Coen Brothers, A Serious Man
Dear Into Israel Readers,
The 2010 Oscar nominations were announced this week, and drum roll please, A Serious Man, is up for Best Picture. I loved, loved, LOVED this movie.
Now, it has no chance of winning, ain’t gonna happen, none whatsoever. The odds that it could win are about the same as the chance that there could be Peace in Israel by Purim.
That’s really okay with me, because I don’t pay a lot of attention anymore to the Oscars. It I were running the show, I would create a new category named, Big Picture. Make no mistake about it; the highly talented Coen Brother’s, A Serious Man, would definitely win this year’s Big Picture Academy Award!
If it were not for the fact that this year the Academy decided to nominate 10 movies in the Best Picture category, it wouldn’t be on the roster at all; it wouldn’t have made the cut. So, how then, and more importantly why, did it get nominated in the Best Picture category? The reason is that A Serious Man is a seriously good movie. I haven’t seen any of the others, well, I tried to watch a little of Up in the Air, but was bored so I stopped it, and never went back to it. Yet I suspect that A Serious Man is the best of the bunch.
The Academy and its members cannot give the Oscar for Best Picture to A Serious Man, and to explain that in depth is complicated. Just suffice it to say that this would not be an example of a dark horse Indie movie coming from behind to win, which has, of course, in the past occurred.
What is unusual is that it wasn’t nominated for anything else, such as Best Actor/Actress, Cinematography, Directing, etc., till the Writing—Original Screenplay category. So the film was nominated in the Best Picture and Writing categories, and from the title we know it’s about a man, who was in virtually every scene, yet this amazing actor, Michael Stuhlbarg, wasn’t nominated for Best Actor. It doesn’t make sense, but then again it does, but that goes back to the complications that exist in Hollywood.
I’m continually astonished when I meet someone here in Israel that his or her English is so good. When I comment to them that their English is quite proficient, their reply is “Oh no, it’s not really.” But it is, dear Into Israel readers, Israelis speak excellent English, and they learn it from American movies and television shows. Actually, they learn it in school as a second language, and they perfect it from American movies.
American media is cycling and streaming around the globe, it is one of the United States leading exports. I know most of you know this, especially those of you who have traveled, but you don’t really get the impact of this until you live abroad.
As I walk along my pathways in Jerusalem, I sometimes wonder what it would be like if a handful of America’s exceptional Jewish filmmakers could make their way here to live and to work. That this would be their home. Israel’s film community is growing; this is the third year counting that Israel has a nomination in the Best Foreign Film category; this year for Ajami. Israel needs these gifted American filmmakers to join the ranks to take the Israeli film expertise to the next level.
When I was in film school in Austin, at The University of Texas, I developed a schoolgirl crush on Steven Spielberg. We were both young then so it seemed innocent, and since we never met it remained an on again off again unrequited infatuation till finally it was transferred one day out of the blue to a real love that came to me in the form of a handsome director of Jewish documentaries, who was also an interviewer for the Shoah project.
Still, one never forgets those early loves, and so it was with utter delight when I learned of Mr. Spielberg’s recent decision to produce a new reality TV series at Shaarei Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem. No, he’s not moving here, but yes, his production company is coming and filming here. It’s a beginning. Maybe, Woody Allen will not be far behind him, and even one day, Ethan and Joel Coen.
Naturally, the Big Picture Life Achievement award goes to none other than God, who has complete control of our life, yet also gives us free will. I once saw a movie that probably left the greatest impression of any movie of my life, yet I barely can remember the plot!
I saw the movie during HemisFair ’68. Located on each armrest of every seat in the theater was a panel with two red buttons. From what I can recall, in the first scene there was a man and a woman talking and walking over to a taxicab. As they approached the door to the cab the movie stopped, and then asked the audience to choose whether the man would get into the cab with the woman—Button A, or not to choose to get into the cab—Button B.
The results were tallied before our eyes on a big screen with red buttons flashing. If Button B had more results, then the movie switched to the man not getting into the cab and walking away. They had edited different scenarios; hence it could proceed differently, pending each new audience’s selections. This process continued throughout the film.
Thus each scene would start then stop, the audience would be asked to make a choice, the results were counted, and then the movie would start again. When the movie was finished the producer walked out to talk to us, and explained that it didn’t matter what direction the movie took with each individual audience, because there was only one first scene and one last scene.
The intended outcome was always known by the filmmakers. It’s intricate for us to see God’s Big Picture for us when we stay focused on the here and now. Don’t forget this when you are watching the first scene in A Serious Man, and by all means, don’t dismiss this for your life!
Lights, Camera & Action,
Barbara
