by Heath Lynch, Contributing Writer
Welcome back, one and all, to Oscars: What If, as we continue to look at the Academy Awards and what could’ve been. In case you’re new to this series, here we look at categories the Academy should be honoring, but for one reason or another, they aren’t. Hopefully someday the Academy will do right by these creative talents, but until then we must do their job for them. Let’s look back at the year Mario Bros. was first released as a Nintendo arcade game, Cabbage Patch Dolls became a sensation, Motorola made the first mobile phone, and ARPANET initiated the Internet Protocol, creating what is arguably the most important tool used in humanity today, the internet. It is time to examine the films of 1983, celebrated at the Oscars in 1984. Let’s see what could have been!
Best Stunts and Choreography
Given to the best achievement in dance, stunts, related performances, and overall choreography for film.
And the nominees are… Christine, Flashdance, Octopussy, Return of the Jedi, The Right Stuff
And the winner is… Return of the Jedi!
In many ways this wasn’t that great of a year for stunts and choreography. In many ways it was one of the best years that could have ever happened. I say that because there aren’t many films that I actually wanted to nominate, but a few of the films that I nominated are incredibly strong. This really came down to Flashdance, The Right Stuff, and Return of the Jedi, with Return of the Jedi barely eking it out. While the dance numbers in Flashdance are well put together, several scenes become redundant and feel more like workout exercise videos than an actual dance routine. It just doesn’t have the lasting pizzazz. I’d even go so far as to say that we remember this movie more for the music than the dancing itself. While The Right Stuff definitely has interesting stunts, especially in regards to the jet stunts towards the beginning of the film, they’re edited in such a way that we don’t get to fully appreciate them. Return of the Jedi, however, does a solid job of showing exactly what you can do with impressive stunt work in film. Whether that’s battling an animatronic Rancor, the giant fight over the Sarlacc Pit where Luke is doing flips through the air and Boba Fett is using a jetpack to fly through the sky, the speeder bikes on the forest moon of Endor, or even the actual sword fighting choreography in the lightsaber duel between Darth Vader and Luke on the Death Star, this movie has it all. It is wholly deserving of Best Stunts and Choreography honors.
Best Performance by Voiceover or Motion Capture
Given to the best off screen voice performance, or on screen motion captured performance, for film.
And the nominees are… Mel Blanc as Various in Daffy Duck’s Fantastic Island, James Earl Jones as Darth Vader in Return of the Jedi, Frank Oz as Yoda in Return of the Jedi, Jean Shepherd as Adult Ralphie in A Christmas Story, John Wood as WOPR in WarGames
And the winner is… Jean Shepherd as Adult Ralphie in A Christmas Story!
Yeah… this wasn’t even close. Jean Shepard’s emotional, compelling, and hilarious narration is what makes A Christmas Story work. As a film that relies solely on vignettes more so to give the impression of an era than to tell a cohesive story, it is up to the narrator to connect all the dots, and Shepherd does that to an impressive degree. Simply put, the movie doesn’t work without him. Whether it’s him trying to explain the seriousness of a double dog dare, describing the soft glow of electric sex, or the anger you have when children’s toys are used for advertising propaganda begging you to drink more Ovaltine, everything that he does is tremendous. It puts you right in Ralphie’s shoes. We empathize with him as we follow him along every single bit of his journey. It’s Shepherd’s performance that makes this possible; he absolutely knocks it out of the park. Even when you have other impressive performances from this year from the likes of Frank Oz, Mel Blanc, and James Earl Jones, I can’t even remotely consider anyone else for this Oscar. The gold goes to Shepherd.
Best Performance by an Ensemble Cast
Given to the best overall ensemble cast performance for film.
And the nominees are… The Big Chill, Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life, The Outsiders, The Right Stuff, Terms of Endearment
And the winner is… The Big Chill!
