Ulrich Muhe was overlooked
I got upset about Roy Scheider being ignored in the Oscar telecast's death montage (i.e., "in Memoriam"), and Us magazine has gotten riled about Brad Renfro being left out as well. But what about Ulrich Muhe, who gave one of the 21st Century's greatest performances in The Lives of Others, which is hands down one of the century's greatest films? He died of stomach cancer last July, and the Academy blew him off also.
An Academy spokesperson told Us that Renfro's omission was "an editing decision because we can't fit everyone in...there was no specific reason." Well, c'mon. The Academy cut Muhe out because he was German and because they tend to think like xenophobes now and then. Ask anyone in this town who cares about movies what they thought about Muhe's performance in Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck's film (which won the Oscar for Best Foreign Film). One of the film's more ardent admirers, I read somewhere, is Tom Hanks.
Famed trailer and main-title designer Kyle Cooper (the guy who designed the main-title sequence in Se7en) cut "In Memoriam." I called his company, Prologue, to ask him about the omissions. He said he didn't make the choices; Gil Cates' office did. He was just given a list of names and instructions about who comes first and comes last and that was that. Cates' assistant said he was out. An Academy spokesperson said the same thing about the p.r. team.
Posted by Jeffrey Wells on February 25, 2008 at 3:27 PM
comment #1
Balthazar
says ...
The needed to make room for the 28957829034790273490279047920374902734972904723097 agents.
Let's not forget those folks, who ruled the night.
That's just about the only person Tilda Swinton thanked, I think.
Posted by Balthazar
at February 25, 2008 3:58 PM
comment #2
corey3rd
says ...
The Oscars should have mentioned their rating's death.
Posted by corey3rd
at February 25, 2008 4:02 PM
comment #3
StanGrossman
says ...
Come on if they did those obits too it would eat into Sid Ganis's face time.
Posted by StanGrossman
at February 25, 2008 4:06 PM
comment #4
Devin Faraci
says ...
Didn't Scheider die after the Jan 31 cut off? He'll be in next year.
Posted by Devin Faraci
at February 25, 2008 4:10 PM
comment #5
dixiedugan
says ...
I'm not saying that an agent doesn't make a contribution to film, especially one who got his/her client the right script, right time, right film, what have you.
However...no further love for Bergman? Hell, I admit I don't 'get' every film of his but I recognize the man was a friggin genius. Complicated and prickly peared, but a genius. No Charles Lane love either.
Fuck Cates.
Posted by dixiedugan
at February 25, 2008 4:28 PM
comment #6
dixiedugan
says ...
Btw - this is how you do it...I hope the link works.
http://www.tcm.com/mediaroom/index/?o_cid=mediaroomlink&cid=189530
These are always pretty classy.
Posted by dixiedugan
at February 25, 2008 4:37 PM
comment #7
T. S. Idiot
says ...
There were more agents and executives than I ever remember. Other than F. Fields, who were those guys. Leaving out Charles Lane is a disgrace. He had one of the longest Hollywood careers ever. Antonioni and Bergman deserved special remembrances. The Oscar results are a joke; the ceremony an even bigger joke. The Academy should get someone who actually knows about movies to be involved in these decisions. The Jan. 31 deadline (no pun) is also new, or at least newly announced. If news programs can come up with spontaneous images of Scheider, certainly the Oscars can.
Posted by T. S. Idiot
at February 25, 2008 4:39 PM
comment #8
Jay T.
says ...
Gimme a break! They could have fit another 20 people in and it wouldn't have taken more than a minute and a half... and yet they bothered with some of those ridiculous montages. Clearly, some of the people producing this show are simply incompetent.
Posted by Jay T.
at February 25, 2008 4:48 PM
comment #9
dixiedugan
says ...
Didja ever go to Lane's imdb bio? It goes on and on and on and on and on and on...unfrigginbelievable.
I'm not gonna bitch about Yvonne De Carlo, though she was a good actress in some quality flicks, and sometimes the best thing in some bad quality flicks, I kinda understand why she might not be included.
The ceremony itself was okay, but if you made a drinking game outta the montages you'd be under the coffee table 45 minutes into the show.
Posted by dixiedugan
at February 25, 2008 4:53 PM
comment #10
DotTheEyes
says ...
Was Adrienne Shelly ever featured in an Academy Awards obituary-montage?
Posted by DotTheEyes
at February 25, 2008 4:58 PM
comment #11
YRG
says ...
There's a cutoff date? I seem to remember Stanley Kubrick in the 1999 Oscars, broadcast March 21st, and he died a few weeks before, on the 7th. This year's death montage was not very memorable. Too fast, too short, and too many omissions.
