The 1966 OZ Awards: "You are invited for a night of fun and games..."

The Cinema Sanctuary is proud to present the 1966 OZ awards. Although the awards will not be presented in year order, it is my goal to eventually cover every year (1928-2008 and onwards) of the Academy's history. So let's get on with it shall we...

To be perfectly honest, I'm not exactly sure why I decided to start in '66. It probably has something to do with the fact that after years of looking, I finally found myself a copy of Antonioni's 'Blow-Up' (I'm an Australian btw and these movies aren't always easy to find). For the Academy, this year was all about Fred Zinnemann's lavish adaptation of Robert Bolt's 'A Man for All Seasons'. The film won 6 Oscars including one for star Paul Scofield as Sir Thomas More. Like many Academy favourites, the film has not stood the test of time very well. While it is far from a bad film, it is rather stilted and lugubrious in places and its much lauded production is rather pallid when compared to other pictures of the period. The main problem however was that the films release coincided with the birth of new Hollywood (which would explode in 1967). The film's win came at the expense of far superior and much more exciting and fresh alternatives. Scofield's performance is stellar, but was trodden all over by a career best from one of the greats... Richard Burton.

For me, the obvious Best Picture winner of the year was 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?' adapted from the play by Edward Albee. Whereas 'A Man for All Seasons' is an example of a film attempting (and failing) to 'open up' a play, 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?' is a prime case of a film sticking to its guns and playing to its strengths ie. Its characters, its dialogue and its story while still remaining a separated beast to its stage incarnation. The film's many strong points include the cinematography by Haskell Wexler and the costume/production design which make George (Burton) and Martha's (Elizabeth Taylor) house seem like a claustrophibic mad house (this is even before the antogonists begin to unravel). What really sells the film though is its performances. Richard Burton is forceful and strong while still coming of down-trodden and aloof (not an easy task). It is the performance of his career and is even greater for the way he plays of his co-stars and evolves into the ringmaster of the entire piece.

Speaking of career best performances, you can't go past Elizabeth Taylor as the loud mouthed and downright unpleasant spouse of Burton's college professor. Taylor defies all prior held perceptions of who she was as an actress by completely inhabiting the role. She walks a fine line between power and caricature but manages to bring it all back with some genuinely poignant moments of self reflection. Taylor won a deserved Oscar here and I have to agree with the accolades. In support, George Segal is wonderful, but Sandy Dennis (in another Oscar winning role) is truly revelatory. Playing Honey, the wife of Segal's new arrival biology professor ('he's in the maaaath department') Dennis arguably has the most difficult role. She has to be the observer of the chaos along with her husband, while also becoming a part of the insanity, before descending into a figure of pure pity. Her quirky nature made for a startling and disarming film debut.

While George Segal is the equal of his costars, my final performance award for this year must be given to Robert Shaw for his portrayal of King Henry VIII in 'A Man for All Seasons'. His completely OTT and raucous performance is the one light in the gloom that is this film. It can only be described as magic. My close runner-up to 'Woolf' as Best Picture is Michelangelo Antonioni's masterpiece 'Blow-Up' (more on that film in later posts). I awarded Antonioni the Best Director prize as his work does represent a slightly more cinematic approach than the debut work of Mike Nichols and shows a huge leap in his own career. Nichols would reach his zenith only the next year with 'The Graduate'.

My other multiple winner (and 2nd Runner-Up) is Federico Fellini's 'Juliet of the Spirits' (made in '65, released in the US in '66). The film wins for its magnificent costume and production design and also for its brilliant score by Fellini veteran Nino Rota. All winners listed below:

Best Picture: Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Actor in a Leading Role: Richard Burton, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Actress in a Leading Role: Elizabeth Taylor, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Actor in a Supporting Role: Robert Shaw, A Man for All Seasons

Actress in a Supporting Role: Sandy Dennis, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Director: Michelangelo Antonioni, Blow-Up

Original Screenplay: Blow-Up

Adapted Screenplay: Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Black & White Cinematography, Production/Costume Design, Film Editing, Sound Mixing: Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Colour Cinematography: Blow-Up

Colour Production/Costume Design, Original Score: Juliet of the Spirits

Sound /Visual Effects: Fantastic Voyage

Original Song: "Georgy Girl", Georgy Girl

Foreign Language Film: A Man and a Woman (France)

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Stay Tuned.....2001 is up next!!!