"The Ghost Writer" Haunts Europe. Can it Win American Oscar Nods?

The European Film Awards were held yesterday in Estonia's capital Tallin (next year the ceremony will be in Malta). Roman Polanski and Ewan McGregor both appeared via the wonders of the internet (you may have heard Polanski doesn't travel much) to accept for The Ghost Writer. The mystery thriller about a politician under fire and the two sorry writers who attempt to ghost his memoirs is filled with twists. It opened way back in March 2010 but it's apparently not done surprising us. Against the odds, it's been resurfacing in the awards conversation... and not just here. It took home a record-breaking 6 prizes, only losing "people's choice".

The previous EFA record holders, according to Screen Daily, were Spain's Talk to Her (2002) and Germany's Goodbye Lenin (2003) both of which, we foreign film Oscar obsessed must note, notoriously missed out on Oscar's Foreign Film category in their years (albeit for different reasons).

The European Film Awards aren't an Oscar precursor in the traditional way of thinking about these things but could we see The Ghost Writer with a stray Oscar nod or three come January's end? And if so, which? (Adapted Screenplay? Score? Art Direction? *gulp* Pic or Director?) Discuss.

The Euro Winners

• Picture The Ghost Writer
• People's Choice Jaco van Dormael's Mr Nobody 
• Co-Production Award  Zeynep Özbatur Atakan
• Achievement in World Cinema Gabriel Yared (Juliette Binoche was the surprise presenter of this award to The English Patient composer)
• Lifetime Achievement Bruno Ganz
• Discovery Lebanon
• Director Roman Polanski, The Ghost Writer
• Actor Ewan McGregor, The Ghost Writer
• Actress Sylvie Testud, Lourdes
• Animated Feature Sylvain Chomet's The Illusionist
• Documentary Feature Patricio Guzmán's Nostalgia for the Light
• Screenwriter & Roman Polanski, The Ghost Writer
• Cinematography Giora Bejach, Lebanon
• Editor Luc Barnier & Marion Monnier, Carlos
• Composer Alexandre Desplat, The Ghost Writer
• Production Designer Albrecht Konrad, The Ghost Writer

I'm sure there will be many claims that this a "political" message given Polanski's legal troubles with the US which have been in the news again a lot this year. And though politics can truly never be extricated from any awards show (even preferring decidedly apolitical movies is in its own way, a political stance) at least some of The Ghost Writer's past and future honors out to be attributed to the fact that it's a fine movie.

Who can The Ghost trust? No one.

I shall update this post if I can find good photos since the evening held appearances from France's Binoche (love) and Denmark's Nikolaj Lie Kaas (also love) among other international film notables.

Related Articles EFA Nominations & "Best in Show: Olivia Williams"

Film Bitch Awards - Early FYC Ads

Michael C here.

Now that the first Oscar ads of the season are upon us we dedicated Film Experience fans know what that means. Time to start getting excited about The Film Bitch Awards.

I'm guessing I speak for a lot of you when I say I've found myself anticipating them as an essential part of the awards season because A) Nathaniel has taken the time to see the films in question unlike some voting bodies I could name and B) he actually approaches the bestowing of honors with some thoughtfulness and imagination, honoring worthy elements from otherwise average movies and not paying any mind to group think momentum. Also, Oscar doesn't have a category for best sex scene. Just sayin'.

So I thought it would be a bit of fun on a Sunday evening to give a shout out to our own 2010 favorites before the year end films completely dominate the conversation. I'll get the ball rolling...

FYC - The Runaways for Best Poster

I've read a lot of praise for the striking design on posters for The Social Network and For Colored Girls but the stark simplicity of this design for The Runaways is still tops of 2010 for me. In the wake of the play-it-safe banality of The King's Speech's justly derided one sheet it's worth holding this up as an example of what one can accomplish with some daring and confidence. The actual movie didn't hold much interest for me but this image has had my thoughts returning to the film all year.

FYC - Ben Kingsley in Shutter Island for Best Line Reading

"You blew up my car. I loved that car."

The last thing I was expecting when Leo reached the top of that lighthouse was this laugh line from Kingsley. For all the mad scheming of the his character that was one bit of collateral damage he just did not see coming. Kingsley, of course, nails the deadpan delivery and also makes it seem like a bit of sly commentary on the convoluted plot. The story is about to spiral through a half dozen more heated twists, but first things first.

FYC - Hereafter for Best Action Sequence

I was clearly on the side of the underwhelmed when it came to Eastwood's shadowy psychic drama, but there is no denying the impact of the opening Tsunami scene. Who would have guessed that after Emmerich and Bay spent the better part of their careers destroying the planet dozens of times over, Clint would come out of nowhere and show them how it's done. More than any disaster sequence I've scene this communications that queasy pit-of-the-stomach panic accompanying the realization that escape isn't an option.

