Art the big winner at the Oscars

By Mark David Ryan

Are the Academy Awards heading towards an identity crisis? This year's Academy Awards have been characterised by a major disconnect between the most popular films at the box office and socially important films deemed the 'best pictures' by the Academy.

Moreover, television audiences for the awards have generally been in decline since the early 2000s - though this year's audience improved upon last year's figure - and it's no secret that audiences increase when the most successful box office films are nominated for major awards.

Without exception, and with little surprise, the highest grossing films, and by implication the most popular films of 2008, were big-budget blockbusters.

Of the Best Picture nominees, only Slumdog Millionaire and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button earned more than $150 million. On the other hand, The Dark Knight has grossed over $1 billion worldwide, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull over $780 million, Hancock $620 million, and Iron Man has earned over $580 million. So what did the most popular films of the year offer audiences? In two words, pure escapism - from our everyday lives and the troubles of the world.

An anti-hero caped-crusader foils the plot of a crazed villain seemingly existing to wreak chaos upon society in The Dark Knight; an aging adventure hero uncovers the mystery of an otherworldly crystal skull in Indiana Jones; Hancock, a washed-up superhero, searches for a purposeful existence; and a wealthy industrialist builds an armoured suit to thwart evil in Iron Man.

While independent films without the backing of the Hollywood majors, particularly art-house films, have struggled to reach sizable audiences in cinema markets in recent years, audiences across demographics continue to flock to large-scale, grandiose spectacle films - the blockbuster, the entertainment film, the film for the masses. In the grips of global economic recession and an increasing number of people affected by the economic hardship escapism, more than ever, may have a healthy function to play in everyday society.

On the other hand, this year's Academy nominees for Best Picture were an eclectic selection of social conscience films, or films that 'matter'. Slumdog Millionaire is a rags-to-riches story about a young man living in the slums of Mumbai searching for his love and ending up on Who Wants to be a Millionaire. The film explores age-old themes such as the quirks of fate, love conquers all, and anything can happen. The film also offers a moving portrayal of the stark contrast between India's shocking poverty and excessive wealth as it emerges as a superpower.

Milk, about gay rights activist Harvey Milk becoming a leading figure in the gay rights movement in the 1970s, explores issues of homosexuality, sexual liberation, and equality. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, about the life of a man aging in reverse, examines themes such as the unstoppable march of time, and the need to live the best you can with what you are given.

Undoubtedly, these films explore important social issues with important social messages. However, they are clearly not for everyone - they are largely special interest films aimed at more mature or art-house audiences.

Based purely upon box office receipts, the Academy Awards are not the people's awards. They are not based on popularity. The Academy Awards are, and have generally been, biased against genre films - action films and pure adventure films, science-fiction films, and need I say it, horror films. They largely exclude the preferences of youth audiences. They are geared towards art for art's sake. While there is nothing actually wrong with this, as the Awards are aimed at awarding 'excellence' which in film language generally means 'quality' films, one may still wonder whether the Academy needs to reconsider the nexus between art and commerce to remain relevant in years to come?

Will the popularity of a film always remain inferior to whether or not it tackles serious social issues? Can popularity in its own right ever become indicative of a film's worth? Or should the awards retain their artistic integrity and suffer declining audiences and any criticisms they receive to maintain the respect they garner within the film industry? Whatever the answers may be, the winner of this year's Academy Awards was art over commerce, but this may not always be the case.

Dr Mark David Ryan is a researcher and lecturer at the Queensland University of Technology. He is the co-author of several reports, articles and book chapters on creative industries and policy and has recently completed a PhD thesis on Australian horror films.