Updated with Acceptance Speech Videos!
The Governors Awards are in swing in Los Angeles and though I am in sweatpants typing from my rented apartment and not in a tux (maybe next year if the cinematic gods shine down on The Film Experience?) just being in the same zip code is somehow comforting. Maybe that's because I feel more invested after our Honorary Oscar miniseries. We should have been doing this every year at TFE! It's a shame that at nearly every corner of the internet, the Honorary winners are basically just as neglected as they are by the Academy on the big night. So I feel proud of our efforts at paying them homage just as awards season explodes. Which is does tonight, in fact; basically anyone hoping for an Oscar nomination is in that room tonight... but more on the attendees soon.
This is the lady we're most happy is there ... Maureen O'Hara. She just turned 94 so it took the Academy long enough!
Maureen O'Hara arrives at the Governors Awards
Maureen O'Hara's speech
"Sorry, got lost thinking about my first crush again." - Liam Neeson pausing while introducing Maureen O'Hara at the #GovAwards
— The Academy (@TheAcademy) November 9, 2014
Liam Neeson and Clint Eastwood gave speeches about her and apparently O'Hara sang a bit of "Danny Boy" in her own speech. One of her fellow Honorary winners even expressed his O'Hara fandom through a translator. If you missed any of our pieces on the Queen of Technicolor Nathaniel revisited the breakthrough The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939), and her ravishing leading lady years via Black Swan (1942), while Andrew related to her skepticism in Miracle on 34th Street (1947). Abstew pulled double duty, looking at O'Hara's personal favorite The Quiet Man (1952) -- which is usually the film cited when people marvel that she was never Oscar-nominated -- and her 40something comeback as the sexy, funny and dazzling mother of scheming twins in The Parent Trap (1961).
Though we've long been on record here as being perplexed as to why so many Honorary Oscars are given to people who've already won the statue, that should in no way read as a lack of respect or fandom of those who have already won. And the two men who added an additional gold man to their shelves, Japanese master Hayao Miyazaki and French screenwriter Jean-Claude Carriere, are both absurdly accomplished.
John Lasseter paid tribute to Hayao Miyazaki
Miyazaki's acceptance speech
"Miyazaki-san is the most original filmmaker ever to work in our medium," John Lasseter at the #GovAwards
— The Academy (@TheAcademy) November 9, 2014
John Lasseter spoke on Miyazaki's incredible cinematic contributions and once again drew the connection between Disney and Miyazaki as the twin giants of the art form. In our Honorary Oscar coverage, Tim gave us a rundown of Miyazaki-isms from his beloved canon and Manuel revisited Naussicaä of the Valley of the Wind.
Carriere has written 135 films. Makes me feel lazy. He gave a shout out to all film writers: "We all thank you," he said.
— Alex Gibney (@alexgibneyfilm) November 9, 2014
Carriere's speech
Because Carriere is the least famous of the Honorary recipients this year and because writers are often invisible to even the people who love their work, we chose a representative film from both major halves of his career. Amir looked at the early years and his collaborations with Luis Buñuel through That Obscure Object of Desire (1977) and since after Buñuel, Carriere often wrote prestige literary adaptations, Timothy looked at The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988).
Belafonte's acceptance speech
"I am not here to honor you, Mr. Belafonte. I'm here to thank you." - Chris Rock #GovAwards
— The Academy (@TheAcademy) November 9, 2014
The Jean Hersholt Huminatarian honors closes the festivities. This last prize, which is always lumped with Honorary Oscars and an Oscar in form is different in that it's not technically about their contributions to cinema but to the larger world with their charity, activism, outreach or empathy.
Danny Glover with Harry BelafonteSidney Poitier, Susan Sarandon and Chris Rock honored the actor/singer/activist Harry Belafonte. Since we're a film blog rather than a political blog we focused mostly on the arts though Nathaniel worked in a bit of activism into the Beetlejuice (1988) post on Belafonte's recording career. Special guest Teo Bugbee spoke on behalf of the undervalued operative musical Carmen Jones (1954) and Glenn sang the praises of 80s dance curio Beat Street (1984).
The Film Experience congratulates all four winners... but especially O'Hara since we campaigned for her. This is the second year in a row that AMPAS selected one of our "pretty please" top ten female suggestions*. Let's make it three in a row next year, shall we? Deneuve, Rowlands, Day and Ullman are waiting!
From left to right: Belafonte, Miyazaki, Carriere, and O'Hara
*if you're new to Oscar fanaticism we only suggest women since Oscar historically needs a very big push in that direction since their Honorary selections skew very very male. Some years there aren't any women at all.
Oscars.org will share video highlights of the ceremony tomorrow.