The Misdirection Award goes to the Academy of Motion Picture
George C. Scott once said that the Academy Awards were nothing more than "a meaningless, self-serving meat parade"(Legrand 478). Though his statement may seem harsh, many regard it true. In fact, over the 74 years that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has been giving out Oscars in the field of best direction many people have questioned how the Academy chooses their winners. The Academy argues that they have to uphold a certain standard in their choice and that even though a certain director may be heralded in demonstrating great skill he does not always deserve to win the award. The Academy has been selecting the winners by the same standards for the past 74 years and making many poor choices along the way, believing that they must choose only certain types of directors, who direct pictures with only certain types of themes. They believe in honoring directors often times by their resume and how they conduct themselves, not by the picture that has been nominated ("74th" 2). They also "fall victim to the glamour of the big studios and the wholesome nice guy directors, who are more popular amongst the members"(Osbourne 11). The Award given by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in the category of Best
They hope that their media blitz will alter the members' choice and steer them to vote for the director they are promoting. Currently, the Academy is comprised of 5,500 members in total. Major studios also apply pressure on the Academy when deciding who should win best director. Although the Academy claims that their award is a means of drawing attention to the best director in terms of ability, they often times choose the director they like best in terms of how he fits the criteria of the Academy, the big studios, and their own personal feelings. There have been many examples of directors who should have won over the 74 years that the Academy has been handing out awards. Martin Scorsese was penalized by never winning an Oscar for best direction because of his movies' plots. The Academy is a guild made up of thirteen groups, one for each part of the movie production process. Finally, in April of 1968, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences awarded him the Irving G. Initially, the Academy was made as a union for all involved in the movie industry, but was later transformed into more of a social club. Now, members must be recommended by two people who are members and must have a resume of past movie credits that are acceptable in the eyes of the Academy (Osbourne 8). Scorsese during the mid-nineties achieved near-iconic status among film aficionados and was honored with retrospectives, won mainstream success without sacrificing his personal vision, and received countless awards except for that elusive Oscar (Friedman 186). However, the 1940s were not the only years that the Academy made mistakes. Although he had been nominated five times for best direction for Rebecca, Lifeboat, Rear Window, and Psycho he was repeatedly denied the award (Spoto 499). He was not the only one to be overlooked by the Academy in the 1940s.
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Acceptance Essays
