had just won a few years earlier for The Accused, so this would have been a way to reward Sarandon for a "career" Oscar (and it was a travesty she was not nominated for Bull Durham ... the same year Foster won for the aforementioned The Accused.)
Hearts of Darkness -- Yes!
But I contend that JFK deserves best editing.
I totally agree with you about Bull Durham. Building on someone else's reply, I defended Costner here lately, and it was in part owing to Sarandon's awesome play and maturity in Bull Durham (more than that, though: I'm grateful to Costner). Anyway, she may not be commemorated, but she's sure as hell already remembered.
JFK deserved its Oscars. I think it deserved Best Picture as well. Lambs had a weak conclusion -- the cat and mouse chase in the basement was about as dull and unimaginative.
Weak? Surely you jest. The ending was intense.
Somebody should totally make the academy wait 20 years to give Oscar awards. I'll show you the life of the mind!
*sigh* 1991 was the best of times and the worst of times for me, but there were plenty of very good movies that year. I think I saw T2 about six times. The marketing was everywhere for that movie. Lambs is an absolute modern classic, although the only thing that bothers me now is those dated opening credits with the enormous typeface (don't ask me why). I always enjoy watching that scamp Hannibal Lecter with a glass of nice Chianti.
I have never understood the rapturous response to "The Silence of the Lambs," which I have always considered a somewhat typical, if campy, serial killer movie. But wow, I just looked at a list of the movies made in 1991, and it really was probably the best movie from that year. Despite "Thelma and Louise" and the aforementioned "Hearts of Darkness" and possibly Todd Haynes' "Poison," not a particularly notable year in movies.
I can't believe the author (or anyone else) thinks this is a great idea.
What's the point?