Why Ruby Dee?

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So where did that Ruby Dee SAG award for Best Supporting Actress come from? Four words: "sentiment" and "no DVD mailings."

Apart from mass SAG mailings of Into The Wild DVDs, which benefitted the barely-in-the-race Catherine Keener, DVD screeners of the films starring the major nominees in this category -- American Gangster's Dee, Gone Baby Gone's Amy Ryan, I'm Not There's Cate Blanchett and Michael Clayton's Tilda Swinton -- were not, I'm told, sent to the SAG membership. In Pete Hammond's view, that levelled the playing field "and opened the door to the sentimental favorite."

Yeah, but why? Dee's performance, after all, is basically a one-scene, telling-off-her-gangster-son thing. It's good but not superb. It's certainly not in the realm of Beatrice Straight's Oscar-winning turn for her one big scene in Network. Dee gave a very strong performance for what it was, but she's more or less ice-skated into the Oscar competition. She's no match for Blanchett's Jude or Ryan's coked-out Dorchester mom. People realize that, I think.

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Posted by Jeffrey Wells on February 1, 2008 at 12:19 PM

comment #1

Alex says ...

As much as I respect Dee I really hope that Blanchett goes home with the Oscar. Even though she just won in 2005, and is therefore not "overdue" like Dee, she deserves to be rewarded for being consistently great and willing to take risks that many actresses would never try.

Posted by Alex at February 1, 2008 1:01 PM

comment #2

le corbeau says ...

Since 2001, there have been 11 times that at least one black performer was nominated for an acting or supporting actor Oscar. You know how often the award was won by a black performer? 6 out of those 11 times.

Congratulations to Ruby Dee are almost certainly in order...

Posted by le corbeau at February 1, 2008 1:19 PM

comment #3

Aguirre says ...

appreciate the explanation, as AMERICAN GANGSTER was an absurdly worthless film, and dee was never afforded the proper material required to turn in a memorable performance.

Posted by Aguirre at February 1, 2008 1:21 PM

comment #4

Radewart says ...

kinda of like Alex was saying, white quilt over times when deserving black actors were snubbed in the past, has lead to non-deserving nominations and wins for black actors in the past couple of years.

Posted by Radewart at February 1, 2008 1:51 PM

comment #5

Mikey Filmmaker says ...

I really hope either Cate or Amy take home the Oscar. As much as I respect Ruby Dee, I don't think she deserves it for her performance regardless of her being "overdue".

Posted by Mikey Filmmaker at February 1, 2008 1:55 PM

comment #6

BurmaShave says ...

She should have won for DO THE RIGHT THING. Mind you, that has nothing to do with who should win now, but if she does win, that will be why I'll be all right with it. Besides, I think Wells and others would be happy as long as someone keeps Amy Ryan from winning.

Posted by BurmaShave at February 1, 2008 2:14 PM

comment #7

Chicago48 says ...

There aren't too many 83 year olds who can run up the hill (like she did).

Posted by Chicago48 at February 1, 2008 2:37 PM

comment #8

T. Holly says ...

Damn, those are the hottest glasses, they remind me of the flip up sunglasses I just got on ebay.

Posted by T. Holly at February 1, 2008 2:41 PM

comment #9

VedaPierce says ...

Was Ruby Dee mentioned in Halle Berry's acceptance speech? Oh no, that's right, it was the always criminally-overlooked Vivica Fox.

Posted by VedaPierce at February 1, 2008 2:47 PM

comment #10

Zimmergirl says ...

You got it wrong. It isn't sentiment; it's atonement for the gross neglect in snubbing her in the past for her brilliant turns in both A Raisin in the Sun but more significantly, Do the Right Thing.

Anyway, Alan Arkin phoned it in and he still won.

Ryan's is a good performance; Cate's is miraculous but he's recently won in that category. I don't see them going there again, though it's certainly possible. Amy Ryan could surprise everybody, I suppose.

A little about Ruby Dee you might not know (that, I think, works in her favor) from Wikipedia:

Dee and Davis were well-known civil rights activists. Among others, Dee is a member of Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), the NAACP, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Dee and Davis were personal friends of both Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X, with Davis giving the eulogy at the latter's funeral in 1965.

Posted by Zimmergirl at February 1, 2008 3:52 PM

comment #11