LOS ANGELES – “Zero Dark Thirty,” about the decade-long U.S. hunt for
Osama bin Laden, has received more attention in the U.S. Congress than
it did at the Oscars on Sunday, amid political fallout over its
depiction of torture and alleged intelligence leaks to the movie’s
makers.
The film, which has sparked outrage among both Democrats and
Republicans in Washington over its depiction of torture, and allegations
that the Obama administration leaked classified intelligence to help
the making of the film, won no major Oscars on Sunday and only one award
overall.
Just three months ago, the thriller, which culminates in Osama bin
Laden’s killing by U.S. Navy Seals, was a strong contender to pick up
the biggest prize of Best Picture, as well as the Best Actress and
Original Screenplay awards.
By the end of Sunday night, however, it had picked up just one award — a shared Oscar for Sound Editing, which was a tie.
In recent weeks, the movie has seen a fierce backlash over its implied message that torture helped crack the bin Laden case.
Early signs of trouble came in mid-December when leading U.S.
Senators Dianne Feinstein and Carl Levin, both Democrats, and John
McCain, the Republicans’ 2008 presidential candidate, sent a letter to
movie studio Sony Pictures, castigating the film.
They called the film “grossly inaccurate and misleading” for
suggesting torture helped the U.S. track the al Qaeda leader to a
Pakistani compound, where he was killed in 2011.
Three weeks later, the film’s director, Kathryn Bigelow, was omitted
from the Oscar’s Best Director shortlist, chosen by about 5,800 movie
industry professionals who make up the Academy of Motion Picture Arts
and Sciences.
Bigelow was one of only four big directors to be snubbed while the film did receive five Oscar nominations.
In January, Los Angeles Times film critic Kenneth Turan pointed the
finger at Washington, writing: “Chalk up this year’s nominations as a
victory for the bullying power of the United States Senate and an
undeserved loss for Kathryn Bigelow.”
Even on Oscar morning, the film woke to unwelcome headlines. The
relatives of a flight attendant who died in the September 11, 2001
terror attacks criticized the film for using a recording of her last
call before her American Airlines plane struck the North Tower of the
World Trade Center.
Harry Ong, the brother of the flight attendant, Betty Ann Ong, called the film “just outrageous.”
Republicans in Washington have been particularly critical of the
film, alleging that it was used to help the re-election prospects of
U.S. President Barack Obama, and that it revealed national security
secrets.
Other victims of the September 11 attacks have voiced support for the film as did departing U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta.
Before Sunday’s Oscars, Rotten Tomatoes editor-in-chief Matt Atchity
said: “Controversial movies suffer with Academy voters. I think ‘Zero
Dark Thirty’ will have a tough time winning Best Picture because I think
the Academy is going to go with less controversial choices.”
source:
interaksyon
