I'd only seen a couple of 1982 films before revisiting this year. As a massive fan of actressing of all kinds I had of course seen Meryl Streep's winning turn but I'd also seen Tootsie, Victor/Victoria, Annie and An Officer and a Gentlemen. However while I'd seen three of the acting winners (Streep, Gossett Jr. and Lange) I had not seen probably the most important film in terms of the academy awards that year. That "little" film is Richard Attenborough's Gandhi. This is a film that I just hold contentment towards because it's such a disappointing film like unsurprisingly many of the academy's choices for best picture. It runs through the typical biopic beats and while Kingsley has been praised for his work in the lead role even winning the eventual actor oscar his work like the film is just average. The story the film is trying to tell well is epic in itself but due to some artistic liberties taken and some bad directing choices I just am perplexed by this film able to win the academy award. What makes the choice even worse is the other nominees which are so much stronger in every aspect I just hold even more bad feelings toward this film. The other nominees were E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Missing, Tootsie and The Verdict. Of those four others Missing is the only other film I would hold ill feeling to getting a nomination just because there are better film from 1982 in my opinion but still it's a worthy film which is not something I can say for Gandhi.
E.T. which thankfully got nominated for best picture is hands down my favourite film from that year. Spielberg may not have hit us home with a heart wrenching ending like in Close Encounters but still E.T. is probably better as this is a story of a child and his friend alien. Spielberg crafts just film magic on screen with E.T. which is why it's easily my favourite choice and is something that I know I will rewatch over and over again for all time. Ridley Scott's Blade Runner the other great sci-fi feature from this year on initial release isn't the greatest but the directors cut is the reason why this film has become a cult classic and to me the runner up for the picture prize to E.T. Shoot the Moon probably the least seen of my picture nominees is yet again another Alan Parker film that I love. Diane Keaton and Albert Finney in the lead roles are exquisite and this family separation film is just so unlike others that I love it to bits. The Verdict along with E.T. is the other best picture nominee that I would personally nominate. Sidney Lumet is one great director who is able to make this film about a a rather unlikeable hero in Paul Newman be as fascinating and breath taking to watch that I yet again have to stretch Gandhi winning over a picture like this is so wrong. The final nominee of my personal lineup is Das Boot. This is easily the best foreign film choice of the year and while it came to peoples radar in 1981 it didn't hit the states till the following year making it eligible for my revisit this year. It is a great feature that people should seek to watch now. As I said before Streep was deserving of her actress prize giving one of the greatest film performances captured. My other choices for acting would've been Dustin Hoffman for his complicated comedic performance in Tootsie. James Mason for his villain lawyer turn in The Verdict and Lesley Ann Warren for her spellbinding comedy turn in Victor/Victoria.
29 is the amount of films I was able to see from 1982 and while there were some special films that year I just have a negative reflection on the year that sadly all comes back to the academies choice to reward 8 awards to Gandhi one of the most flat and boring films ever to win the prize. Below are the list of winners and nominees I wish would've occurred.