FYC - Douglas Urbanski in The Social Network for Best Limited Role 

Every cast member gets there share of killer lines in Sorkin's script, but nobody knocked them out of the park with more consistency than Urbanski as Harvard President and former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers. The confrontation with the "Winklevii" is a sustained comedic high point. His Summers may miss the scope of the issue at hand but he is right on target when it comes to sizing up the two young men across the desk from him and how they managed to claim three minutes of his time. Urbanski nails that mixture of obliviousness and perceptiveness.

FYC - The Ghost Writer for Best Ending

Here's a rare occurrence in modern films - the twist ending that feels completely earned and holds up to the scrutiny of repeated viewings. Over the past decade it felt like story redefining twists were the fashionable thing to tack on to screenplays whether they were supported by the material or not. The ending here not only shifts our perspective on everything that just occurred but brings the whole movie in for a flawless landing with the perfect few grace notes and a final image that sticks in the memory.

FYC - Winter's Bone for Best Individual Scene

A lot of Winter's Bone succeeds as a mood piece. Images and textures stand out as much as sequences - the dismembered squirrel, the sound of Ree screaming to be heard in the slaughterhouse, the trampoline. Yet director Debra Granik does stage a beautifully tense standoff between John Hawkes and the state trooper that deserves mention as a stand alone set piece. All through the film we are trying to get a handle on Teardrop's menacing character. All we know for certain is that he is dangerous and if he is making a threat it would be foolish to assume he's bluffing. Granik squeezes every last drop of suspense out the scene. It's a pleasure to see a potentially violent encounter play out without the characters on action movie autopilot.

I'll turn it over to you guys. What movie moments would you like to see remembered after the end-of-the-year deluge of prestige pictures? Here's a refresher on the categories if you need one.

EFA Noms: Of Gods and Ghost Writers with Secrets in Their Eyes

The European Film Award nominations have been announced and what we have this year is an interesting mix of two separate years of Oscar's Foreign Film contest alongside one English language feature: Roman Polanski's The Ghost Writer. Side note: I had thought that the film was simply called The Ghost in Europe (?) but perhaps I misremembered.

The Ghost sizes up his competition at the European Film Awards

As faithful readers know I reject the notion that any group should be judged in accordance with how they "influence" or "predict" the Oscars as I think the only true worth of any group is whether or not they have their own identity or any sanity when it comes to proclaiming what is "best."

But, that said, I do think all awards bodies offer us interesting nuggets of ideas about the way votes reveal collective consensus thoughts that might help us in thinking about each year's Oscar race, even though ballots outside of festival jurying are usually filled out individually in secret and eligibility lists and membership rosters are much different from prize to prize.

Take, for instance, the interesting case of Mike Leigh's Another Year...

We've only seen three awards bodies weigh in so far when it was eligible (Cannes' competition jury, BIFA and now the EFA) and the groups are much different and dealing with different rosters of all films. But in all three instances it came up short when it came to "Best Picture" equivalents and the response to Lesley Manville has been buzzy but confusing. Despite winning the most hype at Cannes she was passed over, BIFA proclaimed her supporting and now the EFA has named her as one of their European Actresses of the year.

What does it all mean for the Oscar hopes of the film?

Though the film is unquestionably well-liked, is support is too soft when it comes time to actually say "Yes, that one!" when voting? That's my gut instinct but things could easily change by the time Oscar nominations roll around in. Sony Pictures Classics has... hmmm, less than 79 days -- ooh I love my new countdown clock -- to beef up the enthusiasm that already exists.

Here is the complete nomination list with commentary.

European Film

• Bal a.k.a. Honey (Turkey/Germany)
• Of Gods and Men (France)
• The Ghost Writer (France/Germany/UK)
• Lebanon (Israel/Germany/France)
• The Secret in Their Eyes (Spain/Argentina)
• Soul Kitchen (Germany)

Both Bal (Honey) and Of Gods and Men are shaping up as real threats to the Oscar Foreign Language Film finalist list. They are definitely well liked. Here's the trailer for Honey so you don't start thinking that that old Jessica Alba picture is going to be in Oscar contention this year...  

The Oscar winner The Secret in Their Eyes, which has done very well for itself in multiple countries, is also represented in their lineup. Lebanon and Soul Kitchen weren't submitted for Foreign Language Film consideration but they did receive theatrical release in the States this year so theoretically they are eligible for other Oscar nominations. If you go by nomination counts, The Ghost Writer is the leader of the pack but I suspect it's not going to win. Just a hunch.

But will we be seeing a bigger Oscar campaign for that Polanski film than we'd originally expected?

