Oscar 2023, In Memoriam: all the stars who have left us and that Hollywood has forgotten to remember

The Oscars, which increasingly reward the inclusiveness and not the actual value of filmsthey have a constantpunctually respected also this year: in a moving moment, they usually remember the personalities of the entertainment world who left us during the year preceding the award. Not only, mind you, actors and directors, but also editors, directors of photography, producers, animators, costume designers, set designers, make-up artists, casting directors… in short, all the people, often unknown to us, who have worked in the environment of the show, in the homage called In Memorial. And punctually, every year, illustrious and beloved names remain out of the homage. This year John Travolta was moved, like many, by introducing the segment in memory of Olivia Newton Johnbut, as the Los Angeles Times lists among others, they are so many names left out. This year by the way, with very few exceptions (Irene Dear, Ray Liotta e James Canaan), there were no video clips, but two side-by-side photos in a large cauldron, just long enough to allow for Lenny Kravitz to perform live Calling All Angels. At this point we wonder if such a tribute still makes sense. Are there (unfortunately) too many names and is the snippet too long? And who decides who can be omitted from the worldwide broadcast version? Is the assembly closed too early? Be that as it may, we remember them and we are sorry that they did not get the applause they deserve these increasingly less credible Oscars.

In Memoriam: the great actors the Academy forgot to remember

Penultimate missing star, in order of time, is Robert Blakeremembered by all for Baretta but by movie lovers for his characters in In cold blood, Electra Glide (for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe) and his last role before falling from grace, the Mystery Man of Lost roads by David Lynch. In this case, however, there was probably no time, given that the actor died on March 9 and Jimmy Kimmel anticipated the absence (and the criticisms) by introducing the segment: “Now it’s time for the interactive part of the show. Please, get out your phones, it’s time to vote. If you think Robert Blake should be in the editing of In Memoriam, send a whatsapp with the words “Give me a Blake’ to the number on the screen. ” The same fate befell the great Israeli actor Topol, Oscar nominee for Fiddler on the Roofwho disappeared on March 9.

But, apart from them, there are many absences that hurt the heart. For example there was no Anne Heche, the actress who tragically died in August last year as a result of a terrible accident with her car. AND there was not that chameleonic elf of Leslie Jordandied in October, best known for Will & Grace e American Horror Story. But it gets worse: no Paul Sorvinothe extraordinary character actor, father among other things of the Oscar winner Mira Sorvinodied July 2022. The Paul Cicero of Those good guysinterpreter of almost 200 titles between films and TV series, including of course And the Sopranos, is not included in the giveaway. As well as his colleague in The Sopranos Tony Sirico. Even sadder, perhaps, the forgetfulness of the South African actress Charlbi Deanwho died aged just 32 after the release of Triangle of Sadnesswhich was one of the films nominated for theOscar this year. Many wrote on social media to comment on the oversights and a Mexican spectator complained about the absence of Ignacio Lopez Tarsoprotagonist of Macario, the first Oscar-nominated Mexican film. And we are sure that, on closer inspection, many others are left out. At this point we go back to repeating ourselves: what’s the point?