Now this was tough! This is probably the closest the Best Ensemble Performance category has ever been since starting this series. The Outsiders showcases a bunch of rowdy teenagers and young adult men, under direction of Francis Ford Coppola, all giving relatable, standout performances. Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life is the final film from arguably the greatest comedic troupe of all time. Terms of Endearment was already nominated for four different acting Oscars, and it won two of them. The Right Stuff is already considered one of the greatest ensemble performances of all time. But I’m going to buck the establishment trend on this one and give this to The Big Chill. Glenn Close, William Hurt, Jeff Goldblum, JoBeth Williams, Tom Berenger, Mary Kay Place, Meg Tilly, and Kevin Kline win this award for one reason and one reason only — they instantly make us, the audience, feel like we could be a part of their group. The dynamic of these college friends is something that almost everyone can relate to. Whether it’s your own group of college friends, high school buddies, or your former co-workers you keep in touch with, The Big Chill represents that feeling of reuniting after years of distance to such a satisfying degree. Whether it’s pent-up anger, sexual frustration, jealousy, embarrassment, or regret, there are so many powerful emotions at play throughout this film and every single performer showcases them to perfection. While the movie itself may stumble due to screenwriting issues at times, these powerhouse performances from this talented squad of actors is tremendous and transcends the flaws of the script. The Big Chill definitely deserves the Oscar for Best Ensemble Cast.
Best Directorial Debut
Given to the best achievement in direction by a debut directing talent for film.
And the nominees are… Luc Besson for Le Dernier Combat, Paul Brickman for Risky Business, James L. Brooks for Terms of Endearment, Tony Scott for Hunger, Barbara Streisand for Yentl
And the winner is… James L. Brooks for Terms of Endearment!
This is probably the biggest no-brainer of any category of any year I’ve done so far. Hell, this is more obvious than giving Star Wars Best Popular Film. Why? Because James L. Brooks and Terms of Endearment were already nominated for Best Director and Best Picture… and they won them both. Another way to look at this is to ask a question: how do you win Best Directorial Debut? You win the Best Director. It’s hard to not win the debut category when you win the overall category. So hats off to Tony Scott for breaking onto the scene and starting his illustrious career, Barbra Streisand taking a swing at things after acting for years, and Luc Besson starting his oddball journey as well, but this has to go to Brooks, and there was no question about it. Brooks’s framing of his story, utilization of the camera, and understanding of emotional pacing is perfect. His ability to elicit such uniquely different and fully formed performances from the likes of Shirley MacLaine, Debra Winger, and Jack Nicholson make Terms of Endearment a must-see film that still resonates with relatable themes and messages to this day. Best Directorial Debut has to go to him; there’s no question about it.
Best Popular Film
Given to the best audience supported motion picture that earned a spot as one of the top 25 box office films of the year.
And the nominees are… Flashdance, Return of the Jedi, Terms of Endearment, Trading Places, WarGames
And the winner is… Return of the Jedi!
Traditionally, this category has been the easiest one to predict from article to article. Of course Jaws is going to win. So is Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. But for the first time since I started writing these retrospective looks at the Oscars, I found myself in a real conundrum: when you’re looking at the quality of a film, very few people at the time would have disagreed with the thought that Terms of Endearment was the best flick of the year. Although I don’t personally subscribe to that, it was a common belief, and you could see that with its representation at the Academy Awards in which it was nominated for 11 Oscars and it won five of them, including Best Picture. By comparison, Return of the Jedi was only nominated for four Academy Awards, and it didn’t win a single one. Instead, it only took home a Special Achievement Award For Visual Effects, as there was not a Visual Effects category that year. So why do we give this to Return of the Jedi? Well, this is where the popular part of Best Popular Film really comes into play. Terms of Endearment made an impressive $108 million domestically at the box office, and $165 million worldwide. However, Return of the Jedi, the epic conclusion to the original Star Wars trilogy, grossed $309 million domestically. That’s right: Return of the Jedi almost made double domestically what Terms of Endearment made worldwide. Damn. In total, Return of the Jedi made $475 million dollars globally. Plus, in terms of its lasting legacy, these two are incomparable. Return of the Jedi is still a beloved and treasured film to this day. It is lovingly passed along from generation to generation, and re-watched by millions on a regular basis. Terms of Endearment… not so much. In terms of legacy, while it is an entertaining and powerful film, it’s hardly ever spoken about these days, and is considered by many to be one of the weaker Best Picture winners. Additionally, there was eventually a sequel made about 15 years later called The Evening Star, but it was roasted by critics, and was a commercial bomb at the box office. There’s no real legacy to speak of. Frankly, if the box office was closer, I would probably go the other way on this. But with such a massive difference in support at the box office, and the everlasting cultural impact that we see to this day, the Best Popular Film has to go to Return of the Jedi.
So there we are — another year in the bank. We had a beloved dance classic, one of the greatest gangster movies of all time, and the conclusion to the original Star Wars trilogy. Yes, the holidays are right around the corner, but be sure to come back as we look at classics like The Terminator, Amadeus, and Ghostbusters. Join us next month as we return to the Oscars of 1985, celebrating the films of 1984!
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