Didn't we just get done with the 74th Annual Academy Awards? But yes, the time is nearing, and the Academy is gearing up for its big 75th Anniversary celebration, and I have no doubt it will be huge.
The Academy has actually been celebrating Oscar's 75th anniversary most of this year, and the events continue. The celebration began back in May of this year, and if you're a resident of Los Angeles, you have perhaps been taking advantage of a wonderful screening series that the Academy has been running. Almost every Monday night since May, the Academy has been holding a special screening series called "Facets of the Diamond: 75 Years of Academy Best Pictures." Each Monday night, in the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater, they have been screening and are continuing to screen each Best Picture winning film in chronological order, continuing the series up through the Academy Awards in March. They are currently close to midway through the series, the next screening being the 1955 Best Picture, Marty.
This series is such an incredible idea ... what a way to relive not only Oscar history but film history as well, by seeing each year's Best Picture winning film, and seeing how the tastes of the Academy and the film medium itself have evolved over the past 75 years. The Academy has been making these some true fun events ... not only do they screen the Best Picture winner for each year, but also run a trailer for the next week's film, they typically run the Best Animated Short Subject winner that year before the film, and they run the year's Best Original Song as the evening's curtain music. In the last couple of evenings, they have dug up archival footage of the Academy Award nominations announcements made at the time when they were telecast. Before that, they would sometimes present film clips from that year's Academy Awards ceremonies. Oh, how that makes me wish again for a CD-ROM of Academy Awards moments, or the complete telecasts being released on DVD. Unfortunately, I don't live in Los Angeles, so I can't attend these screenings, but if you do live there, this is one not to miss. Tickets are only $5 for the general public and $3 for Academy members and students with a valid I.D. You can call 310-247-3000 ext 111 for more information.
