By: Haroula Barbounis
“I’ve worked hard for a long time, and it’s not about winning, what it’s about is not giving up. If you have a dream, fight for it.” Well said, Lady Gaga. The 91st Academy Awards, otherwise known as the Oscars, took place on February 24th, 2019. Numerous actors and actresses sauntered down the red carpet in their best formal wear, wanting to look spectacular for what may be the biggest night of their life. Some of the pictures that were nominated for the Oscars were Green Book, Roma, Bohemian Rhapsody, A Star Is Born, The Favourite, and many more.
Among all the movies nominated, the film that won best picture was Green Book, which is this meaningful story about the bond between an African American pianist, Dr. Don Shirley and his white driver, Tony Lip. A tale that took place in the 1960s, it communicates issues such as racism and segregation. The amazing thing about Green Book is that it was based on a true story, but nevertheless, because of this reason, it is also subject to controversy. One of these controversies concern the living relatives of the late Dr. Don Shirley. They believe that the story about their beloved family member was misrepresented and exaggerated, and they were outraged to see a white man, and not Dr. Shirley, as the lead character.
However, moving on, the award for the best actor went to Rami Malek for his role as Queen’s Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody. Bohemian Rhapsody is a biopic (biographical picture) about the late Freddie Mercury and the band Queen. And on another note, it was reported that after Malek accepted the Oscar, he fell off the stage and was treated by paramedics. Luckily, he appears to be free of injury. And on top of that, the best actress award went to Olivia Colman for The Favourite. Dripping in suspense and drama, The Favourite is about the turmoil surrounding Queen Anne and her friends Sarah and Abigail.
And as nominated as it was, A Star Is Born, only won one Academy Award, and that was for best original song. The song, Shallow, was also sung by Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga themselves at the Oscars. Extremely moving, it earned much applause and praise. Moreover, in contrast to A Star Is Born, the film Roma, which is on Netflix, won three Oscars, which were for best director, best foreign film, and best cinematography. Roma, along with A Star Is Born, were both nominated for best picture.
Overall, the 91st Academy Awards seemed to be a success, with the ratings being higher than those of last year.
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