On Saturday, November 28th, at this year's Governors Awards, we'll finally see the amazing Angela Bassett with an Oscar statuette befitting her talents and incredible career. After she lost the Best Supporting Actress trophy at the 95th Academy Awards, netizens everywhere decried another injustice committed against one of the most important African-American thespians working today, mourning an Oscar-less status many think should have been rectified way back in 1993. Hopefully, they feel vindicated now. Indeed, if nothing else, this proves how much the industry is behind Bassett, making one wonder how close the vote was between her and Jamie Lee Curtis...
While Angela Bassett's statuette is honorary, it still counts as a victory. Maybe even more so since, ideally, you only need to deliver one outstanding feat to win a competitive prize. For these honorary titles, however, a lifetime's worth of work is considered. Hers isn't the only such legacy to be thus honored this year.
Should artists who already won competitive Oscars be eligible for honorary trophies? I would say yes, underlining these awards' conceptualization as a career celebration rather than a dreaded make-up prize. So, though one might grumble that AMPAS should have picked someone other than EGOT-winner Mel Brooks to receive one of these Academy Awards, the selection is amply justifiable. After all, few filmmakers have so thoroughly redefined big-screen comedy as The Producers' auteur. Moreover, after that 1968 hit and its Best Original Screenplay win, Brooks struggled to be on the Academy's radar. One wirting nod for Young Frankenstein and a Song nomination for Blazing Saddles aren't enough.
The next trailblazer to win an Honorary Oscar is film editor Carol Littleton, who's only been nominated once for Hollywood's most coveted golden idol. That was in 1982 when the cineaste was recognized for cutting Spielberg's E.T., perfecting its sense of wondrous adventure, sci-fi action culminating in a tear-jerker farewell. It's puzzling she was never again in the running for Oscar when one looks at Littleton's filmography. She's been responsible for assembling many an awards magnet, including The Big Chill, Places in the Heart, and The Accidental Tourist.
In the 90s, she was a maverick of the erotic thriller, taking cues from classic noir when editing titles like White Palace and the Paul Newman-led Twilight. Furthermore, from blockbuster westerns to Noah Baumbach indies, passing through Demme's ambitious Beloved, Littleton's filmography is a treasure trove full of variety. Beyond her work on film, the editor should also be recognized for her efforts as vice president of the Motion Picture Editors Guild, her tenure on the Board of Directors of American Cinema Editors, and her service in the Academy's own Board of Governors, representing the editors branch.
Finally, the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award goes to Michelle Satter, best known for her work within the Sundance Film Festival and as founding senior director of the Institute's Artist Programs. Her efforts to support independent voices span over four decades and five continents, much of her legacy focused on the extension of the Sundance programs beyond the borders of American cinema. In recent years, she's been focusing on the Sundance Collab, a virtual platform that hopes to be a learning resource for the storytelling community all around the world. It's impossible to overstate Satter's impact, having played a vital role in many major filmmakers' careers.
For perspective, this year's honorees join a prestigious group that includes such names as Peter Weir, Liv Ullmann, Elaine May, Samuel L. Jackson, Lina Wertmüller, David Lynch, Cicely Tyson, Agnès Varda, Donald Sutherland, Charles Burnett, Frederick Wiseman, Gena Rowlands, Maureen O'Hara, Steve Martin, Angela Lansbury, James Earl Jones, Jean-Luc Godard and many, many more. One might even say it's a more illustrious selection than those who've won competitive Academy Awards.
Are you satisfied with the Academy's choices? What other names should AMPAS consider for honorary honors in the future?