Could "Lord of the Rings" have won any more awards?

[bif]

I watched the Academy Awards for the first time in ages and was pretty dissapointed. Why did "Lord of the Rings" win ever bloody award there was? Couldn't they have spread the awards arouund a bit more?

[Minstrel Boy]

1. No acting awards, and next to Best Picture

they carry the most weight.

This was really the occasion to celebrate all three films. (Three films which are really just one long, long film.)

[Rabbit of Caerbannog]

2. Yeah - Golum should have gotten Oscar for SOMETHING!

[Jivenwail]

3. From someone who used to make a living in the film industry

I can tell you that the Oscars are junk. Period. All it is, for the most part, is a big giant ass kiss. Most voters don't even see all the films nominated. Some voters give their ballots to their spouses or children, who did see them, to cast the vote. Others vote for friends or colleagues they've worked with. It's a sham. Glitz and smooze, pure and simple. Every once in a while, someone deserving actually gets the nod - in this case, both Tim Robbins and Sean Penn. I can cite instances where directors or producers I worked with have voiced this opinion. But "Lord of the Rings" is the perfect example. My gosh, even that annoying song from that movie won. Please, spare me. (Sorry, I don't mean to offend "Lord" fans - I just don't happen to be one).

We used to say, and it still rings true, how can a film win best director and/or best picture when none of the actors gets a nod? Last night's 11 sweep by "Lord of the Rings" really boils my personal beans. I've seen all the films nominated and I can tell you (JMHO, of course) "Mystic River" or "Lost in Translation" or even "Master and Commander" were far better films for content, acting, even direction. The nod to Mr. Jackson and his film was justification for his other 2 films winning virtually nothing.

In jumping off my soapbox, I would add that the awards with the most credibility would be the Golden Globes. Voted on by international film critics - not actors voting for each other. Or directors voting for each other. Or camera persons voting for each other. Sorry, but the Oscars suck (again, JMHO)

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Welcome Home, BIG E!

[THUNDER HANDS]

4. there were no actors nominated because it was an ensemble cast

Who was the star of ROTK?

Frodo or Sam?

Arguably it was Gollum.

Who was the best supporting actor?

Well, in a way, ALL of them were supporting actors.

Personally, I think ROTK was the worst of the three films, but I'm glad they were acknowledged for the body of work last night.

[Ilsa]

18. Ian McClelland was nominated for

Best Supporting Actor two years ago, but lost. I beleive he was the only individual nominated.

I thought Sean Astin deserved a nomination for TTT and ROTK.

[Bridget Burke]

5. I don't take them too seriously....

It's obvious the Oscars are the industry's own. "Great Art" is not the first consideration. Also, many awards are "cumulative"--somebody misses out for a couple of years, then they win for what may not be their absolute best performance.

However, I'm a LOTR fan & thought it was fine that ROTK won. Yes, the awards were really for all three movies. Acting awards would have been difficult since the films were really more of an ensemble effort.

[MissMillie]

7. Didn't LOTR win the Golden Globe as well? (n/t)

.

[gula]

8. Don't jump too fast, I have a question

I thought that the Lord of the Rings was a New Zealand movie as was the Whale Rider. So why weren't they in the foreign films category? Is foreign simply defined as non-english?

Anyway I am very very happy that Denis Arcand won for The Barbarian Invasion. I haven't seen that one yet but I really liked his other movies. And Les Triplettes de Belleville should have won in the song category.

[THUNDER HANDS]

10. it was shot in New Zealand

but the shooting location has no bearing on it being a foreign film. It depends on whether the film was released internationally before arriving to the U.S.

I think.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

12. The money was American. That's what matters.

[CanuckAmok]

16. The category is "foreign language"

it go too confusing trying to determine exactly how a film could be designated 'foreign', so they changed the category to 'best foreign language film' instead.

So, in theory, an American-made movie shot in LA but entirely in Cantonese could be considered for that award, but LOTR couldn't, even though it's shot in NZ, because it's in English.

[MissMillie]

6. It wasn't nominated for any more awards

So I guess the answer is no....

But a movie critic on TV this a.m. bemoaned that there is no acting ensemble category at the Oscars and that this movie is the perfect example of why there should be one.

[TXlib]

9. I can't help but hear the thread title in Chandler Bing's enunciation.

[skippysmom]

11. There were a few they missed

Acting awards, cinematography, foreign language film, animation. But not many.

It made for an incredibly boring awards ceremony, IMHO.

[Az]

13. There is the possibility that

it was a really good movie.

The truth is that the awards are given for what the voters believe should recieve them. It may not be the individual movie. There are always stories of someone getting an award because they were passed over the previous year.

LOTR is a strange series in that it is really 3 movies in one. The academy has waited till it was finished to give it it's recognition. Thus the previous entries recieved some recognition but the final entry garners the big reward.

[NashVegas]

17. Exactly

If you look back, there are plenty of films that seemed like good choices at the time and won Oscar, that haven't exactly held up like Apocalypse Now, over the years. The English Patient, anyone?

[IconoclastIlene]

14. Why bother holding the Oscars?

They cold have shrink wrapped the Oscars to the LOTR folks and saved a lot of time and expense; maybe given money to the USO instead!!!!

[Bridget Burke]

15. Because it's a ceremonial event....

The Academy Awards were originally presented at a dinner for members. Sort of like the award presentations at the Plumbing Suppliers Annual Convention. Since the Academy's business is show business, the event began being presented as "entertainment"--especially after TV came on the scene.

Nobody was really sure that LOTR would win them all. I watched because I liked those movies & wanted Peter Jackson & the others to be rewarded for their work.

Often, I don't bother.