Oscars: The Most Scandalous Moments in Oscar History Till Now?
In this article, we are going to remember the most Scandalous in the history of Oscar. The most followed and discussed film awards ceremony recently turned 95. With the Oscars preparing to celebrate a great edition, we cannot help but look at 2023 as a calendar year that marked one of the most appreciated seasons by the public and critics. Of course, there was the Barbenheimer phenomenon. Still, as a Poor Creature! at Spiderman: Across the Spiderverse many interesting and captivating productions brought millions of spectators to the theater. The Oscars thus close a memorable year, and we are certain that the ceremony will be followed by many (and perhaps above all) due to the great popularity of the nominated films.
Oscars: The Most Scandalous Moments in Oscar History Till Now?
Let’s not beat around the bush too much: beyond the catwalks on the red carpet, the stars on the cover, and the pre-ceremony marathons, an event of this magnitude is followed also because it is Hollywood. And Hollywood wouldn’t be the same without gossip or small (and large) scandals. The Oscars have always been the scene of embarrassing scenes, controversial episodes, or real shocks for pop culture: some are still there for all to see, others may have been forgotten. Let’s rediscover the 5 craziest and most discussed moments in the history of the Academy Awards, with an eye to any connections with the current edition.
1973: Marlon Brando Boycotts the Oscars
Still remembered today as one of the greatest actors of all time, Marlon Brando made cinema history. For many, the actor made his mark above all in the role of Don Vito Corleone in Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather: looking back at the Academy Awards that year, it was practically impossible that Brando did not win the Oscar. Yet, during the awards ceremony in 1973, the iconic actor refused to participate for very specific political reasons. In a surprising move, Brando not only allowed himself to boycott the ceremony but sent Apache actress Sacheen Littlefeather in her place to protest the treatment of Native Americans inside and outside the film industry.
An epochal event that greatly annoyed the members of the Academy and several of the actor’s colleagues at the time. Sacheen’s speech, still among the most impactful ever, was not even broadcast in its entirety: sources at the time agree that the actress had to reduce her speech to around 60 seconds under strong pressure from the steering committee, risking arrest for every word out of place. The good intentions of that speech unfortunately had the opposite effect: after that night, Sacheen’s career was definitively compromised. In 2022, practically 50 years after that evening, the Academy sent Sacheen a letter of official apology for the treatment meted out to her. This year, with the candidacy of Lily Gladstone, the circle could close definitively with the victory of a Native American, leaving hatred and discrimination in the past.
1974: “The Naked Man” Upsets the Oscars
Among the most embarrassing episodes in memory, there is one that still remains unbeaten today. In a period in which it seemed absurd to do crazy things worldwide, the 1974 ceremony discovered the meaning of the word “streaker”. “The intruder,” so to speak, was a man called Robert Opel, an activist and artist who managed to steal the show from David Niven and Liz Taylor before discovering the winner of the Best Picture Oscar. Opel appeared in front of the cameras completely naked, causing a stir in the room. Niven, with Olympic calm, managed to deflect a joke without however hiding his disappointment at what had happened.
Curious to say, but that evening Opel was not arrested and was not even kicked out of the event. Indeed, he obtained the space for an intervention with the press as happened with the winners of the statuettes: “We should be less ashamed of being naked in public! And then, it’s a crazy way to launch a career,” he declared, contemptuous of any danger. Contrary to the man’s ardent hopes, no one heard from him again until 1979, the year of his tragic death during a firefight.
1999: “Roberto!”
Although not a scandal per se, but rather the sweetest exaltation in a moment of great joy, Roberto Benigni’s contagious joy at the 71st Academy Awards left its mark among the most curious moments in the history of the Oscars. When Sophia Loren announced her, Life is Beautiful as the winner of Best International Film, Benigni climbed onto the theater seats to reach the stage in a completely unusual way (and with a little help from Steven Spielberg). After the embrace with the legendary actress, Benigni dispensed words of love for everyone present in the room.
His speech remains one of the funniest ever, and his work on the Holocaust (a theme that will be important again this year, not surprisingly) went on to win a total of three statuettes – Best Leading Actor, Best Soundtrack, and Best International Film, precisely. Will the same fate be reserved for Jonathan Glazer and him The Zone of Interest? Probably, with all due respect to the excellent goals achieved by Io Capitano and Matteo Garrone. Even confirming these predictions, it will be almost impossible to see the British director go unbalanced as happened to our compatriot.
2017: La La Land Wins the Oscar for Best Film (or maybe not?)
Moving on to more recent times, 2017 is a scandal that still hurts many today. The announcement of that year’s Best Picture Oscar winner represents an almost unforgettable moment for many fans and onlookers. Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty, two icons designated to present the statuette, unfortunately, received the wrong envelope and announced Damien Chazelle’s La La Land as the winner instead of Barry Jenkins’ Moonlight. Without taking anything away from the splendid work of the American director, many would not have had anything to say if Chazelle had triumphed with what remains his masterpiece today.
The announcement created quite a stir, with the Academy organizers having to block the celebrations by specifying the error. Ryan Gosling’s embarrassed face and Josh Horowitz’s delicacy undoubtedly remain the most memorable images of those very exciting moments, almost two sides of the same coin. On the one hand, the actor gave birth to one of the memes of the year; on the other, the second showed great style in handing the statuette to the winners and taking the reins of the impasse to openly congratulate them a few moments after the mistake.
2022: The “Slap” Oscars
To close the five (literally) most controversial moments, the episode that everyone remembers vividly in the year of a fairly colorless ceremony could not be missing. When the presenter of the 2022 edition, Chris Rock, launched into vitriolic jokes about those present in the room and in particular about Will Smith and his partner Jada Pinkett, the famous actor was unable to contain his anger and gave a slap to my colleague. An episode that sparked emotions for weeks and which started a long feud between the characters involved.
The most striking result in this sense, without a doubt, is the one linked to Smith’s career: from the year in which he could aspire to great things with his King Richard, Hollywood did not take that episode well and brought the actor to almost total inactivity. After that evening, Smith renounced his Academy card, publicly apologizing to Chris Rock and acknowledging in the following months that he had lost his temper – remembering, however, that you never know what happens in people’s lives and you always have to act pay attention to how we use our words. I’m sure there are many other episodes that you will remember for one reason or another, so let’s talk about them together, and let us know which one is at the top of your list!
