The year was 1992. I was eleven. I watched the Oscars all the way through for the first time. The Silence of the Lambs won Best Picture that year. I had seen it (where were my parents?), but I don’t claim to have seen every best picture nominee that year or since especially after they expanded the category. I have tried to tune in for every broadcast in as close to real-time as possible though.
I enjoy the pomp and circumstance of it all. The orderliness of the categories serving as a structure for interpretation, sometimes inspired, sometimes insipid. The entire ceremony is a mixed bag, with high and low lights. It’s a toss-up on what I’m tuning in for from year to year.
By the end of the night, history will have been made. Names will be written down that will appear again and again in the annals of the history of film. The Academy awards serve as a history of the times themselves. They’re not perfect, but I look forward to tuning in for the out-of-nowhere moments that hit you in the funny bone, the feels, or somewhere in between.
What films are you rooting for?
Boudreau Blog 