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Thirteen years on and the Academy Award ’ most shocking moment remains the night thatBrokeback Mountainlost Best Picture toCrash . When the producer and stars ofLa La Landwalked on stage at the 89thAcademy Awardsin 2017 as the last winners of the nighttime , most hoi polloi swallow the triumph as an inevitableness . But then suddenly it was n’t , and in what stay one of the greatest shocks in Oscars chronicle , it turn out thatMoonlighthad actually won Best Picture . The pandemonium of mixed up envelope , confused hosts and two very embarrassed accountants made for excellent television and invigorate many jokes ; it was the form of surprisal the Academy love to bring about , albeit one that was completely unintentional . For some Oscar fan , theMoonlightmix - up will remain the most shocking consequence in Academy account . However , the incident that still truly shakes film fans to their meat happened a few years earlier .
The 78th Academy Awards , lionize the films of 2005 , offered an evening of mixture and win that seemed to satisfy everyone . Beloved character actorPhilip Seymour Hoffmanfended off tough competition to take plate Best Actor for his execution inCapote . Reese Witherspoon went from America ’s Sweetheart to Oscar succeeder . George Clooney , who was also name for Best Director forGood Night and Good Luck , took habitation Best Supporting Actor forSyriana . The Best Director award eventually went to Ang Lee forBrokeback Mountain , and once that trophy was in the bag , it was presume the flick would also win Best Picture .
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Then Jack Nicholson opened the envelope and , with patent surprise in his vocalisation , announced that winner wasCrash . Suffice to say that most masses were traumatize . To this sidereal day , it remains one of the more divisive Oscar wins .
Why Brokeback Mountain Lost Best Picture
clang ’s win overBrokeback Mountainremains controversial for a routine of reason . First , at the time , whileBrokeback Mountain ’s win was never guaranteed , it seemed more potential a victory thanCrash . review article were better , it was a commercial bang ( it made near to thirteen clip its $ 14 million budget ) , it had two of the most acclaimed functioning of the year in the form of Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal , and this small picture show had become one of the true force of the pop finish zeitgeist in 2005 . For all of the “ sunny cowboy ” laugh that riddle the landscape that year , it ’s also deserving remembering just how big a deal Lee ’s moving picture was and what it stood for in terms of LGBTQ+ representation in Hollywood .
But for all the progress the film inspired , the backlash was just as strong , and that was evident in its Best Picture snub . It became a democratic target for conservative political pundits and pol , one Utah dramatics owner refused to show it , and some big industry figures even refuse to observe it . Actor Ernest Borgnine famously said,“I did n’t see it and I do n’t care to see it . I live they say it ’s a good picture , but I do n’t deal to see it . If John Wayne were alive , he ’d be rolling over in his grave accent ! ”
Why Crash Won Best Picture
On the other side of the Oscar race wasCrash , Paul Haggis ’ tat dramatic play about racist tensions in L.A. LikeBrokeback Mountain , the moving picture had a successful fete run , made money ( although not as much as Lee ’s film ) , had some liberal - name supporter , and harness hot button subject . Crucially , Crashwas not a Best Picture front - runner because it had not been nominated for the undecomposed Drama Golden Globe , and the last film to make headway the Oscar without that precursor nomination wasThe Stingin 1974 . Critics liked the film but Crash had some major detractors and it never felt as crucial a film to reward asBrokeback Mountain . Even Paul Haggis would after admit that he did n’t thinkCrashwas anywhere most as salutary as its competition .
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Of course , calibre has seldom mattered when it comes to the Oscars . The awards are chosen based on a phone number of palliate factors , from industry joining to subject thing to present-day political issues and much more . clank , which did have its fair share of vital acclaim , was a blunter and more easy to put up film for some Academy members . Its take on racial tautness in Los Angeles was tailored more towards pleasing white consultation , and theAcademy , even today , remains heavy white . It was a film full of noteworthy actors , which probably encourage a lot of suffrage from other doer , who make up the large demographic of the Academy . Moreover , Crashfelt “ safe ” in a wayBrokeback Mountainwas not . Kenneth Turan of theLos Angeles Timessuggested thatCrashbenefitted from the Academy ’s ingrained homophobia . Even at its most reformist , they just were n’t ready to celebrate a moving picture likeBrokeback Mountain . For many , it felt like a rejection of progress and cement the Academy ’s status as an out - of - date creation , a problem it ’s still fighting with today . In theAcademy ’s preferential voting organization , that imply the amenableCrashwon out .
Crash ’s win has stained the film more than its loss ever would have . It ’s wide considered one of the Oscars ’ handsome mistakes and one of the least deserving Best Picture wins , whileBrokeback Mountain ’s repute has only grown . The Oscars will inevitable have further blunders and surprise wins , but theCrashsituation will remain its most shocking .
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