Posted by YRG
at February 25, 2008 5:01 PM
comment #12
T. Holly
says ...
Nikki says Whoopi was unhappy too about her exclusion in the program. Whoopi is alive, no worries.
Posted by T. Holly
at February 25, 2008 5:01 PM
comment #13
dixiedugan
says ...
No, I'm pretty sure she wasn't Dot. She's in the TCM one though.
This is a hot potato on all sorts of different boards, TWOP, imdb, and a couple of others I wander to, plus we were having a bitchfest at the chat I had going.
Posted by dixiedugan
at February 25, 2008 5:01 PM
comment #14
YRG
says ...
There's a cutoff date? I seem to remember Stanley Kubrick in the 1999 Oscars, broadcast March 21st, and he died a few weeks before, on the 7th. This year's death montage was not very memorable. Too fast, too short, and too many omissions.
Posted by YRG
at February 25, 2008 5:02 PM
comment #15
Titus Pullo
says ...
"However...no further love for Bergman?"
They didn't give Marlon Brando his own send-off...you think they're gonna give some foreigner special treatment? Oh, but they did give Johnny Carson a special 5 minute tribute...so there's that. Fuck Cates.
Posted by Titus Pullo
at February 25, 2008 5:03 PM
comment #16
Titus Pullo
says ...
"However...no further love for Bergman?"
They didn't give Marlon Brando his own send-off...you think they're gonna give some foreigner special treatment? Oh, but they did give Johnny Carson a special 5 minute tribute...so there's that. Fuck Cates.
Posted by Titus Pullo
at February 25, 2008 5:04 PM
comment #17
Josh Massey
says ...
There was a very clear "02/01/07-01/31/08" at the beginning of the montage. Scheider will be in next year.
Posted by Josh Massey
at February 25, 2008 5:05 PM
comment #18
Josh Massey
says ...
Far be it from me to defend the clueless Cates, but Carson was an Oscar institution for a long time. He wasn't celebrated because of his television show.
Posted by Josh Massey
at February 25, 2008 5:09 PM
comment #19
Geoff
says ...
Hey horrible confession. Still haven't seen THE LIVES OF OTHERS.
Is it THAT great?
Posted by Geoff
at February 25, 2008 5:10 PM
comment #20
dixiedugan
says ...
No, I'm pretty sure she wasn't Dot. She's in the TCM one though.
This is a hot potato on all sorts of different boards, TWOP, imdb, and a couple of others I wander to, plus we were having a bitchfest at the chat I had going.
Posted by dixiedugan
at February 25, 2008 5:10 PM
comment #21
dixiedugan
says ...
No, I'm pretty sure she wasn't Dot. She's in the TCM one though.
This is a hot potato on all sorts of different boards, TWOP, imdb, and a couple of others I wander to, plus we were having a bitchfest at the chat I had going.
Posted by dixiedugan
at February 25, 2008 5:10 PM
comment #22
rocco
says ...
...the song sucked, the pacing sucked, the selections sucked, the audience's clapping sucked...the whole segment was an embarrassment.
Posted by rocco
at February 25, 2008 5:11 PM
comment #23
DotTheEyes
says ...
ANOTHER omission: costume designer Marit Allen, who was nominated this year for designing the La Vie En Rose costumes! Her other credits include Brokeback Mountain, Eyes Wide Shut, Hulk, and Mrs. Doubtfire.
Posted by DotTheEyes
at February 25, 2008 5:11 PM
comment #24
dixiedugan
says ...
Sorry about the multiple posting guys...don't know what happened. This site gets screwy sometimes.
I've said it before, but the year they nixed Penny Singleton I sent a nasty e-mail off to the Academy president, who name eludes me now. They may get another one out of me, not that it would do any good, but it'll make me feel better. A little.
My fave year was the 2002 Oscars when they honored Anthony Quinn, Jack Lemmon, Danilo Donati, Budd Boetticher, and George Harrison (among others) was so much a tribute of joy to the art these people had brought to the screen. It should be done with love, not by rote.
Posted by dixiedugan
at February 25, 2008 5:26 PM
comment #25
silver
says ...
If one were to say the name Ulrich Muhe to each of the 5829 voting AMPAS members, what percentage of them do you think would recognize it?
Possibly 1%? More? Less?
Posted by silver
at February 25, 2008 5:26 PM
comment #26
christian
says ...
They couldn't do a quick seperate tribute to Bergman? Not when they have Alba and Cyrus up there to bring in the kidz.
Posted by christian
at February 25, 2008 5:30 PM
comment #27
Balthazar
says ...
