It may be the only time a Best Picture winner was correctly predicted by all two years in advance. When The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring was released to critical hosannas but A Beautiful Mind won Best Picture, we all looked at each other and said, "They're saving it for the third one." Sure enough, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King swept the season (I believe LAFCA was the only holdout, giving its Best Picture prize to American Splendor). When Oscar Night came, we all saw it coming:
Not a nailbiter, though that's a shame because all five nominees are pretty damn great. The nominees for Best Picture, ranked from 5th to 1st:
5. Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
produced by Samuel Goldwyn, Jr. / Duncan Henderson / Peter Weir
Goldwyn & Henderson's only nomination, Weir's only nomination in this category; BAFTA Award nominee for Best Film, Golden Globe nominee for Best Drama, National Board of Review's Top Ten Films of 2003, PGA Awards nominee for Best Picture
The year was full of epics about men against the odds, about friendship in the line of duty, about reconsidering the “honor” of battle. This one balanced them all superbly, taking time for amusing asides, appreciating the beauty of nature, and capturing in exquisite detail men at sea in the Napoleonic Wars. Lushly executed, yes, but its heart is with the people, not just the period, and they are as vivid as the sets and costumes. Russell Crowe, Paul Bettany, Robert Pugh, Lee Ingleby, all great.
4. Lost in Translation
produced by Sofia Coppola / Ross Katz
Coppola's only nomination in this category, Katz's second and last nomination; Golden Globe winner for Best Picture - Musical/Comedy; BAFTA Award nominee for Best Film, LAFCA Award runner-up for Best Picture, National Board of Review's Top Ten Films of 2003
I was a mess the first time I saw this movie, it reminded me of lonely travels I’d had in the past, the feelings of melancholy worsened by being in a city you just don’t know; and, too, it reminded me of my own experience of connecting with someone in an unfamiliar city, a whirlwind connection now lost. It doesn’t necessarily find new ways to express either after a certain point, making it feel a little overlong despite the runtime, but it begins and ends so strongly, I can forgive it.
3. Mystic River
produced by Clint Eastwood / Judie Hoyt / Robert Lorenz
Eastwood's second of five nominations with one win in this category, Hoyt's only nomination, Lorenz's first of three nominations; National Board of Review's Best Film of 2003; Golden Globe nominee for Best Picture - Drama, NYFCC Award runner-up forBest Film, PGA Awards nominee for Best Picture
What a tragic web we weave when we try to stay out of trouble, when we don’t talk about the things that haunt us, when we can’t admit we’re wrong. Of course, every mystery is about what people won’t say, but the constant clenched jaws and swallowed responses in Mystic River soon become something more than obstruction, but a societal pattern of masculine silence. “I can handle it” - you can’t! Talk to someone! Let someone in! Because when there’s murder, everyone’s silence becomes deafening.
2. Seabiscuit
produced by Kathleen Kennedy / Frank Marshall / Gary Ross
Kennedy's fourth of eight nominations, Marshall's fourth of five nominations, Ross's only nomination in this category; Golden Globe nominee for Best Picture - Drama, National Board of Review's Top Ten Films of 2003, PGA Awards nominee for Best Picture
The top two are very close. Seabiscuit feels like the last of a breed, a handsomely mounted, big studio historical drama about the American Spirit: we fight, fight, fight on, though we are broke, blind, and/or infirm. We pick ourselves up from tragedy, we reinvent ourselves, we sell the hell out of our new persona. That horse embodies the Forgotten Man, his triumphs are shared by all. Wonderful, witty history. A great movie!
1. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
produced by Peter Jackson / Barrie M. Osborne / Fran Walsh
Jackson's third of four nominations in this category, Osborne & Walsh's third and last nomination in this category; BAFTA Award winner for Best Film, Golden Globe winner for Best Picture - Drama, NYFCC Awards winner for Best Film, PGA Awards winner for Best Picture
One could argue over whether this is the best of the trilogy - certainly, one has argued in favor of the other two - but I don’t think one can argue with the achievement. Every film in this lineup is at least very good. This is a one-of-a-kind masterpiece, not just striking from a filmmaking perspective, but emotionally resonant with its portrayal of courage, friendship, loyalty, duty, and resilience.
My next post will be my favorites of 2003: this Sunday, look out for my Top Ten!
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