MovieChat Forums > Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) Discussion > This beat Apocalypse Now?!

This beat Apocalypse Now?!


I can't beleive that this glorified TV movie won the best picture and best director oscars over Apocalypse Now!

It's ridiculous! I guess the oscars were always about how Hollywood wanted to be perceived as opposed to rewarding merit...

Is this the biggest mistake the Oscars made or did the academy get it wrong in an even worse way?

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If you're expecting anything approaching lasting artistic integrity from the Academy Awards, you're kneeling before a worthless, golden calf. The very next year after it won, the Academy awarded another white family-in-turmoil movie, Ordinary People, the same prize. It goes without saying that cinematically Apocalypse Now is a far more accomplished and daring work than KvK (in the same way Raging Bull was widely considered one of the best films of the 80's though it was beat out by Ordinary People). History has a way of rectifying mistakes: how many people still discuss or care about Kramer Vs. Kramer now? It fit the mood of its era and has entertaining performances, but it is Apocalypse Now that has stayed relevant and has become a cultural touchstone whose popularity cuts across age and demographic lines. How many people who care about filmmaking still discuss Ordinary People or Chariots of Fire? How many people do you think will care about propaganda films like Hurt Locker or Argo twenty years from now? Be glad Apocalypse DIDN'T win more Oscars. It would have been proof the film was merely trendy, mediocre, and forgettable.

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Yeah, from recent years i'm certain Spotlight and possibly Birdman will be forgotten as well...

But I think The Wolf of Wall Street won't be forgotten... Perhaps Interstellar as well, although sci-fi is a tough genre...

I wonder what other Oscar winners and contenders from recent years will be reassessed by movie fans and the passage of time...

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Now that I've read this I can't believe it as well.
But... the situation is understandable. 'Apocalypse Now' was just another masterpiece, 'Kramer' was useful propaganda in need of pushing.

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I saw KvK on TV today. Good movie, but I was surprised to read later that it won all those awards. Seemed like a beefed-up Lifetime flick.

Apocalypse Now is considered the superior film today, even if it didn’t win. My guess is that the Academy has some fatigue over Brando, Capolla, and war movies.

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