Tuesday, April 20, 2010

GLAAD for A Single Man--Tuesday Short-Take

The major GLAAD Media Awards were presented last Saturday in Los Angeles, so Award Season continues....

...and there was a comfort in knowing that "A Single Man", my favorite film of 2009 (covered in these pages, links below) was recognized for Outstanding Film in Wide release.

See winners in all categories here.

Although I maintain that awards in themselves neither add nor detract from any creative work, and as hard as I have struggled to regard arts (film, literature, music, all of them) on their own merits and NOT in terms of awards, I admit I felt a vindication of sorts, not necessarily for any prestige carried by the award, but to have a work I loved finally recognized...as though it is still alive in the public consciousness, and that in some wierd way, by extension, so am I. 


I identified so much with the story of  the writing and filming of "A Single Man", with the story of Christopher Isherwood and the circumstances surrounding the conception of this work; and Isherwood's influence on my budding passion for film, because he created the work that would become one of my powerhouse favorites and a film I still hold dear, "Cabaret".


Some may assert that GLAAD is singing to the choir, and that the Media Award will have little influence on mainstream audiences to give the film a chance.  Maybe so.  I, myself, have not always agreed with GLAAD's choices (and I'll stick my neck out now to say that I hated "Little Miss Sunshine", a recent recipient).  And, thinking back on Movie Year 2009, there were not too many wide releases that would merit award attention, so even a mediocre film could have been honored.


Fortunately, "Single Man" remains in my estimation a terrific piece of cinema by any measure.  And so I am happy to have a new, and relevant, reason to showcase it once again on these pages.

http://tom-samp-journal.blogspot.com/search/label/Christopher%20Isherwood


http://tom-samp-journal.blogspot.com/2010/01/single-man-part-2-film-review.html

http://tom-samp-journal.blogspot.com/2010/02/oscar-2010-my-actor-of-year.html

2 comments:

  1. I agree. A Single Man is an artful film that deserves the accollades. It's a beaufiful film to watch from start to finish ... beginning with the human form gliding through water. Colin Firth is terrific. That scene where his character learns of his lover's fate over the phone is heartwrenching. And somehow Julianne Moore was overlooked for an Oscar nomination. Her Charlotte is vulnerable, desperate, hopeful and alone. It's my favorite film of last year. Can't wait to see what Tom Ford directs next.

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  2. A fine movie from all accounts and very worthy of this recognition and more. I hope that it gains the same acceptance from the mainstream audiences that they reserve for other genuinely monumental works. Great post, Tom

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