The 95th Academy Awards were announced in typically glitzy fashion on Sunday night.
Actors Brendan Fraser (in ‘The Whale’) Ke Huy Quan and Michelle Yeo (both in ‘Everything All at Once’) took home trophies for their acting, with’ Everything All at Once’ picking up best film and best director for Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert.
It was, then, a bit of a frost for the widely tipped musical film ‘Tár,’ starring Cate Blanchett. Her portrayal as an abusive conductor about to perform Mahler’s Symphony No.5 had won plaudits from many critics. Perhaps, however, lingering criticisms of the film’s gender politics prevented any wins, with conductor Marin Alsop, for example, saying it felt ‘anti-woman’.
In the musical categories German composer and pianist Volker Bertelmann saw off Hollywood composing legend John Williams (nominated for ‘The Fabelmans’) for his atmospheric score for ‘All Quiet on the Western Front.’ That film also won the the Oscar for best international feature film. Best original song went to Indian composer M.M. Keeravaani for ‘Naatu Naatu’ in the epic Telugu-language film ‘RRR.’ Best sound design went to Mark Weingarten, James H. Mather, Al Nelson, Chris Burdon and Mark Taylor for their work on ‘Top Gun: Maverick.’
