Author: Mallory Fencil
Amid the Iran hostage crisis, Tony Mendez, a CIA agent, implements a plan in order to rescue American hostages from Tehran. Under the facade of making a film, Mendez works with the Canadian government on a mission now known as “Canadian Caper.” The 2012 film “Argo” tells the story of this mission. Not only does the film relate an engaging story in an extremely effective way, but also highlights the acting and directing skills of former Occidental student Ben Affleck. The film is nominated for seven Oscars, including Best Motion Picture. Despite winning the Golden Globe and British Academy Film awards for Best Motion Picture/Film and Best Director for “Argo,” Affleck was not nominated for this year’s Best Director Oscar.
Affleck is not the only director whose lack of nomination surprised the general public, Kathryn Bigelow (“Zero Dark Thirty” director and Best Director winner for “The Hurt Locker”), Quentin Tarantino (“Django Unchained”) and Tom Hooper (“Les Miserables” and the 2010 Best Director winner for “The King’s Speech”) were noticeably absent from the nomination announcements. Academy snubs are not as rare as one may think. Not only have the three aforementioned directors this year been glaringly left out, but there have been several directors, actors and films with an array of critical acclaim and cultural significance that have been conspicuously snubbed throughout Oscar history.
Kathryn Bigelow was the first woman to win the Best Director title for “The Hurt Locker” in 2009 but the director was not nominated for “Zero Dark Thirty,” a film thematically similar to her previous work. Despite being nominated twice, Quentin Tarantino has never won an Oscar for directing, thus joining the ranks of Charles Chaplin, Christipher Nolan, Guillermo del Toro and Alfred Hitchcock. “Vertigo,” the well known Hitchcock film, was not nominated for Best Picture in 1958, nor was Hitchcock nominated for best director. In fact, Hitchcock never won a directing Oscar.
Many actors and actresses have also been left out of the major Hollywood event throughout its history. Ingrid Bergman, the lead actress in “Casablanca,” was famously left out for her role in the 1942 film despite her spectacular performance in the recognizable classic. While he won the Best Picture for “Citizen Kane,” Orson Welles was not nominated for his acting in the title role.
Starring many noteworthy actors, including Bryan Cranston, John Goodman, and Alan Arkin, “Argo” continues to receive rave reviews that compliment the film’s well developed characters and engaging plot. Many spectacular performances and beautiful films have been left out of the Oscars despite being well known and loved for years following, and “Argo” is destined to follow in this path. Oscar nominations and awards have begun to lose their overall power, as directors are remembered for their works rather than their awards. Ben Affleck deserves to be acknowledged for “Argo” and although he was not nominated for the Oscar, his directing skills will most likely allow him a place in cinematographic history.
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