fbpx

Not a bad Oscar night for Jews

[additional-authors]
March 3, 2014

After some fairly lean Oscar years, full or partial Members of the Tribe scored well at the 86th Academy Awards on Sunday evening, though mainly in the less glamorous, behind-the-scenes categories.

Israeli-American producer (and acknowledged intelligence operative for Israel’s nuclear weapon program) Arnon Milchan shared in the celebration for best picture winner “12 Years a Slave,” as one of the seven listed producers.

Woody Allen, a regular non-attending entry at these events, failed to win the original screenplay trophy for his “Blue Jasmine.” The honor went instead to “HER” writer Spike Jonze, born Adam Spiegel and the son of a Jewish father.

Perhaps the most satisfying win of the evening, from a Jewish perspective, went to “The Lady in No. 6: Music Saved My Life.”
The short documentary tells the story of 110-year old concert pianist and Holocaust survivor Alice Herz-Sommer, who died exactly one week before the award ceremony.

In his acceptance speech, director Malcolm Clarke lauded Herz-Sommer’s “extraordinary capacity for joy and for forgiveness…She taught everyone on my crew to be a little more optimistic and a little bit more happy.”

Mexican cinematographer Emmanuel (ok) Lubezki, born Emmanuel Lubezki Morgenstern, was the anticipated winner in his category for his extraordinary work on the space cliffhanger “Gravity.”

Among the five finalists for best foreign-language film honors was the Palestinian entry “Omar,” while Israel’s choice, “Bethlehem,” was eliminated early on.

Both movies pit the Israel security services against Palestinian militants, with “Omar” predictably drawing a highly unflattering portrait of the Israeli agents.

However “Omar,” like Israel’s past 10 nominations, did not garner the top prize, which went to Italy’s “The Great Beauty.”

For the first time in recent memory, the M.C., Ellen DeGeneres, did not indulge in any Jewish jokes during the evening.

On the other hand, the Academy reversed its long neglect of African-American talent by featuring numerous black entertainers, presenters, award winners and the Academy’s new president, Cheryl Boone Isaacs.

Two widely publicized movies based on the financial shenanigans of real-life Jewish con men, “American Hustle” and “The Wolf of Wall Street” left empty-handed.

In an interesting footnote, Isaacs announced that five billion movie tickets were sold worldwide in 2013.
     

Did you enjoy this article?
You'll love our roundtable.

Editor's Picks

Latest Articles

Print Issue: Got College? | Mar 29, 2024

With the alarming rise in antisemitism across many college campuses, choosing where to apply has become more complicated for Jewish high school seniors. Some are even looking at Israel.

More news and opinions than at a
Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.

More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.

More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.