MovieChat Forums > Mistérios de Lisboa (2020) Discussion > Not submitting this movie to the Oscars ...

Not submitting this movie to the Oscars was a bad move

posted 12 years ago by sleeepyhead
6 replies | jump to latest

Instead Portugal went with a documentary about portuguese author Jose Saramago, "Jose e Pilar", which is a good movie too, but stood no chance by the usual standards of the Academy.
The main reason that people who supported "Jose e Pilar" presented was the fact that Raoul Ruiz wasn't portuguese, hence the nod/award wouldn't exactly go to Portugal. Still it is definitely a portuguese film, with portuguese production, portuguese cast and crew, set in Portugal... And an excellent film!

I know a lot of people don't give a *beep* about the Oscars (and rightly so), but for a country like Portugal which has zero budget for its cinema (and for art in general), a nod would be kind of a big deal and could contribute to a change.

They missed a great chance here, as proven by lots of critics circles and associations, like the Satellite Awards and the Toronto Film Critics, who named it Best Foreign Language Picture. Plus, the director died that year, and let's face it, we all know how that can raise oscar buzz.

If "Misterios de Lisboa" was submitted, "A Separation" would finally have some competition.

[–] Eumenides_0 12 years ago

I thought José e Pilar had been submitted for Best Documentary.

It is indeed a pity this movie wasn't nominated for Best Foreign Picture. I think it's one of the few times (the only one?) when a Portuguese movie was good enough to compete. The fact that it was directed by a Chilean director doesn't bother me, but it does say something about the lack of talent in Portuguese filmmakers. The fact is they're not very good, and Portuguese people in general roll their eyes at Portuguese cinema. I confess I only watched this movie because I knew it was not directed by a Portuguese but by a brilliant filmmaker whose past movies I had enjoyed. I wouldn't have paid to watch this if it had been directed by Manoel de Oliveira, that's for sure.

This world is a comedy to those that think, a tragedy to those that feel.

[–] sleeepyhead 12 years ago

"Jose e Pilar" was submitted for Best Documentary and for Best Foreign Language Picture.

There are good filmmakers in Portugal, they just don't get enough support.

[–] emvan 12 years ago

Wouldn't this have been submitted the previous year, though? It was a 2010 release in its own country.

Of course, the previous year Foreign Film Oscar went inexplicably to In a Better World, a solid, decent, film, but nothing in a class with Poetry, Incendies, or this, and not nearly as good as Dogtooth or Even the Rain. All of these but Dogtooth were released in the U.S. in 2011. It does get confusing.

Prepare your minds for a new scale of physical, scientific values, gentlemen.

[–] sleeepyhead 12 years ago

Yeah, that happens a lot in the Foreign Language category. For example, a movie may be released later in a year, when his country had already submitted a movie. In that case, it may be submitted the next year.

That was the case with "Misterios de Lisboa", so it was eligible to the 2012 Oscars, just like "Dogtooth" was to the 2011's, despite being a 2009 movie. "Morrer Como Um Homem" ("To Die Like a Man") was the portuguese submission to the 2011 Oscars.

[–] Eumenides_0 12 years ago

If anything, I'd have loved to see it get a nomination for Best Cinematography: the palette and camera angles were dazzling!

This world is a comedy to those that think, a tragedy to those that feel.

[–] rebornandgrow 10 years ago

Portuguese "are stupid" and live in such "little and poor country".
That's amazing.

And i thought Portugal's total coastline was larger that any US state except Alaska, and there are regions in the country that are richest that most of the Western World.

LOL

Nobody cares about the Oscars, they don't give anything new to a work of art, and Portugal couldn't care less about it. Actually oscars are not related to art but with the industry.

A country that is almost celebrating 900 years - what planet do you live in?

"it would be historic winning an oscar" - joke of the year! Joke of the last 3 years!