Saturday, October 31, 2009

Natalie Wood vs. Deborah Kerr

In one of my Oscar-October posts, I remembered the ever-so-charming Deborah Kerr. In that post I said something along the lines of her being the only Marni Nix-dub to get an Oscar nomination and rightly so. It's the "and rightly so" part I want to address.

After another viewing of West Side Story, I realize my mistake. Natalie Wood deserved an Oscar nomination for her portrayal of Maria. Not that Kerr didn't, hell, she deserved to win, but Wood did deserve some credit. I don't get why Rita Moreno (who is just amazing in the movie) and (sort of) George Chakiris get all of the attention. Wood is radiant in her role as Maria, and, I think, it is her second best role, with her first being Splendor in the Grass that same year, for which she did garner an Oscar nomination.

However, I know Natalie was in fact "snubbed" for an Oscar, but was she even eligible if she was nominated for Splendor in the Grass that very same year? In today's Oscars, she would not be eligible, but times change as does the rules of the Academy (see- 10 Best Picture nominees for starters).

Can anybody help me clear up this whole "snub" business, and do you think Natalie deserved an Oscar nomination for her role in West Side Story, eligible or not?

2 comments:

  1. I think that Natalie was wonderful in WSS. Her final scene was so heartbreaking!

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  2. Yeah that last scene is so powerful! That's the bulk of the reason that I had to make this post. Thanks for commenting Fritz!

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