The Bafta Awards (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) are the British version of America's Academy Awards, informally called the Oscars. Of all the film award ceremonies that take place each year throughout the world, the Baftas are considered to be the second most important, and a prediction of the results of the Oscars. I actually pay more attention to the Baftas than the Oscars, because I consider the Baftas to be less politically biased and less pro-American. Nevertheless, I have to shake my head at the 2014 Bafta nominations that were announced today. "Gravity" is the film that won the most nominations, 11 in total, including best film, best director, best leading actress and best original screenplay... and also best British film. Oh, it was a British film? I never noticed.
I saw "Gravity" in the cinema in November. I can understand it winning technical awards, for things like special effects and editing, but as far as the story and acting are concerned? I don't get it. It really wasn't that good. Sandra Bullock's acting was lacklustre. George Clooney did better, he's a much more competent actor. The story was vacuous, the sort of tale that a schoolboy could write in a two-page essay.
As for the film being British, it was filmed at Shepperton Studios, just outside London. That's stretching it. There are official guidelines to decide the nationality of films, but there's no international agreement on them. For instance, in France "The Artist" is considered to be a French film, whereas in America it's called an American film. In England "Rome" is described as the most expensive British television series ever made (£66 million for the first season), but in America they call it an American series. On the other hand, the television series "Hercules" and "Xena" were filmed entirely in New Zealand, but nobody would deny that they are American series. So we need classification guidelines that everyone can agree on.
Today it's common for work on films to be outsourced internationally. Filming on location in Eastern Europe is cheap, and a highly skilled film industry has developed there. In my opinion it should be decided simply by who is in charge of the film, i.e. which film studio foots the bill, and where is the studio located? The example of "Rome" best illustrates it. The BBC decided to make a series about Rome. They wanted it to be big and spectacular, but they didn't have enough money. So the BBC approached HBO (an American company) and asked for support. HBO gave the BBC more than 90% of the cash required in return for co-ownership, a large slice of the profits, etc. But whatever wording the contracts might have had, HBO was "only" the financial backer. The BBC instigated the series and retained creative control, so "Rome" is a British series. In the same way, "Gravity" is owned by Warner Bros, an American company, making it an American film. The fact that Warner Bros picked a British studio because of its outstanding facilities for creating special effects is irrelevant. Despite the Bafta organisation claiming that they are "following guidelines" it's just nationalistic chest-beating that must amuse Americans. I'm sure that if "Gravity" had been filmed at Babelsberg studio no one would call it a German film.
I won't comment on the other nominations, I'll just list them here.
12 Years A Slave
American Hustle
Gravity
Philomena
Outstanding British Film
Gravity
Mandela: long walk to freedom
Philomena
Saving Mr. Banks
The Selfish Giant
12 Years A Slave, Steve McQueen
American Hustle, David O. Russell
Captain Phillips, Paul Greengrass
Gravity, Alfonso Cuarón
The Wolf of Wall Street, Martin Scorsese
Original Screenplay
American hustle
Blue Jasmine
Gravity
Inside Llewyn Davis
Nebraska
Adapted Screenplay
12 Years A Slave, John Ridley
Behind the Candelabra, Richard LaGravenese
Captain Phillips, Billy Ray
Philomena, Steve Coogan, Jeff Pope
The Wolf of Wall Street, Terence Winter
Bruce Dern, Nebraska
Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12 Years a Slave
Christian Bale, American Hustle
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Wolf of Wall Street
Tom Hanks, Captain Phillips
Leading Actress
Amy Adams, American Hustle
Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine
Emma Thompson, Saving Mr. Banks
Judi Dench, Philomena
Sandra Bullock, Gravity
Barkhad Abdi, Captain Phillips
Bradley Cooper, American Hustle
Daniel Brühl, Rush
Matt Damon, Behind the Candelabra
Michael Fassbender, 12 Years a Slave
Supporting Actress
Jennifer Lawrence, American Hustle
Julia Roberts, August: Osage County
Lupita Nyong’o, 12 Years a Slave
Oprah Winfrey, The Butler
SallyHawkins, Blue Jasmine
Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer
Colin Carberry (Writer), Glenn Patterson (Writer), Good Vibrations
Kelly Marcel (Writer), Saving Mr. Banks
Kieran Evans (Director/Writer), Kelly + Victor
Paul Wright (Director/Writer), Polly Stokes (Producer), For Those in Peril
Scott Graham (Director/Writer) Shell
The Act of Killing
Blue is the Warmest Colour
The Great Beauty
Metro Manila
Wadjda
Documentary
The Act of Killing
The Armstrong Lie
Blackfish
Tim’s Vermeer We Steal Secrets: The Story of Wikileaks
Despicable Me 2
Frozen
Monsters University
Original Music
12 Years A Slave
The Book Thief
Captain Phillips
Gravity
Saving Mr. Banks
12 Years A Slave
Captain Phillips
Gravity
Inside Llewyn Davis
Nebraska
Editing
12 Years A Slave
Captain Phillips
Gravity
Rush
The Wolf of Wall Street
12 Years A Slave
American Hustle
Behind the Candelabra
Gravity
The Great Gatsby
Costume Design
American Hustle
Behind the Candelabra
The Great Gatsby
The Invisible Woman
Saving Mr. Banks
American Hustle
Behind the Candelabra
The Butler
The Great Gatsby
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Sound
All is Lost
Captain Phillips
Gravity
Inside Llewyn Davis
Rush
Gravity
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Iron Man 3
Pacific Rim
Star Trek into Darkness
British Short Animation
Everything I Can See From Here
I am Tom Moody
Sleeping with the Fishes
Island Queen
Keeping up with the Joneses
Orbit Ever After
Room 8
Sea View
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