It is a poignant, dramatic story, inspired by true events, and probably in a context of war. It is also an American production which lasts at least 2 hours and a half. The film was produced and directed by men. Chances are you saw it in theaters as the holiday season approached.
You have just discovered the composite portrait of the film which currently wins the prestigious Oscar for best film.
Approaching the 95e Oscar ceremony, which will reward films released in 2022 on Sunday, The duty analyzed the characteristics of Best Picture winners since the awards were first presented in 1929. Here’s what they have in common — and what it could portend for the next winner.
A love for dramas and “biopics”
One characteristic is unmistakable among the films that walked away with the golden statuette presented at the end of the evening: the Academy perpetually rewards dramas and biographical films – which are generally also dramas. There are 45 dramas and 17 biographical films among the winners of the past 95 years, accounting for 66% of all winners.
“Among the Anglo-Saxons, the idea that we have of a great film, an Oscar-winning film, a film that stands out, is always a tragedy”, affirms from the outset the critic Michel Coulombe, film industry expert.
“Comedies, for example, are not on the radar [des membres de l’Académie]. They are not really in the finesse for most of them, ”he continues.
Biographical films frequently win Oscars for similar reasons — their dramatic tone, their stature, the importance of the story they tell. In the last decade alone, almost half of the winning films were inspired by real people or events: Green’s Book (VF of Green Book), spotlight, Slave for twelve years (12 Years a Slave) And Argo.
But the great presence of these biographical accounts is also explained by the public’s attachment to the characters and historical events depicted, believes Mr. Coulombe. This year, a film like Elvisnominated for the prestigious award, enjoys not only public appreciation for Austin Butler’s acting, but also public love for the man who is nicknamed “The King of Rock”.
“It’s the emotional that we sell. In biographical films there is a reference to something [de réel]. And in addition, when it is a well-known personality, we benefit from this notoriety, ”underlines Mr. Coulombe, who also gives Bohemian Rhapsody for example. The film depicting the life of Freddie Mercury was nominated for the Best Picture Oscar in 2019.
Many dramas also revolve around war. A total of 20 films — the fifth of Oscar winners in history — referenced a war. A trend that can be explained in particular by American values linked to patriotism, according to Mr. Coulombe.
“In Canada and Quebec, we are rarely at war. While the United States is still on the front lines. […] Patriotism is extremely important to them. If there’s one thing that unites Democrats and Republicans, it’s the respect we owe veterans. It goes without saying that these values are then put forward in American productions, believes the critic.
A long film for a “great” story
Terrifyingly long, Best Picture Oscar winners? Historically, films that have won the statuette have averaged 137 minutes (2 hours 28 minutes). That’s a bit longer than the average for US mainstream movies, which is usually around 100-120 minutes (1 hour 40 minutes to 2 hours).
For Michel Coulombe, the length of the Oscar-winning films is explained by the stature they try to embody. “A great film is about a ‘great’ subject, about something important. We are not in entertainment. A “great” film imposes a duration to unfold the story. »
This trend of films stretching well beyond 2 hours, however, seems to have diminished in recent years. Only two crowned films in the last 10 years have surpassed the 130 minute mark (2 hours 10 minutes). On average, winners last decade lasted 121 minutes, 16 minutes less than the historical average.
Producers in the foreground
Very few women can boast of having produced a film that won the Oscar for best picture. Before 1950, this was awarded to the production company, but since 1951, the statuette has been given to the producer of the work. Only ten films to have won the grand prize had a woman among the producers, in 70 years, representing less than 15% of the winners.
Women were nevertheless present in the years of silent cinema, notes Mr. Coulombe. “But when talkies arrived, people in the industry thought, ‘now it’s serious business.’ Women have literally disappeared. »
It took decades to see some reversal of the trend. Of the ten finalists this year, four films have a woman in their production team.
This is also true for their presence in directing positions. Since the very first ceremony in 1929, only three women have been the film directors winning the Best Picture Oscar. Two of those victories have come in the past two years: Sian Heder for CODA in 2022 and Chloé Zhao the year before for nomadland. Kathryn Bigelow was the first director to win the top prize for The Hurt Locker in 2008.
“All sorts of prejudices have excluded women from this field. We now see that there is a reversal of the trend, and in Quebec too,” rejoices Mr. Coulombe.
Oscar season
Can a release date predict an Oscar winner? According to the results of the analysis of the release dates of the winners of the last 94 years, the schedule is an important factor for the nominees for the best picture. And the ideal time slot is towards the last months of the year.
Historically, 21 winning films (22%) were released to the general public in December. With the winners of October and November, 45% of the winners leave during the last three months of the year. January ranks third among winners.
Of the last ten winners, eight appeared in theaters in October, November or December. This was also the case for twelve out of sixteen films (75%) since 2006.
It’s no coincidence, according to the critic, who notes that the studios strategically plan the release date of the films they hope to see nominated towards the end of the year so that they remain fresh in the minds of voters. . It’s also not uncommon, he notes, for some films to be ready for release at the start of a year, but are deliberately held back for months in order to hit theaters later in the year.
“It’s been like this for years, we know that it’s a model that works. Except that there, the cards are scrambled because we are at the time of films broadcast directly on the platforms of streaming “, explains the one who directed the Rendez-vous du cinema québécois.
Last year’s winner, CODA, was released in August 2021 on the Apple TV+ platform. The winner of the year before, nomadlandwas simultaneously released in theaters and on Hulu in the United States in February.
Mixed reviews
Do the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences picks reflect audience favourites? To measure it, The duty analyzed user ratings taken from the Internet Movie Database (IMDb), an online database of world cinema.
Only four winners obtained a score of 9/10 or more from their audience: The Godfather, The Godfather: Part II, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King And Schindler’s List. Users left, on average, a rating of 7.7/10 for the 94 winning films. A modest result, considering that it is the most prestigious distinction of the ceremony?
This is not a popularity contest, nuance Mr. Coulombe. “Otherwise, we’d just take the top ten Marvel box office movies,” he jokes.
In addition, several factors can bias the ratings of platform users. The Internet Movie Database cannot, for example, ensure that a user has indeed viewed the film before assigning a rating to it. A user could also view a film from the 1930s today without grasping and appreciating the cinematic context of the time, Coulombe adds.
The fact remains, however, that several winning films of the past were disconnected from the choice of critics and audiences, he admits. “There are a bunch of lists of the worst winners. Green Book, Crash and even CODA are often part of it”, he gives as an example.
This year, however, several blockbusters beloved by the general public were nominated in the prestigious category, such as Avatar. The way of the water, Top Gun Maverick And Everything Everywhere all at Once. Proof that the Academy is increasingly trying to represent popular choices and move away from its elitist reputation.
” [En 2023]we are in very different registers, Top Gun And Elvisit is not at all in the same family as Everything Everywhere all at Once. Then, with All Quiet on the Western Front, we are completely elsewhere. This year, I can say that we represent diversity,” he concludes.