So, I am making a confession, I LOVE watching awards shows. There I said it, haha, who doesn’t anyway, especially The Academy Awards, to movie lovers in particular. We love seeing our favorite artists getting the recognition they deserve. If I were to be honest, of course, there were moments I couldn’t stand happened in the award throughout all these years, sometimes I even despise the award itself because the movie or actor or the behind the scenes artist I thought to be the best and most deserving didn’t win as I predicted, even though I ended up reading the coverage anyway. Some of these moments I included are those I didn’t get to see live (through TV of course), I only found out about them through essays and further searched the videos on YouTube.
So how did I choose these particular videos to be the best I’ve seen happen in the Academy Award? Well, I was a bit confused on how to shorten my list into 10 (I always planned to make list consisted of 10 things), since I always cried watching someone deservedly winning, I am easily moved, so I first intendedly got lost in thought for like 5 minutes then started listing down everything that first crossed my head. I took that as a sign of being the most memorable to me. And after the list was completed, it did turn out to be the most memorable moments I’ve seen in The Oscar.
This is not written in a particular order. Each moment is special in its own way.
- Roberto Benigni’s reaction to winning Best Foreign Movie for Life is Beautiful, The 71st Academy Awards, 1999
I always loved a genuine reaction, rather than something rhetoric, I prefer raw emotions. And that is exactly what displayed by Benigni. His reaction is among videos I go to whenever I feel the need to be entertained. I also love the way Sophia Loren changed her accent to Italian when announcing his name.
- Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova won Best Original Song for Falling Slowly from the movie Once, The 80th Academy Awards, 2008
I am so proud and happy for this one like I am the one winning. I mean, two artists from Ireland, far away from the glitz of Hollywood being recognized in such a huge stage is significant. The movie Once is also one of my all-time favorites and Falling Slowly is such a beautiful song. And both Hansard’s and Irglova’s reaction were so genuine and sincere it touched my heart.
- Jon Stewart called Marketa Irglova back on stage to deliver her speech, The 80th Academy Awards, 2008
I could put this one together with the moment above (#2) but they both were special for a different reason, so I decided to split them into two. I was a bit upset when the orchestra was already playing before Irglova said anything, but Jon Stewart (bless his soul) did the best by inviting her back on stage to say something. And her speech was heartfelt and beautiful. She was calm, composed, with unmistakable gratitude. It made me teared up.
- Cuba Gooding Jr. delivered his speech over the orchestra when winning Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Jerry Maguire, The 69th Academy Awards, 1997
This one is epic. As we all know, the time to deliver speech in the Oscar is very limited, so it’s tricky in a way, very easy for someone to put a wrong foot, that was why when Gooding Jr. kind of screaming his speech out over the music with a genuine excitement, everybody shared the same excitement.
- Martin Scorsese finally got his first Oscar as Best Director for The Departed, The 79th Academy Awards, 2007
This One is History’s BEST. Everything about this is epic, from the presenters, when else did we get to see Spielberg, Coppola, and George Lucas together on stage and later joined by Scorsese, don’t tell me it’s not extraordinary. The reaction from the audience, as well as the speech from Mr. Scorsese himself, completed the magnificent moment.
- Leonardo DiCaprio finally won after what felt like forever as Best Actor in a Leading Role for The Revenant, The 88th Academy Awards, 2016
This one is completely biased (well, I made this list so of course, it’s very biased) but whatever, I love Leo haha. I can’t even tell you how happy I am about this one. I’ve loved Leo since forever (who doesn’t) and after repeatedly not winning, I didn’t care anymore, he doesn’t need an Oscar anyway to validate his career. Having thought that, I didn’t imagine I would scream so heard when his name was announced. The reaction from the audience who seemed to share the same happiness for Leo, especially the proud face of Kate Winslet made the moment even more epic. And his speech, as someone who shared the same concern of environmental sustainability, I was so proud of him using that moment to touch on the environmental issue.
- Halle Berry won an Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role for Monster’s Ball as the first for a woman of color, The 74th Academy Awards, 2002
This is simply beautiful I started tearing up before I know why. I didn’t even watch the movie. I am no black and I don’t live in the US, so I don’t exactly know how significant this moment is to the black community, especially in movie industry, but I could imagine what a proud moment this is for them, to have the recognition they deserve and not to be put second only because they are black. Racism has such a long history in American society, but this moment obviously has its place on rewriting history. Halle Berry was also crying so beautifully, her reaction of overwhelming happiness and genuine gratitude is what touched me the most.
- Slumdog Millionaire won Best Picture, The 81st Academy Awards, 2009
This one had me clapping, crying, beaming and laughing at the same time. I watched the movie and I didn’t like it that much, but seeing my fellow Asian, especially the kid actors on the big stage of Oscar brought me immense happiness. When the producer mentioned the city of Mumbai, I didn’t know why but I started tearing up. This movie had been condemned by some for displaying a rough and not so proud place of India, I myself never been to Mumbai, but my dad had lived there for a month long, and stated it was one of his most precious experiences in life, learning about perspective, about humanity, about community.
- Matt Damon and Ben Affleck won Best Original Screenplay for Good Will Hunting, The 69th Academy Awards, 1997
Ahh, this one. I got to know about this moment, about the movie later in my life. I’ve known Ben Affleck for Armageddon and Pearl Harbour, even though some criticized the movie but it was hugely popular in Indonesia hence the popularity of Ben Affleck, and Matt Damon for Jason Bourne. I became their fans even before knowing that they are actually best friends in real life, and they had already received an Oscar before their popularity peaked as movie stars. Setting aside my already existing love for both of them though, I knew my reaction would be similar watching the video as someone who just knows about them. Their reaction was so pure, genuine joy, genuine gratitude. The way they screamed name they felt thankful to, was so adorable. And the way they thanked the city of Boston was so cute and touching at the same time. Oh, and the movie, they were geniuses to have written such a beautiful movie. And Robin Williams, ahh, I won’t go there, I’m not in the mood to being sad.
- Marlon Brando refused his Oscar when he won Best Actor in a Leading Role for The Godfather, The 45th Academy Awards, 1973
I honestly couldn’t claim to know how significant this gesture is to the native Indian community, and to people of the United States who support the natives claiming their right, I could only comment as someone who read about such things through books, but I find this moment beautiful nevertheless. I also love to see some of Hollywood people flaunting their arrogance and stupidity by booing the female activist who’s also a native Indian just because she delivered her plea of justice to her community. I also applaud Brando to take a stand when most Hollywood people prefer to play it safe.
So, that was it, 10 of my favorite moments ever happened in The Oscar.
e y e s a n d f i n g e r s 