OUTSTANDING PICTURE:
1. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (Produced by Kathleen Kennedy & Steven Spielberg)
2. Blade Runner (Produced by Charles de Lauzirika & Michael Deeley)
3. Shoot the Moon (Produced by Alan Marshall)
4. The Verdict (Produced by David Brown & Richard D. Zanuck)
5. Das Boot (Produced by Ortwin Freyermuth & Günter Rohrbach)
6. Tootsie
7. Fitzcarraldo
8. Fast Times at Ridgemont High
9. Moonlighting
10. Victor/Victoria
OUTSTANDING DIRECTOR:
Sidney Lumet for The Verdict
Alan Parker for Shoot the Moon
Wolfgang Petersen for Das Boot
Ridley Scott for Blade Runner
Steven Spielberg for E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
OUTSTANDING LEADING ACTOR:
Albert Finney as George Dunlap in "SHOOT THE MOON"
Dustin Hoffman as Michael Dorsey / Dorothy Michaels in "TOOTSIE"
Jack Lemmon as Ed Horman in "MISSING"
Paul Newman as Franke Galvin in "THE VERDICT"
Jürgen Prochnow as Kapitänleutnant in "DAS BOOT"
OUTSTANDING LEADING ACTRESS:
Sandy Dennis as Mona in "COME BACK TO THE FIVE AND DIME, JIMMY DEAN, JIMMY DEAN"
Diane Keaton as Faith Dunlap in "SHOOT THE MOON"
Jessica Lange as Frances Farmer in "FRANCES"
Sissy Spacek as Beth Horman in "MISSING"
Meryl Streep as Sophie in "SOPHIE'S CHOICE"
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR:
Rutger Hauer as Roy Batty in "BLADE RUNNER"
David Keith as Sid Worley in "AN OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN"
Kevin Kline as Nathan in "SOPHIE'S CHOICE"
James Mason as Ed Concannon in "THE VERDICT"
Robert Preston as Carole "Toddy" Todd in "VICTOR VICTORIA"
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
Karen Black as Joanne in "COME BACK TO THE FIVE AND DIME, JIMMY DEAN, JIMMY DEAN"
Teri Garr as Sandy in "TOOTSIE"
Dana Hill as Sherry Dunlap in "SHOOT THE MOON"
Charlotte Rampling as Laura Fischer in "THE VERDICT"
Lesley Ann Warren as Norma Cassady in "VICTOR VICTORIA"
OUTSTANDING ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY:
Barry Levinson for Diner
Melissa Mathison for E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
Jerzy Skolimowski for Moonlighting
Bo Goldman for Shoot the Moon
Larry Gelbart, Murray Schisgal & Don McGuire for Tootsie
OUTSTANDING ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:
Screenplay by Hampton Fancher & David Webb Peoples; Bases on Do Androids Dream of
Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick, Blade Runner
Screenplay by Wolfgang Petersen; Based on Das Boot by Lothar-Günther Buchheim, Das Boot
Fast Times at Ridgemont High
Screenplay by Costa-Gavras & Donald Stewart; Based on Missing by Thomas Hauser, Missing
Screenplay by David Mamet; Based on The Verdict by Barry Reed, The Verdict
OUTSTANDING ART DIRECTION:
Production Design by Lawrence G. Paull; Set Design by David L. Snyder & Linda DeScenna for Blade Runner
Production Deign Hilton Mc Connico; Set Design by Gerard Marcireau for Diva
Production Design by James D. Bissell; Set Design by Jackie Carr for E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
Production Design by Stuart Craig; Set Design by Michael Seirton for Gandhi
Production Design by James H. Spencer; Set Design by Cheryal Kearney for Poltergeist
OUTSTANDING BREAKTHROUGH/DEBUT:
Cher (Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean)
Dana Hill (Shoot the Moon)
Ben Kingsley (Gandhi)
Kevin Kline (Sophie's Choice)
Michelle Pfeiffer (Grease 2)
OUTSTANDING CINEMATOGRAPHY:
Jordan Cronenweth for Blade Runner
Jost Vacano for Das Boot
Philippe Rousselot for Diva
Allen Daviau for E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
Nestor Almendros for Sophie's Choice
OUTSTANDING COSTUME DESIGN:
Charles Knode & Michael Kaplan for Blade Runner
Hilton McConnico for Diva
John Mollo & Bhanu Athalya for Gandhi
Norma Moriceau for Mad Max 2 The Road Warrior
Patricia Norris for Victor Victoria
OUTSTANDING ENSEMBLE:
Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean (Sandy Dennis, Cher, Karen Black, Sudie Bond, Marta Heflin, Kathy Bates, Mark Patton, Caroline Aaron, Ruth Miller, Gena Ramsel, Ann Risley, Dianne Turley Travis)
Diner (Steve Guttenberg, Daniel Stern, Mickey Rourke, Kevin Bacon, Tim Daly, Ellen Barkin, Paul Reiser, Kathryn Dowling, Michael Tucker, Jessica James, Colette Blonigan, Kelle Kipp, Clement
Fowler, Claudia Cron)
Shoot the Moon (Albert Finney, Diane Keaton, Karen Allen, Peter Weller, Dana Hill, Viveka Davis,
Tracey Gold, Tina Yothers)
Tootsie (Dustin Hoffman, Jessica Lange, Teri Garr, Dabney Coleman, Charles Durning, Bill
Murray, Sydney Pollack, George Gaynes, Geena Davis, Doris Belack, Lynne Thigpen, Estelle Getty,
Willy Switkes)
The Verdict (Paul Newman, Charlotte Rampling, Jack Warden, James Mason, Milo O'Shea,
Lindsay Crouse, Edward Binns, Julie Bovasso, Roxanne Hart, James Handy, Wesley Addy, Joe Seneca, Lewis J. Stadlen, Kent Broadhurst, Colin Stinton)
OUTSTANDING FILM EDITING:
Terry Rawlings for Blade Runner
Hannes Nikel for Das Boot
Carol Littleton for E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
Michael Balson, David Stiven & Tim Wellburn for Mad Max 2 The Road Warrior
Michael Kahn for Poltergeist
OUTSTANDING FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM:
Das Boot (Directed by Wolfgang Petersen)
Diva (Directed by Jean-Jacques Beineix)
Fitzcarraldo (Directed by Werner Herzog)
Stalker (Directed by Andrei Tarkovsky)
OUTSTANDING MAKEUP:
Marvin G. Westmore for Blade Runner
Tom Smith for Gandhi
Karla O'Keefe for Mad Max 2 The Road Warrior
Dottie Pearl for Poltergeist
Ken Chase & Phyllis Newman for The Thing
OUTSTANDING ORIGINAL/MUSICAL SCORE:
Vangelis for Blade Runner
John Williams for E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
Jerry Goldsmith for Poltergeist
Marvin Hamlisch for Sophie's Choice
Ennio Morricone for The Thing
OUTSTANDING ORIGINAL SONG:
An Officer and a Gentleman, "Up Where We Belong" (Music by Jack Nitzche & Buffy Sainte-Marie; Lyrics by Will Jennings)
Rocky III, "Eye of the Tiger" (Music and Lyrics by Jim Peterik & Frankie Sullivan)
Tootsie, "It Might Be You" (Music by Dave Grusin; Lyrics by Alan Bergman & Marilyn Bergman)
Victor Victoria, "Chicago, IIllionois" (Music and Lyrics by Henry Mancini)
Victor Victoria, "Le Jazz Hot" (Music and Lyrics by Henry Mancini)
OUTSTANDING PERFORMER:
Charles Durning (The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Tootsie)
Albert Finney (Annie, Shoot the Moon)
Teri Garr (One from the Heart, Tootsie)
Jessica Lange (Frances, Tootsie)
James Mason (Evil Under the Sun, The Verdict)
OUTSTANDING SOUND EDITING:
Peter Pennell for Blade Runner
Mike Le Mare for Das Boot
Charles L. Campbell & Ben Burtt for E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
Stephen Hunter Flick & Richard L. Anderson for Poltergeist
Warren Hamilton Jr. & Kendrick Sweet for The Thing
OUTSTANDING SOUND MIXING:
Bud Alper, Graham V. Hartstone & Gerry Humphreys for Blade Runner
Milan Bor, Trevor Pyke & Mike Le Mare for Das Boot
Robert Knudson, Robert Glass, Don Digirolamo & Gene S. Cantamessa for E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
Roder Savage & Bryon Kennedy for Mad Max 2 The Road Warrior
Art Rochester for Poltergeist
OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS:
Douglas Trumbull, Richard Yuricich & David Dryer for Blade Runner
Roy Field, Brian Smithies & Ian Wingrove for The Dark Crystal
Carlo Rambaldi, Dennis Muren & Kenneth Smith for E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
Richard Edlund, Michael Wood & Bruce Nicholson for Poltergeist
Rob Bottin for The Thing
Next time on my revisit I'm going to travel over a decade into the future to 1995 when a little film none as Braveheart came by surprise to win a lot of oscars. Mel Gibson was an actor turned director who was able to win it all with his film. Did the film deserve it's wins in my opinion. Next time I'll be writing about it I know for sure.
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