David Squires delves into… the history of the Oscars
Every year, the cinema-loving masses wait on bated breath, hoping for a justified roster of winners another juicy scandal at the Oscars.
Has it always been this way? Well, yes, near enough. As David Squires explains in his latest cartoon for Far Out Magazine, when the ‘biggest night’ in cinema was set up, championing great art was about as far down the priority pecking order as toothpicks on a shopping list.
It is scandal, celebrity, and a capitalist comparison of designer swankiness that makes it what it is. By and large, that has always been the case. This isn’t a meritocracy – this is art, darling. How else could you explain Chicago (2002) winning ‘Best Picture‘?
Beginning back in 1929, the Hollywood event has risen to take the mantle as the loftiest awards ceremony in the world. Its ascent signposts recent history’s transition from a time when the printed word was paramount, and novels were our most revered art form, to the present day, where we scrutinise the merits (or lack thereof) of Timothée Chalamet’s tash instead.
