Oscars Playback: When ‘Chariots of Fire’ outran ‘Reds’ for the gold
Welcome back to Oscars Playback, in which Gold Derby editors and Experts Christopher Rosen and Joyce Eng revisit Oscar ceremonies and winners of yesteryear. This week, we cover the 54th Academy Awards in 1982, honoring the films of 1981.
Thanks to its leading 12 nominations, most assumed Oscar night would be seeing red, er, “Reds” walk away with the top prize. Warren Beatty‘s ambitious historical epic netted him acting, directing, writing and producing nominations, the second time he achieved the feat after 1978’s “Heaven Can Wait,” but Beatty wound up only winning Best Director. Best Picture turned into a race between “Reds,” surprise hit “On Golden Pond” — the second highest-grossing film of the year and 10-time nominee — and Olympics drama “Chariots of Fire,” a seven-time nominee. Going into the final award, the three films had each won three Oscars. And in the kind of upset we see more in sports than awards shows, “Chariots of Fire” took home the gold. This was the 16th time Best Picture and Best Director had split.
SEE Oscars Playback: When ‘Ordinary People’ knocked out ‘Raging Bull’
“On Golden Pond” may not have won Best Picture, but it made a killing above the line, taking Best Adapted Screenplay and both lead prizes for Henry Fonda and Katharine Hepburn. It was the first competitive win for Fonda, who was too ill to attend the ceremony (his daughter Jane Fonda, who was nominated for “On Golden Pond” herself, accepted on his behalf). Fonda, who received an honorary Oscar the year prior, died four and a half months later at 77 from heart disease. Hepburn scored her record-setting fourth acting Oscar — and all in lead — an achievement that has yet to be matched.
Elsewhere, we discuss “Chariots of Fire’s” iconic score by Vangelis, the inaugural Best Makeup award and more.
Timestamps:
Intro (0:00)
Our favorite films of 1981 (2:09)
Ceremony thoughts (14:11)
Best Picture (26:49)
Best Director (45:42)
Best Actor (52:28)
Best Actress (1:06:49)
Best Supporting Actor (1:16:42)
Best Supporting Actress (1:21:04)
Screenplay awards (1:25:06)
Other categories (1:26:33)
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