Top Ten Biggest Oscar Snubs – Nominations #4
4
Barbra Streisand singing "Papa Can You Hear Me?" from Yentl. Clip posted by peeweefied
Barbra Streisand for Yentl (1983) and The Prince of Tides (1991)
Thus far, only three women have received Academy Award nominations in the best direction category. Barbra Streisand isn’t one of them.
Streisand has been bypassed twice, much to the consternation of her fans and of those who insist that the Academy’s directors’ branch is composed of sexist pigs. If so, back in early 1984 they weren’t the only ones, as Streisand didn’t receive a single nomination for her labor of love, Yentl, the tale of a young Jewish woman who disguises herself as a man in order to enter religious training, a film she also co-adapted and co-produced, in addition to being its androgynous star.
At the film’s Jerusalem premiere, when a reporter asked her why Yentl didn’t do better at the Oscars, Streisand replied, "In Hollywood, a woman can be an actress, a singer, a dancer — but [they] don’t let her be too much more."
Yentl won one Oscar out of its five nominations: best original song score/best adaptation score for Michel Legrand, Alan Bergman, and Marilyn Bergman.
Hollywood history repeated itself in 1991, as more accusations of anti-Streisandism and sexism followed another Barbraric snub…
"’Hello, gorgeous,’ said Barbra Streisand to her Oscar in 1969, the year she won it as Best Actress for Funny Girl. (In 1977, she won another as cowriter for Best Song.) Since then it’s been ‘Hasta la vista, baby,’ for the most famous hunk of celebratory hardware in the world and the multitalented, steel-willed actress-singer-producer-writer-director," reported Newsweek at the time. "Director — there’s the rub and the snub. When the nominations for the 1991 Academy Awards were released last week by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, The Prince of Tides was cited for seven nominations: best picture, best actor (Nick Nolte), best supporting actress (Kate Nelligan), best adapted screenplay (Pat Conroy and Becky Johnston), best art direction, best cinematography, best original score. But no nomination [sic] for Streisand, its director and the driving force behind the movie, which has grossed $62 million since its opening on Christmas Day." (Streisand did receive a nomination as one of the Prince of Tides producers.)
This time around, Streisand’s absence from the best direction category was even more glaring because, after all, her film did receive a Best Picture nod — and Streisand herself was one of the five nominees for the Directors Guild award.
Streisand reportedly watched the Oscar nominations’ announcement live while in London, later telling Variety that "I’m trying not to take it too personally. It’s hard because I don’t want to be bitter. I don’t take it as a personal affront. I look at it as a larger problem," adding that, in reference to Warren Beatty’s best director win for his pet project Reds, "it’s as if a man is allowed to feel passionate commitment about his work, and a woman is allowed to feel passionate commitment only about a man."
Ultimately, The Prince of Tides failed to win a single Academy Award.
For the record, the three women who have been nominated in the best direction category are Lina Wertmuller for Seven Beauties (1976), Jane Campion for The Piano (1993), and Sofia Coppola for Lost in Translation (2003).
Top Ten Biggest Oscar Snubs – Nominations #10
Top Ten Biggest Oscar Snubs – Nominations #9
Top Ten Biggest Oscar Snubs – Nominations #8
Top Ten Biggest Oscar Snubs – Nominations #7
Top Ten Biggest Oscar Snubs – Nominations #6
Top Ten Biggest Oscar Snubs – Nominations #5
Comments
5 Responses to “Top Ten Biggest Oscar Snubs – Nominations #4”
Leave a Reply
NOTE:
All comments are moderated and may take some time before they are posted. Different views and opinions are welcome, but courtesy is imperative. Rude/crass/bigoted comments and name-calling of any sort will be immediately deleted.
Also, please be aware that the Alternative Film Guide has no contact information for the talent mentioned in this blog and no information pertaining to or access to distributors'/producers' film prints.
The Academy IS SEXIST. Not just because Barbra wasn’t nominated. Only 3 women? It’s ridiculous. I know there are fewer women directors than men, but not THAT few!
The Academy’s director’s committee should open their eyes and their minds to realize what great work women everywhere are doing in film.
Barbara Streisand should receive one of those special Oscars for her career. She has proven herself a brilliant actress, director, composer, singer, and HUMAN BEING.
Absolutely loved Yentl when it first came out. Ands Barbra streisland may have been snubbed for the best director oscars but we know she rocks
The photo of Barbra accepting her GG for Yentl when shes wearing that black, sparkly, awesome outfit speaks a thousand words, it is so iconic.
I actually didnt know it won for best score.
I found some behind the scenes clips of her directing and acting at the same time on Youtube, thought I would share to fellow Yentl friends:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0MngamiROs
i saw yentl years ago. kind of forgot about it but watched it again recently. i was surprised. it was a really good movie! upon reading this article and thinking back to ‘83 when it was released, i really dont get how she couldnt have been nominated! to play the lead on top of direction and co-producing, this movie is a true testament to her talent.
a few links i found that are related to this flick–>
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0MngamiROs
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001P5HI4A/ref=s9_subs_c2_s2_p74_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=16QZJXRAW1BZERQZMPJN&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=463383371&pf_rd_i=507846