European Director

• Olivier Assayas for Carlos
• Semih Kaplanolu for Bal (Honey)
• Samuel Maoz for Lebanon
• Roman Polanski for The Ghost Writer
• Paolo Virzi for La Prima Cosa Bella

Out go the French monk drama, the Argentinian procedural and the Germany restaurant comedy to make room for the exceedingly acclaimed 5 hour french crime biopic Carlos. Assayas is one of my favorite filmmakers (Summer Hours + demonlover + Irma Vep = take me now) but I'm still having trouble wrapping my head around sitting through anything that's 5 hours long. Supposedly it's beyond worth it.

Actress

Sylvie Testud experiences a miracle in Lourdes

• Zrinka Cvitešić  for Na Putu (On the Path)
• Sibel Kekilli for When We Leave
• Lesley Manville for Another Year
• Sylvie Testud for Lourdes
• Lotte Verbeek for Nothing Personal

Here we see the winner of Germany's Oscar Ms Kekilli -- we like her. We put a pic of Sylvie above just because she's such a damn fine actress. (I haven't had the opportunity to see that movie. Anyone?) Like most festival prizes, the EFA does not distinguish between supporting or leading acting so we don't know how they consider Lesley Manville other than that they love her for her work in the Mike Leigh film.

Actor

• Jakob Cedergren for Submarino
• Elio Germano for La Nostra Vita
• Ewan McGregor for The Ghost Writer
• George Pistereanu for If I Want to Whistle, I Whistle
• Luis Tosar for Cell 211

Trivia note: All of these nominees, save teenage George, are in their 30s. If you saw last year's Danish Oscar submission Terribly Happy, you'll recognize Jakob Cedergren. Elia Germano, who just turned 30, had a small role in the musical Nine.

The inclusion of McGregor seems odd to me. I am a big fan but his role in the Polanski film was actually asking him not too deliver much by way of a performance. He's playing a rather identity free role. In fact, his character doesn't even get a name (one of the most brilliant and subtle things about the movie). So it seems a smidgeon odd to name as a Best Actor. Ewan faces off against men from Italy, Spain, Sweden and Pistereanu, the young lead of the Romanian Oscar submission.

Who will win this prize? Who knows. Luis Tosar won the Goya for this same role (it's a prison drama) and he's also been a nominee in this category before. Maybe him?

Screenwriter

• Jorge Guerricaechevarria & Daniel Monzon for Cell 211
• Robert Harris & Roman Polanski for The Ghost Writer
• Samuel Maoz for Lebanon
• Radu Mihaileanu for The Concert

If the European Film Academy voters care about back stories and "angles" in the way American voters do, I could see this going to Samuel Maoz who based his screenplay on his own war experiences (the film takes place entirely inside a tank.)

Cinematographer

Of Gods and Men

• Giora Bejach for Lebanon
• Caroline Champetier for Of Gods and Men
• Pavel Kostomarov for How I Ended This Summer
• Barış Özbiçer for Bal (Honey)

I've heard over and over again that the Turkish Oscar submission (Bal) is a beautiful film. Oscar likes pretty pictures. I now expect it to place in the shortlist as a Foreign Film nominee.

Editor

• Luc Barnier & Marion Monnier for Carlos
• Arik Lahav-Leibovich for Lebanon
• Hervé de Luze for The Ghost Writer

I personally didn't love Lebanon as much as many critics (though it's worth seeing) but I'm not sure how I feel about either of these technical nominations. Perhaps my problem is more in the direction than in the lighting or the cuts. It's one of those films so enamored of tight close-ups that it's difficult to know where you are in the tank or where the person you're looking at is in relation to any of the other people crowding him. So the claustrophobia of the tight space isn't really reading though you can feel the claustophrobia on a one-on-one proxy basis since you can count all the pores and the beads of sweat.

Production Designer

• Paola Bizzarri & Luis Ramirez for I, Don Giovanni
• Albrecht Konrad for The Ghost Writer
• Markku Paetilae & Jaagup Roomer for The Temptation of St. Tony

St. Tony, Estonia's Oscar submission, is high on the curiousity list at this point. Everything we hear about it suggests that Oscar won't touch it with a ten foot pole but that it's totally an interesting film. The production design of The Ghost Writer was definitely fun. The spaces are so stark, foreboding and slightly off (like the plot) but also weirdly anonymous (like the protagonist). So this is a smart nomination. 

The Ghost Writer won 7 nominations. How many wins are coming? 

Composer

• Ales Brezina for Kawasaki's Rose
• Pasquale Catalano for Loose Cannons
• Alexandre Desplat for The Ghost Writer
• Gary Yershon for Another Year

Truth: Score composition is the most difficult work (for me) to judge in a movie. It seems to me that people only notice it when it's super obvious but being super obvious in no way suggests quality. It can (Desplat isn't exactly a "shy" composer but his work is often brilliant) but a noticeable score can just as easily can be way too intrusive and heavy-handed (see, or rather, hear Rachel Portman's work on Never Let Me Go.) I'm having a moment and can't recall the score of Another Year at all. Maybe that's a good sign. I'm eager to see the film again anyway.

What do you make of all this?

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