Meanwhile, was I the only one freaked out when Rufalo from "Hook" was shown during the montage. Thought for a minute he was dead!!
Posted by Balthazar
at February 25, 2008 5:34 PM
comment #28
Breedlove
says ...
Geoff - 'The Lives of Others' is a perfect, perfect, perfect film. You really cannot make a better movie...sometimes I honestly think it's my favorite movie...
Posted by Breedlove
at February 25, 2008 5:38 PM
comment #29
corey3rd
says ...
It did seem like the Lost Boys from Hook had all died in some strange reunion massacre.
Will Cates remember Roy's death when next year's ceremony rolls around.
Charles Lane got love at the Emmys.
Posted by corey3rd
at February 25, 2008 5:55 PM
comment #30
JHRussell
says ...
Geoff:
It is still the best film released in the US in 2007, and I take into account all the wonderful films celebrated last night.
Posted by JHRussell
at February 25, 2008 6:04 PM
comment #31
Joe Leydon
says ...
Bruce Bennett died on February 24, 2007
Gordon Scott died on April 30, 2007
Posted by Joe Leydon
at February 25, 2008 6:06 PM
comment #32
Hallick
says ...
I hope the person responsible for that montage and its brevity gets the half-assed headstone they deserve when THEY die (which should've been last night, of abject shame).
Posted by Hallick
at February 25, 2008 6:11 PM
comment #33
carla kolchak
says ...
Geoff:
YES.
Posted by carla kolchak
at February 25, 2008 6:18 PM
comment #34
Jay T.
says ...
"Hey horrible confession. Still haven't seen THE LIVES OF OTHERS.
Is it THAT great?"
No, it's not THAT great, but it is pretty damn good and certainly worth watching. It gets off to a slow start but really builds and pays off nicely by the end.
Posted by Jay T.
at February 25, 2008 6:54 PM
comment #35
p.Vice
says ...
How many Oscar nominations did Brad Renfro and Ulrich Muhe have between them?
Yes, I believe you are correct by indicating ZERO as your response to the above question.
Posted by p.Vice
at February 25, 2008 6:57 PM
comment #36
p.Vice
says ...
P.S. Jay T. -- By "pays off nicely" are you referring to the film's sobering depiction of that most reprehensible but relievedly convenient human urge to inexplicably run into traffic when your deceptions are unraveled?
Posted by p.Vice
at February 25, 2008 7:06 PM
comment #37
EOTW
says ...
It HURTS that this guy is dead. TLOO made my top five of 2007 easily. A Perfect movie.
Posted by EOTW
at February 25, 2008 7:36 PM
comment #38
Hallick
says ...
"How many Oscar nominations did Brad Renfro and Ulrich Muhe have between them?
Yes, I believe you are correct by indicating ZERO as your response to the above question."
I thing I was even more correct by the WAY I indicated my response to the above question...
Posted by Hallick
at February 25, 2008 8:18 PM
comment #39
R. Hunt
says ...
They didn't have the cut-off date in previous years, so they could let a last minute death like Kubrick's sneak in. I think they wanted to end with Ledger.
But where were Stuart Rosenberg and Norman Mailer? Luciano Pavarotti?
Posted by R. Hunt
at February 25, 2008 8:48 PM
comment #40
Bocephus
says ...
Rufio is still alive, he's a voice actor in a lot of kid shows. He's in the Avatar show that my boyfriend is always trying to get me to watch.
Posted by Bocephus
at February 26, 2008 6:46 AM
comment #41
T. S. Idiot
says ...
If Paul Newman, Kirk Douglas, Charlton Heston, Lauren Bacall, Sean Connery, or anyone of their ilk had died the day before the Oscars, there would have been a tribute. This Jan. 31 deadline is bullshit.
Posted by T. S. Idiot
at February 26, 2008 6:59 AM
comment #42
bagelfilm
says ...
Now I know who really is inside Florian Henckel von Donnershmocks ass. No wonder he is smiling all the tÃÂme.
Posted by bagelfilm
at February 26, 2008 8:05 AM
comment #43
Bob Violence
says ...
There's a cutoff date? I seem to remember Stanley Kubrick in the 1999 Oscars, broadcast March 21st, and he died a few weeks before, on the 7th.
Kubrick was past the cutoff date, but he got in because Spielberg and a couple of other bigwigs pushed for his inclusion that year instead of waiting for '00. (It showed, too -- the tribute they used was basically the same montage Chuck Workman put together for Kubrick's D.W. Griffith award, minus the broadcast-unfriendly bits.)
Posted by Bob Violence
at February 26, 2008 10:40 PM