Meryl Streep, the forever nominated and arguably the greatest actress of our current time, won only her third Oscar in 17 nominations. While her last Oscar win was in 1982 for Sophie’s Choice and prior to that for the 1980 film Kramer versus Kramer, the Oscar for her portrayal of Prime Minister Margret Thatcher in the film The Iron Lady was a true reward for her craftsmanship and mastery of the craft of acting.
The Help was not left out of the big six awards with Octavia Spencer winning her first Oscar for her portrayal of a brassy maid who was not afraid of making her voice heard ,nor of making her special pie, to make a statement that will surely live on in the minds of audiences forever. Not to be outdone, veteran actor Christopher Plummer won for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of a gay father who after 44 years of marriage comes to terms with his sexuality with his son in the film Beginners. Plummer’s win, at the age of 82, made him the oldest actor to ever win an Oscar.
Billy Crystal once again gave some credibility to role of host for the Oscars. He truly couldn’t have made it worse than last year’s debacle of James Franco and Anne Hathaway. A true highlight of the night came from Cirque De Soleil’s tribute to the experience of film making. Equally interesting were the shorts provided in the form of interviews of many A-list actors describing what it means to them to be in film and why they work as an actor.
While there was not one dominate film in this year’s Oscars this was a year of great performances and magnificent story telling. A true lover of film must be satisfied with this year’s Oscar awards for this year was the year of art and artistry. This was not a year about special effects and ticket sales. The Artist gives hope to all struggling artists, keep trying and keep chasing the dream, it can happen.
For a complete listing of the winners of the 84 Annual Academy Awards go to www.oscar.com
