He’s been nominated five times previously for best director, but has gone home a loser each time. Could this finally be the year Martin Scorsese goes home with an Oscar?
This year marks Scorsese’s sixth nomination for directing, this time it’s for his violence-laden flick “The Departed.” His first nomination came in 1980 for what critics called a movie masterpiece, “Raging Bull.” Other directing nominations followed for his work on “The Last Temptation of Christ,””Goodfellas,””Gangs of New York” and “The Aviator.” (He also had two screenplay nominations for co-writing “Goodfellas” and “The Age of Innocence,” but lost both times.)
Scorsese is not exactly in the same league as Susan Lucci, but he’s getting there. If he loses again on Sunday he will go down in the record books as the director with the most nominations without winning. (Not exactly what you want written on your headstone.)
Through it all Scorsese has remained upbeat. Two years ago, when he was lost the best director award to pal Clint Eastwood (for “Million Dollar Baby”), Scorsese told reporters: “I guess it’s all right. I’m disappointed, of course. But you don’t make pictures to win Oscars.”
Coincidentally, this year Scorsese squares off against Eastwood again. (Eastwood is nominated for directing the World War II saga “Letters From Iwo Jima.”) Scorsese also faces competition from Stephen Frears for the palace drama “The Queen,” Paul Greengrass for the September 11th inspired “United 93,” and Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu for “Babel.”
Many Oscar watchers have already gone on record proclaiming that this is Scorsese’s year… at last. Then again many movie reviewers thought the same in 1980 when Scorsese was up for “Raging Bull,” but the directing prize that year went to Robert Redford for “Ordinary People.”
Actor Leonardo DiCaprio, who has starred in Scorsese’s last three films, recently quipped, “it’s virtually a practical joke that Marty has yet to win an Oscar.”
What do you think? Will Scorsese finally take home an Oscar?
Related Articles:
Retro Mondays: Oscar Moments to Remember