France Wins the Oscars: Part 5

This should be read as a direct continuation of; http://watchitdie.blogspot.co.uk/2016/02/france-wins-oscars-part-4.html

The Danish Girl: Aside from race one of the very fashionable trends amongst student activists of late has been transgender rights. 

Amid the demands for unisex bathrooms and all the talk about Caitlyn Jenner you kind of get the impression that there are legions of yuppie, middle-class parents secretly wishing their children are transgendered because it would make for the ultimate fashion accessory.

This is quite a difficult topic for me to get excited about because for many years I lived in Brighton which is really the UK's gay capital. As such I've got to know numerous men who want to transition into women along with numerous women who've transitioned into men and pretty much every shade of strange in between.

Therefore if you tell me that someone is transgendered I really don't need ten minutes staring out over the beautiful scenery to compose myself from the shock.

However it was way back in 1998 that Israeli post-transition female singer Dana International won the Eurovision Song Contest. Transgenderism really became a global issue when South African runner Caster Semenya was outed as transgender following the 2009 Athletics World Championships.

As a result here in 2016 people are really starting to get bored of a topic that every angle has been worked through numerous times.

Telling the story of Lili Elbe - one of the first known people to transition from male to female - The Danish Girl really helps to make this point. From the fact it's set in the 1920's it should be obvious that transgenderism isn't some fad we've simply made up the last couple of years.

The nomination of Alicia Vikander for Best Actress in a Supporting Role also goes some way to answer that much talked about issue this year - membership of the Academy itself. Although I can't say that I'm familiar with the Swedish actresses work I get the impression from her peers that she is extremely talented and exactly the sort of person that the Academy wants as a member. 

The problem is that to be considered for membership of the Academy an actor or actress has to have appeared in a significant speaking role in three movies considered worthy of the high standards of the Academy. You then have to been nominated by two current members of the Academy - in the acting field - and finally be approved by the membership committee.

Vikander has so far only really been in one movie of Academy standards - "Ex Machina" (2015). Although this was nominated and won in some of the more obscure categories this year due to a distribution problem it was released at that awkward point where it was really too late for last year's Oscars and a little bit too early for this year's Oscars. 

As such Vikander seems to have been fast-tracked into Academy membership because although nomination and even victory don't automatically qualify you both award nominations and membership are handled by the same committee. 

Carol: This tells the story of a lesbian relationship between a middle-aged married woman and a much younger woman in 1950's America back when homosexuality was illegal. 

So in a similar vein to The Danish Girl this makes the point that homosexuality is neither a choice or some sort of modern invention.

Rather missing the point of their own movie the "Filmfour" division of the British government who had a hand in producing Carol are already using at as an example of how edgy and controversial they are.

Meanwhile hardcore movie-buffs are all sitting there going; "Meh. Surely it's just a tame remake of Liliana Cavani's "The Berlin Affair" from 1985. Even if the rich colour palate and extensive work done by the costume and design departments really do help bring the glamour of the era to life."

Before I finally finish I should also mention a movie that's something of a wildcard not really fitting in with the year's main themes.

Steve Jobs: The big attraction to this biopic is that it employs a very inventive narrative. Rather than telling all of Steve Job's life story it instead focuses in on three specific events in his life. These events are then played out in real time.

The Oscars is obviously a celebration of stories and the different ways to tell them. Therefore this type of new and innovative approach is something that the professionals are very interested in.

Also in the movie Jobs is portrayed as a creative genius albeit an extremely arrogant one. In fact at one point another character is shown telling him; "It's not binary. You don't have to choose between being a genius and being polite!"

With the movie industry being dominated by many creative geniuses amid all the Oscar parties it might rather difficult working out exactly which 'Steve Jobs' is being referred to.

23:25 on 29/2/16 (UK date).