Customer Reviews

75 Years of the Oscar: The Official History of the Academy Awards

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is THE book to read if one is interested in the history of the Academy Awards. It features all of the essential information about who was nominated and who won, as well as a brief history of the individual year along with a detailed look at some of the winners. However, this is no 5 star book. It looks at the Oscars through very rose-colored glasses; it is very clear that this is a sanctioned look at the awards and not, ultimately, an entirely honest overview. It is clear that Mr. Osborne knows his stuff. One feels frustrated at the same time that his punches are always pulled as he must tow the Academy's line to get this published as the "Official" guide. A pity really, but the only way to get a complete overview of its history to date. Here's hoping that some day he'll be given free reign!

Over the years, I have picked up a few books about the Academy Awards. I did so primarily to get a list of winners but I have also been interested in knowing the nominees. In the early days of the award it wasn't unusual to have eight or nine nominees for a particular award. However, the inference was still that there was something special about this particular movie in regards to this particular awards. I like that "75 Years of the Oscar" lists not only each award winner but each award nominee as well. I espcially appreciate the listing of all nominees for the Best Foreign Language award. I hadn't come across that before in any of the books I'd found.

"75 Years of the Oscar" makes for a large tome and I did have to send back the first edition of the book that I received due to weak binding for a book this size. The book provides an overview of each individual year as well as each decade of the award. Over the years the Academy Awards have over-rated some turkeys and ignored some movies now considered classics. The Academy has had a tendency, over the years, to focus on five to eight movies a year for 95% of all nominees. It certainly seems that it is a popularity contest more than an artistic examination. However, it's still a fairly reliable source for finding good movies of the past and that's what I use it for.

This book is chock full of facts about everything to do with the Academy and it's evolving from nothing to what it is today. It tells how and who started it, and how the different categories for Oscars were added as the years went by. The first 2 chapters or so overwhelm you with dry details which make it tedious reading; at least that is how I felt about it.
The rest of the book's chapters go year by year telling you all the nominations and winners of Oscars in all the different categories, and show you dozens of good pictures of the stars. You can also read the acceptance speeches given in the book by the stars that won Academy Awards.
There also is a section that lists the names of all the stars that have won 2 or more Academy Awards. This is what I really liked. This is what I bought the book for.
It is a huge book to read, so just take your time and read a little bit at a time.
I'm glad I bought it because I am a movie fan and have learned from it; and can always refer back to it when I want to find something out.

Finally, I can see all the Oscar winners in one book. I think this book is extremly useful to all the movie fans out there.

I liked this book so well, I have given it as a gift to 5 different people. Each person loved it.The presentation and format of the historical material is excellently done. The book is a great refrence manual for movie buffs. The construction of the book is also well done, the page stock and pictorial layout is indeed top notch.

This book is not a history in the since of most history books. It does not detail how the academy began, or how it changed over the years, or give you any kind of insider view of its workings. Instead, it is a complete listing of every nominee and every winner in every category since the award ceremony's inception in 1927. There are plenty of photographs of the nominees and images of scenes from the nominated films for each year, so it is not dry in the way many reference books are. In fact, Mr. Osborne's love of film and its history really shine through in the book. It is interesting to look through this book and see what we consider to be films that have withstood the test of time versus which ones were rewarded by the academy at the time. For example, in 1939, the Academy did recognize that "Gone with the Wind" was the best picture of the year, which people were lining up to watch in movie theaters until its television broadcast premiere in 1976. However, in 1941, "How Green was My Valley" won best picture, which is a film that hardly anyone watches anymore, while "Citizen Kane" was completely ignored. It's also interesting to see how the Academy compensated for past oversights by awarding performances that were less than stellar in subsequent years. For instance, in 1934 Bette Davis was overlooked in her performance in "Of Human Bondage". This caused a huge public outcry. The following year the Academy gave her the best actress award for her performance in "Dangerous"- a move that has largely been seen over the years as a consolation prize for what happened the year before.
This book is full of little insights such as these, and it is a fun book that gives hours of entertainment for film history buffs. I bought my first copy of this history by Mr. Osborne back in 1987 when he was then detailing the 60 years of the Oscar, and I enjoyed it so much I have been updating my copy every time he releases a new edition. Highly recommended.

This book has everything you could really ask for regarding the history of the Oscars. I especially like the complete list of nominees in virtually every category, and a nice collection of photos from throughout the years.

This book is the ultimate "must have" have for movie lovers. I have had my copy for a couple of years and find myself constantly looking up things about a movie I happen to be watching. I have given copies to friends and they love it too!

a great book to review past Academy Award winners and nominees
i really enjoyed the notes from previous award winners and their thoughts on receiving the award
i have given this as a gift to fellow movie lovers and it is a big hit
has also helped me in a few movie trivia contests too!!

This is a must-have of any film buff and is the most comprehen-
sive book of its kind that I have seen.