Originally posted by Hotpuppy
The reaction of the audience at the Academy Awards when Kazan received his award was disgraceful.
i was at the office at that moment. however, i had arranged in advance for 3 different friends to watch at home and to call me with their reports on how it looked live. later, i saw newsclips of the event.
Karl Malden introduced the presenters of the special Oscar. Malden had bitterly opposed Kazan politically. thus, Malden's earlier lobbying of the Academy on behalf of Kazan's artistic greatness had been instrumental in the Academy's controversial decision to give Kazan that year's Life Achievement Award.
the presenters were Martin Scorcese and Robert DeNiro. their greatest collaboration, and one of the most critically acclaimed films of all time,
Raging Bull, was a virtual
homage to the style of filmmaking Kazan had been one of the pioneers of.
on their feet, applauding with great enthusism, were Meryl Streep and Warren Beatty. sitting and scowling in alcoholic semi-stupor, were Nick Nolte and Alec Baldwin.
given the respective intelligence and/or character of these personages, there were no great surprises that night.