Golden Globes: What makes a movie a "winner"?
By Hallie McKnight
Here we are again, in the midst of Hollywood's awards season. While watching the Golden Globe awards on January 17, I began to wonder what qualities make a film a "winner." The vast array of movies that have won "Best Picture" Golden Globes or Oscars, or even those films that have made the American Film Institute's definitive list of the 100 best movies vary so much in subject matter and style that superficial comparisons do little to help answer my question. However, I do notice that most films that become distinguished as "good" films have thematic elements that viewers can strongly relate to.
Take, for example, two Golden Globe winning movies from dramatically different time periods. In 1951 Sunset Boulevard won the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture: Drama. The movie tells the story of Norma Desmond, a former silent film star who has become a crazy recluse, and represents the phasing out of the old. By the end of the movie, the viewer realizes the sad truth that Norma Desmond and the silent film industry have both become obsolete, in favor of films and actresses like the ones he or she is currently watching.
2011's victor The Social Network appears to stand in direct contrast to Sunset Boulevard when viewed from a modern perspective. In Sunset Boulevard, silent film becomes obsolete due to the new technology of "talkies" ; but in the Social Network, facebook is the new technology that makes others obsolete.
On the surface, comparing the two movies seems impossible, almost like comparing apples and oranges. In terms of the films' social significance, however, the comparison is easy. Both films represent important cultural themes of the years in which they were made.
The Social Network is known in some circles as "that facebook movie." The moniker remains accurate, but fails to recognize the film's most remarkable qualities. It's not just a story about the rise of the facebook empire. It's a story about how people relate to one another and how fame and fortune can taint and strangle relationships.
Norma Desmond's money and fame taint her relationship with society. Mark Zuckerberg, though not necessarily caught up in wealth and fame, similarly distances himself from his best friend in the interest of creating a cool and sustainable business.
In terms of basic themes and significance, the two movies really aren't all that different. They both speak to and challenge the audience's perceptions of their generation; and not only are they beautifully made, but their themes are timeless.
What makes a film an award-winner isn't just whether or not it has a good screenplay and good direction of talented actors. What makes a film an award-winner is its universality, its ability to connect with people and society at large.