4.
Some social problems concerning blacks still exist despite Obama’s elelction.
De-hua Cao
One of Hollywood’s “celluloid ceilings” has been
smashed now that Kathryn Bigelow has become the first female ever to win a Best
Director Oscar.
“There’s no other way to describe it,
it’s the moment of a lifetime,” said a clearly overwhelmed Bigelow, at the
awards ceremony in Los Angeles,
on Sunday.
She was up against the highest grossing film of all
time, Avatar. But Bigelow’s small-budget film, The Hurt Locker, swept the
awards with six trophies, including Best Director, Best Original Screenplay,
and the big one: Best Picture.
But all eyes were on Bigelow, as her movie about an
explosive disposal unit in the Iraq War beat Avatar to the major awards. This
was sweetened by the fact Avatar’s director, James Cameron, is her ex-husband.
Bigelow played down the momentous occasion last week,
telling CBS, “There’s really no difference between what I do and what a might do. I mean we all try to
make our days, we all try to give the best performances we can, we try to make
our budget, we try to make the best movie we possibly can. So in that sense
it’s very similar.”
“On the other hand, I think the journey for women, no
matter what venue it is–politics, business, film–it’s a long journey.”
Ironically Bigelow’s cinematic journey could not have
strayed farther from the path of female directors before her. Her filmography is filled with action movies that are low on
female leads and high on guns and steel. Her films focus on men: their fears,
bonds and rites of passage.
The Hurt Locker is in the same style. The war pic features an anti-hero, William James (Jeremy Renner who
was also nominated for the Best Actor Oscar), leading a crew of competing male
egos in removing roadside bombs around Iraq. James is addicted to risk
taking and enjoys putting his fellow soldiers in constant peril. Many scenes
feature dramatic confrontations of clashing male personalities.
By focusing on these male relationships, critics
praised The Hurt Locker for avoiding overt political statements (something
Avatar was heavily criticized for), and instead painting a truthful picture of
modern war.
And is there an entertaining end to the story of
Bigelow’s victory? She won on International Women’s Day. It is, after all, Hollywood.