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When the Gladiator meets the Tiger tonight, the traditions of the academy will prevail.
By STEVE PERSALL
© St. Petersburg Times, published March 25, 2001
Gladiator came, moviegoers saw and the Roman Empire epic will conquer tonight's 73rd annual Academy Awards show.
But not without a fight.
We already saw a sneak preview of this Oscar showdown and didn't realize it. Remember that scene in Gladiator when Maximus, played by Russell Crowe, battles a snarling, crouching tiger? The big kitty didn't win then, either.
Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was, in my opinion, the best film of 2000. However, it's shackled by Academy Awards tradition just as Gladiator's tiger was chained to that arena floor.
No foreign-language film has ever won the best picture Oscar. It's inevitable, given the quality cinema that crosses our borders and the academy's growing respect for subtitled films. Voter response in recent years to Life Is Beautiful, Il Postino, Central Station and now Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon are positive signs of acceptance.
Academy members obviously admired Lee's movie, giving it 10 nominations, the most ever for an import. Giving the foreign film prize to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon -- and maybe a few more statuettes -- enables voters to feel good about themselves in the morning.
Gladiator leads the pack with 12 nominations, making it a solid favorite to reign as best picture. Ridley Scott's movie is everything the academy traditionally honors: epic adventure cloaked in grand costumes and settings where everyone speaks English.
Gladiator is titanic enough for Oscar immortality.
I would be pleasantly shocked if academy members took the next step in artistic diversity and named Lee's film as the best of 2000.
It won't happen. Just like Ellen Burstyn won't win the best actress Oscar for her astounding performance in Requiem for a Dream. Like composer Randy Newman won't end his string of Oscar-less nominations at 13. Like the show won't run on schedule.
But Hollywood's annual back-slapping party is usually good for a twisted surprise or two. Maybe it's a gibberish acceptance speech (Julia Roberts is the odds-on favorite here) or an ill-conceived dance number such as Debbie Allen's tap dance choreography for Saving Private Ryan.
Allen's back this year, so we could witness a toxic waste interpretive dance for Erin Brockovich.
Steve Martin's droll observations of the absurd should come in handy in his first stint as Oscar host.
Martin would probably agree that guessing how the academy voted is a fool's game. But it's as much a part of Oscar tradition as red carpets, dull tributes and cleavage.
Here are one fool's picks:
Picture: Gladiator wins hands-down and an emperor's thumb up. The movie with the most nominations has won 17 times in the past 18 years, and that's a hard statistic to ignore. The exception: The Silence of the Lambs (seven nominations) over Bugsy (10) in 1991.
Foreign language film: Voters bow to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon here, allowing the same sharing of Oscar riches as Life Is Beautiful and Shakespeare in Love two years ago and Z vs. Midnight Cowboy in 1969.
Actor: Russell Crowe rides Gladiator's tunic tails to the Oscar, as Charlton Heston did with Ben-Hur in 1959. Crowe has a big advantage as the only nominee from a best picture finalist (13 winners since 1982).
Actress: The safest bet of the evening is Julia Roberts. She's everything the academy admires: a genuine movie star, a woman at the top of a male-dominated industry and a performer shifting creative gears in Erin Brockovich. Oh, yeah, her performance was very good too.
Supporting actor: Best category of the night. Benicio Del Toro has a slight edge because voters want to give some major prize to Traffic and he has been collecting trophies. Career achievement votes for Jeff Bridges and Albert Finney could spring an upset.
Supporting actress: Oscar voters often use supporting categories to anoint new stars. Kate Hudson is ready to move from Almost Famous to complete celebrity. Unless voters fall for Judi Dench's usual wisdom-in-a-shawl routine again, Hudson's the pick, just like mom Goldie Hawn (Cactus Flower) in 1969.
Director: Steven Soderbergh wouldn't play favorites with either of his nominations, so voters are probably split between Traffic and Erin Brockovich. The Directors Guild of America cited Ang Lee for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, so he's the choice here. Gladiator momentum could reward Ridley Scott, though.
Adapted screenplay: Stephen Gaghan's Traffic script masterfully juggled 35 speaking parts, political fireworks and engrossing, topical drama.
Original screenplay: There must be some reason Soderbergh and Roberts suddenly looked so good in Erin Brockovich. Voters will give credit, and further balance the overall Oscar giveaway, by honoring Susannah Grant's screenplay.
Cinematography: Another showdown of action epics. Gladiator and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon share the huge casts and sweeping vistas voters prefer. Historically, this category is a decent tip-off to the best picture results. Gladiator wins a split decision.
Film editing: For some odd reason, the longest movie often wins this category. Gladiator beats Traffic by seven minutes.
Original score: Tan Dun's percussive music for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was instrumental to the film's breathless pacing.
Original song: Bob Dylan joins the recent list of Oscar rockers (Bruce Springsteen, Elton John, Phil Collins) with his moody Things Have Changed from Wonder Boys. His acceptance speech, however, may require subtitles.
Art direction: Goes hand in hand with the cinematography award. Gladiator's set design and detailed reconstruction of Rome provided the year's most compelling atmosphere.
Costume design: Armor and silks, togas and chain mail. Gladiator also sported the best duds of any movie last year.
Makeup: Oscar must shine at least once on the highest-grossing movie of 2000. Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas steals a statuette.
Sound: Radar blips, roaring winds and crashing waves make The Perfect Storm a perfect selection.
Sound effects editing: Only two nominees, neither memorable. Clint Eastwood's clout should give the edge to his Space Cowboys.
Visual effects: The repulsive Hollow Man broke more ground, but Gladiator's computer-generated tigers, arenas and fire fights should win the Oscar.
Animated short: Who knows? We rarely see them until after the fact, if ever. Let's go with The Periwig-Maker for its dark, anti-cartoon setting (Europe's plague years) and star voicing (Kenneth Branagh).
Live action short: I saw Peter Riegert's By Courier at the Telluride Film Festival and adored his version of O Henry's romantic tale. Reigert would become the first Animal House graduate to win an Academy Award.
Documentary feature: Holocaust stories have won four of the past five years in this category. Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport should continue the trend.
Documentary short: The IMAX film Dolphins was enjoyed locally, but The Man on Lincoln's Nose sounds like a Hollywood favorite: a tribute to production designer Robert Boyle with filmmakers Alfred Hitchcock (North by Northwest) and Norman Jewison (Fiddler on the Roof; The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming).