10 years ago on this very day...
Friday, January 17, 2020 at 8:47AM ...remember when Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker) lost the Globe to her ex husband James Cameron (Avatar) at the Golden Globes. Before he even began thanking his team, he name-checked her to her apparent delight in the crowd as the camera held on her.
I'm actually not well prepared because frankly I thought Kathryn was going to win this -- I'm kind of winging it here. She richly deserves it...
Of course by the time the Oscars rolled around the situation reversed and The Hurt Locker was the favourite film and Bigelow became the first female director ever to win the Oscar. The Globes gave a Best Director trophy to Barbra Streisand for Yentl (1983) two decades earlier so perhaps they didn't feel any need to make history since they already had? Anyway we figured this anniversary was worth noting because the awards trouble for female directors has also haunted this Oscar season.
Jumping to the now... What is going on with Kathryn Bigelow? She has no new projects listed on IMDb apart from producing Pablo Larrain's next project The True American. We hope that Detroit (2017) doesn't prove to be her last feature!!!
Reader Comments (9)
I hope it won’t be either. Detroit is such a head-scratcher considering it came from the same woman who made the multifaceted and socially trenchant Strange Days. I get what she was going for, but why...
I am still upset over her Oscar snub for Zero Dark Thirty. That was just all kinds of wrong. She should have won the damn award.
She was never prolific (for reasons we can infer). I hope now she is not prolific because of being able to be picky, but sadly one dud can possibly still kill a woman's film directing career. THE ONLY FEMALE BEST DIRECTOR OSCAR WINNER"S CAREER! And yet Hooper unleashes Cats...
The moment when Barbra gives Kathryn the Oscar is so freaking hilarious. GET OVER IT, BARBZ. YOU'RE NOT THE FIRST ONE.
@Glenn - FYI Barbra Streisand was supporting her sister director and was fully aware that the possibility of a Kathryn win was very likely.
So don't be so harsh... if you want to be harsh on Streisand chastise her for not directing more films. She is quite competent, her eye for detail and great support for her actors is to be admired.
I still don't get the love for "The Hurt Locker," I wish the vastly superior "Zero Dark Thirty" came first so Bigelow could have won for that.
Yeah, Barbra was clearly elated to be handing the Oscar to Bigelow. Let’s not pit the two against each other.
@Jonathan: I totally agree. Zero Dark Thirty is far and away her best film. I also think the screenplay is far better too. That Oscar show in 2009 was so baffling to me, especially when the fucking screenplay won. Really, that was the BEST screenplay of the year??? And since Tarantino had a pony in both of those years, he also won for the wrong screenplay. I don't think The Hurt Locker has sustained over the years, but I think Inglourious Basterds has become even more appreciated since. But I guess you never know what will have staying power in the moment.
Bigelow's a fantastic, skillful director but she and her screenwriter Mark Boal got bamboozled by the CIA in the creation of ZERO DARK THIRTY, and wound up as apologists for torture. See THE REPORT.