Since Cedric Gibbons, artistic director of MGM, sketched the Oscar on a linen napkin in 1927, the golden statuette remains the most important award in the history of cinema. It was a naked knight holding a sword to his feet, leaning on a five-spoke film reel symbolizing the initial areas of the Academy: actors, writers, producers, directors, and technicians.
Gibbons' wife, the Mexican cinema legend Dolores del Río, suggested that Emilio 'Indio' Fernández -Mexican actor and director- serve as a model for sculptor George Stanley to shape the Oscar. Its baptismal name is owed to Margaret Herrick, librarian of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), who upon seeing the statuette exclaimed: "Wow, it looks like my uncle Oscar!"
The first Academy Awards ceremony took place at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel on May 16, 1929, in front of a handful of illustrious names. In its first decade, the Oscar was tainted by injustice and repression.
In that era of segregation, Hattie McDaniel made history as the first black performer to win the award, in her case for Best Supporting Actress in Gone with the Wind (1939). But it was an insult to her to be forced to sit separately from her white colleagues.
Many of them supported her, even considered not attending, but nothing changed.
Decades later, the first black male performer to win was Sidney Poitier for his leading role in Lilies of the Field in 1964, and the first black actress to win the Oscar for Best Actress was Halle Berry in 2002 for Monster's Ball. In terms of race, Michelle Yeoh was the first woman of Asian descent to take home the award for Best Actress for Crazy Rich Asians.
From the mid-40s to the 50s, the industry faced one of its darkest periods, McCarthyism or, as it is popularly known, the witch hunt.Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Gene Kelly, or Judy Garland stood against the accusations against the communist filmmakers, including director Edward Dmytryk (Crossfire, The Caine Mutiny) and screenwriter Dalton Trumbo (Spartacus, Roman Holiday).
One of the most famous informants was Elia Kazan (On the Waterfront, A Streetcar Named Desire), who in 1999 received an honorary Oscar for his career, which caused old wounds to continue to sting. Many colleagues did not applaud, such as Ed Harris, Amy Madigan, or Nick Nolte.
In more recent times, stars have experienced stumbles and mishaps worthy of being recorded in history. When Jennifer Lawrence went to collect her Best Actress award for Silver Linings Playbook, she fell while climbing the stairs in her Dior Haute Couture gown.
Another Jennifer, in this case Lopez, had a major stumble when leaving the stage after presenting the award for Best Costume Design to Milena Canonero, but she reacted by grabbing onto Chris Pine's arm. Another performer, Rami Malek, fell down the stairs after winning Best Actor in 2019 for Bohemian Rhapsody, the Freddie Mercury biopic.
When it comes to mishaps, undoubtedly, Will Smith takes the cake, who at the 94th edition in 2022, stood up from his seat and shouted, "take my wife's name out of your f***ing mouth" before delivering a big slap to Chris Rock after several comments were made about his wife, Jada Pinkett's physical appearance. Ironically, a few minutes later, Smith would win the award for The Williams Method.
In 2014, the most retweeted selfie in history took place when host Ellen Degeneres set out to take a photo with Brad Pitt, Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Angelina Jolie... but as her arm wasn't long enough, Bradley Cooper was the one who pressed the button. Unfortunately, Liza Minnelli, who would have been thrilled to be in the picture, was left out of the frame.
A few years later, specifically in 2022, the Academy once again disrespected her when they made her appear in a wheelchair on stage with Lady Gaga to present the Oscar for Best Picture. Previously, the star of Cabaret stated that she wanted to appear in a director's chair suitable for her, as in 2000 she suffered from viral encephalitis that led to motor problems. The directors and producers flatly refused.
This Sunday, March 15th, marks the 98th Oscars ceremony where Sinners has set a record as the most nominated film in history in 16 categories. Thus, it has surpassed All About Eve, Titanic, or La La Land, which received 14 nominations.