On March 27, 1973, exactly 50 years ago, the Godfather star rejected the statuette in protest.
In 1972, Marlon Brando he made history by acting The Godfathera Francis Ford Coppola film that is still regarded as one of the genre’s greatest landmarks gangster at Cinema. The film’s success was so great that in 1973, at the 45th Academy Awards, it was nominated for 11 categories, including Best Actor for Brando for his portrayal of Don Vito Corleone.
What the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences didn’t expect was that the night of March 27, 1973 would go down in the history of its top awards — and that it wouldn’t be for good reason. Marlon Brando has refused to accept the statuette for best actor.
The reason would be an act of protest against television, cinema and his country’s treatment of Native Americans. When Brando’s victory was announced, the indigenous woman Sacheen Feather – Native American civil rights activist – took the stage to decline the award on behalf of The Godfather star.
Following the actor’s instructions, Littlefeather did not touch the figurine and spoke:
Unfortunately he was unable to accept this generous award. And the reasons for that are the treatment of Native Americans by the film industry and on television in reruns of movies, and also with the recent events at Wounded Knee.”
The protest took place because, a month before the ceremony, the activist organization American Indian Movement and members of the Oglala tribe had occupied the region of Wounded Knee, in South Dakata, as a form of protest against the mistreatment of the Native American populations. . The site had previously been the site of an Indian massacre by US soldiers.
Marlon Brandon’s speech is said to be 10 paragraphs, which sadly weren’t delivered on stage during the big ceremony. However, later, the actor’s text was released in full by the press, reinforcing his speech in support of Native Americans:
I believe awards in this country, at this time, are not appropriate to be received or given until conditions for Native Americans change dramatically. I’d be here tonight to speak directly with you, but I felt maybe I could be more helpful if I went to Wounded Knee to help.”
The Godfather and other controversies at the Oscars
Al Pacino, another star of The Godfather, also made headlines at the fateful 45th edition of the Oscars. This was because the actor refused to attend the ceremony because he believed he should have been nominated for Best Actor instead of Marlon Brando. His justification would be that Michael Corleone – role played by Pacino – would have had more screen time than Vito Corleone.
Despite his absence, the Academy nominated Al Pacino in the Best Supporting Actor category, along with his co-stars James Caan and Robert Duvall – who lived, respectively, Sonny Corleone and Tom Hagen in Coppola’s film. But the prize ended up going to Joel Grayfrom Cabaret.
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Source: Terra
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
