After 12 days, the Academy of Motion Picture Sciences and Arts has decided what to do with Will Smith, who slapped Chris Rock in the face during the most recent Oscars ceremony on March 27. The actor was banned from the party and other events that the entity promotes for the next ten years.
Despite persistent complaints on Twitter, nothing happened to the comedian. The understanding prevailed that making a joke, even one in bad taste, during a humorous number, on the stage of a theater, does not give anyone the right to react with physical violence.
Read Stycer’s analysis of what Brazilian journalism and TV are discussing and showing right now. A weekly edition.
The Academy’s punishment expresses an overly optimistic view of the future of the ceremony, which is at its worst. In fact, many people do not believe that there will still be an Oscar ten years from now.
The audience for the broadcast of the party has been in decline for a long time. This year, to speed things up, awards in eight of the 23 categories were awarded before the television show began.
Another problem is the loss of importance of the prize. At the current market moment, those who covet the statue the most are streaming platforms. The Oscar works as a seal of quality to attest that Netflix & Cia are in a position to offer films at the same standard as traditional studios.
This year, by the way, was the one in which the platforms had more films among the 10 nominees for the main award. There were three, “Don’t Look Up”, “Attack of the Dogs” (both from Netflix) and “In the Rhythm of the Heart” (Apple).
For the first time, a production with the seal of a streaming platform won the Oscar for best picture, but the victory of “The Rhythm of the Heart” ended up being in the background because of the slap of Will Smith.
