(March 7) - Fate dictated
it. Barbra Streisand was at the Academy Awards this evening to
present a "Best Director" Oscar to Kathryn Bigelow, the first
woman ever to be so honored. Bigelow's modern day war-time drama
"The Hurt Locker" also took home "Best Picture" honors.
Bigelow was the odds-on favorite to win the Best
Directing Oscar going into tonight's worldwide telecast. And it was a
proud Barbra Streisand (who was notoriously snubbed by the Academy
in the same category years ago) who had the honor of handing her fellow filmmaker this history making Academy
Award.
Barbra knew the significance of the moment. As she prepared to
announce each of the "Best Director" nominees, she noted, "From
among the five gifted nominees tonight, the winner could be, for
the first time, a woman!." And as she opened the envelope to
reveal the winner, Barbra glowed with pride in announcing, "And
the winner is, well the time has come. Kathryn Bigelow."
To further underscore what had just occurred on
stage, the orchestra played Helen Ready's 1970s anthem, "I Am Woman" as
Streisand and Bigelow left the stage, arm in arm in victory.
 Barbra Streisand blazed the trail for women filmmakers that led to
the events of this evening. In 1983, Barbra won the "Best
Director" Golden Globe for "Yentl." But she was not recognized
when the 1983 Oscar nominations were announced. The scenario
repeated itself in 1991 when Barbra's film, "The Prince of Tides" was
nominated as "Best Picture" while egregiously excluding Barbra from "Best
Director" consideration. "The Snub," as it
soon came to be known, made headlines around the world as a bold
indictment of the male dominated motion picture industry at that
time.
At the post-Oscar Governor's ball (right), Barbra offered further reflection
during an interview for the "Oprah" show: "I hope there will come a
time when it will not be about a woman director and a man director,
but just who the best director is."
Tonight was certainly a proud moment for Kathryn Bigelow. It was perhaps an
even prouder moment for Barbra Streisand. |
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