Podcast: Smackdown '72 Conversation

Part Two of the Smackdown of 1972. (Part One ICYMI)

 

You've read our blurbs about Oscar's Supporting Actress Nominees of 1972, a fascinating bunch. Now hear the in-depth conversation that goes along with it. Nathaniel welcomes actresses Donna Lynne Champlin (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend) and Kathy Deitch (American Horror Story: Freakshow) as well as writer/directors Arun Welandawe-Prematilleke and Eric Blume to discuss these talented women and their time capsule movies. Come with us to 1972! Find out which movie is accurately described as "hot garbage," which inspired a musical spoof, and marvel that the Smackdown winners were somehow the performances we were actually most divided on.

You can listen to the podcast right here at the bottom of the post or download from iTunes. 

Supporting Actresses of 1972

Smackdown '72: Jeannie vs Eileen vs Susan ...with Geraldine Page and Shelley Winters

An overprotective mother, a vain social butterfly, a swimming grandmother, a newlywed, and a barfly walk into an Oscar ceremony...

Geraldine Page did not attend the ceremony but the rest were there.

The 1972 supporting actress Oscar lineup is quite literally a singular group. It's the only one in all of Best Supporting Actress history to feature not a single Best Picture nominated film. There's always at least one Best Picture represented. Not so in 1972. Even The Poseidon Adventure missed that top category despite 8 nominations in total.

The panelists and part one of the Smackdown after the jump...

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1972 Revisit: Awards Darlings

by Nathaniel R

Before the '72 Smackdown THIS SUNDAY (have you voted yet?) we thought it might be fun to look back at how the awards race played out across the big six categories by comparing the Globes, Oscars, and various other awards organizations of the time to see what the hottest commodities were. 

Where the Globes and Oscar lined up, I've lined them up on the chart belows (obviously the Globes have two wins for Best Picture and Leading Actors do to how they split the categories.) You'll notice that except for Best Actress no categories were closer than a 3/5 match. We wish awards season were that excitingly differentiated now! It's unfortunate that opinions have become so homogenized. As we've said many times, you don't need dozens of groups if they all feel exactly the same way about art. The "other" column is for key wins and nominations that season (if it's a different year for Oscar eligibility we've noted that) that add broader context to what excited people in 1972. 

Ready? Let's time travel...

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1972: Oversharing with "The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie"

TFE will be periodically looking back at the 1972 film year before we hit the Supporting Actress Smackdown next Sunday. Here's Paolo. 

This is going to sound like I’m overestimating my writing power but here goes. The symbolism within Luis Buñuel’s The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, Oscar's Best Foreign Film winner of 1972, is easy to write about. Up to interpretation, as they say. What isn’t easy is writing about the feelings the movie evokes. In short, I might be explaining jokes, which slightly offends me as a fan of comedy. But I’m going to do it anyway, since the humor is the first thing that comes to mind in writing about what is arguably Buñuel’s most personal movie. 

The film is about six white bourgeois people who just want to eat but someone or something keeps interrupting them. (I have the same dream... but it's not about food.)

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Vote on the '72 Smackdown

The 1972 Smackdown was long delayed but it's finally happening a week from this Sunday on April 28th with this awesome panel. If you still want to play along you have time to vote...

• Jeannie Berlin, The Heartbreak Kid 
• Eileen Heckart, Butterflies are Free [iTunes | Amazon]
• Geraldine Page, Pete N' Tillie
• Susan Tyrrel, Fat City [iTunes | Amazon]
• Shelley Winters, The Poseidon Adventure  [iTunes | Amazon]

YOU (the collective you) are the final panelist for each smackdown so your votes count toward the outcome. To vote e-mail us with 1972 in the subject line by Friday April 26th. Give each performance that you've seen a 1-5 heart rating.

OTHER SUPPORTING WOMEN OF 1972 THAT WEREN'T NOMINATED ARE AFTER THE JUMP...

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