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 résumé 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 Direction is not necessarily indicative of the best director because of the pressure placed on the members of the academy. The pressures from criteria set by the Academy, the big
             Studios' campaigns, and the sentimental favorites all take away from the members
             choosing the director that demonstrates the best ability.
             The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has existed since 1924 and has been giving out their award, the Oscar, for best direction since 1928. The Academy is a guild made up of thirteen groups, one for each part of the movie production process. Currently, the Academy is comprised of 5,500 members in total. Initially, the Academy w...