And who said that the annual event of the Night of the Oscars has been able to entertain during its editions only for the awards of the titles in competition and the relative thanks of cast, directors and technicians? Undoubtedly, as a highly anticipated show, it cannot fail to count on moments of high attraction and involvement ; most of the time programmed - think of the opening musical version with Neil Patrick Harris in 2015 or the tearjerker duo between Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper, complete with piano and brushed kiss, in 2019 - and, exceptionally, completely unforeseen but precisely for this reason remained in the legend, imprinted in everyone's memories. Let's see together some examples taken from this second category.

In 1973 , the absence at the ceremony of Marlon Brando , already at his second Oscar and awarded on that occasion for the role of Don Vito Corleone in the film "The Godfather". In his place, after Liv Ulmann has read his name, a young Indian, Sacheen Littlefeather, will take the stage, who - by Brando's will - will declare that the actor cannot accept the award given the inadmissible behavior reserved for Native Americans by the film industry . These declarations, in a din of boos and applause, will remain in the legend no less than the star to which they refer.

Shortly before, in 1974, the British actor and conductor David Niven introduces Elizabeth Taylor onto the stage - assigning the Oscar for best film to "Someone who has made an important contribution to the world of entertainment" - those present will be stunned, not so much because impatient to see the unmistakable charm of the diva but following the foray into a beautiful display of a naked man , from top to bottom. To save goat and cabbage will be the comic brilliance of Niven who will promptly respond to the episode by saying: "Isn't it fascinating that, probably, the only laugh that man elicits depends on having stripped down and shown his shortcomings?".

Considering the speeches with declared intentions of a political nature, we cannot fail to mention the one made in 2003 by Michael Moore , winner of the award for best documentary with his " Bowling a Columbine " and always active in anti-republican positions. After Diane Lane's announcement, the director takes the stage and juggles a bloody tirade against then President George W. Bush , denouncing "the fictitious electoral result that elected a fictitious president". Even after the inevitable uproar and applause , the director was not discouraged, stating that he was against the war and inviting the president himself to be ashamed . An episode undoubtedly of great sensation, but which at the same time testifies to a phase in American history between tensions, crises and military conflicts.

The aforementioned episodes are perhaps nothing compared to the unprecedented slide sadly reserved for the 2017 Academy edition . The legendary co-protagonists of Bonnie and Clyde Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway are about to take the stage called to assign the Oscar for best film. From here follows an awkward scene to say the least: Beatty opens the envelope and remains frozen in silence for twenty seconds, so he prefers to pass it to his colleague Dunaway who declares the winner of the "La La Land" prize. But it is here that disaster strikes, because when all the film's staff has now taken the stage and is just waiting to collect the prize in a hurry, some managers intervene who, after having ascertained the error, declare the film "Moonlight" the winner. After endless looks of disappointment and incredulity, Beatty explains the reasons for the accident - an unforgivable exchange of envelopes - while in the meantime the real winners go up to retire, not without a certain embarrassment.

And we come to the last, thunderous and perhaps even more famous stumble of the Awards. During the evening of 2022 Chris Rock takes the stage before handing over the award to the best documentary, but the assignment is preceded by a dig - in the middle of a comic monologue - to the actress Jada Pinkett Smith, shaved because she has been suffering from alopecia for long time, which goes like this: "I can't wait to see Private Jane 2!". The consequences are worthy of a cataclysm . After a decidedly inaudible laugh, her husband Will Smith reaches the conductor and shoots him in the face with a five-pointer . Rock's attempts to play down the episode were useless, especially when Smith yelled at him ferociously «Keep my wife out of your fucking mouth!». The silence that falls over the room testifies that this is not an artfully concocted episode. Even more surprising is the award for best leading actor that Smith receives shortly after. In vain, through tears, he tries to justify himself for his unspeakable behavior.

John Scanu

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