At the Oscars, “Oppenheimer” won best picture in a war-torn ceremony

“Oppenheimer,” a somber three-hour biography that turned into an improbable billion-dollar movie office hit, won best picture at the 96th Academy Awards, which also served as Christopher Nolan’s crowning achievement.

The Academy honors made up for lost time by bestowing seven honors on Christopher Nolan’s massive biopic, including best actor for Cillian Murphy, best supporting actor for Robert Downey Jr., and best director for Nolan. For years, they had overlooked maybe Hollywood’s most prominent big-screen genius.

The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences awarded a major prize to a widely seen, big-budget studio picture with “Oppenheimer,” something it hasn’t done in almost ten years. “Oppenheimer” attracted large crowds of moviegoers to cinemas with its intricate, explosive drama about J. Robert Oppenheimer and the development of the atomic bomb, in a field where a cape, dinosaur, or Tom Cruise has sometimes been required for such box office success.

“We all live in Oppenheimer’s world, for better or worse,” Murphy said in his victory speech. “This is a dedication to the peacemakers,”

Even more so than its co-star in the cultural phenomenon “Barbie,” “Oppenheimer” emerged as a film laden with uneasiness over the potential for human mass devastation and as a suitably ominous picture for an era full of cataclysmic events, whether caused by man or not.

At the 96th Academy Awards, “Oppenheimer” takes home the best picture trophy and wins seven overall.
Oscar winners Emma Thomas, left, and Christopher Nolan collect the best picture trophy for “Oppenheimer” on Sunday, March 10, 2024, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.

Oscar winners Emma Thomas, left, and Christopher Nolan collect the best picture trophy for “Oppenheimer” on Sunday, March 10, 2024, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.

The Oscar documentary feature “To Kill a Tiger,” which is set in India, is defeated by “20 Days in Mariupol.”
The Oscars on Sunday took place at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles against the background of the battles in Gaza and Ukraine, as well as the possibly historic election that might take place in the United States soon. Oscar attention was drawn to geopolitics by the winners of the best foreign picture, “The Zone of Interest,” and documentary, “20 Days in Mariupol.”

Emma Stone, who won best best actress for her role as Bella Baxter in “Poor Things,” was the most viewed competitor. Stone defeated Lily Gladstone of “Killers of the Flower Moon” in the most suspenseful category of the evening. Had Gladstone prevailed, he would have been the first American Indian to win an Oscar.

Rather, Stone’s richly detailed portrayal of “Poor Things” won over Oscar voters. The 35-year-old Stone’s victory, her second best actress Oscar after her triumph for “La La Land” in 2017, solidified her status as maybe the finest big-screen actress of her age. Among the notable ladies who have won best actress two or more times are Bette Davis, Ingrid Bergman, Frances McDormand, and Katharine Hepburn.

During her address, Stone battled back tears and a damaged dress, saying, “Oh, boy, this is really overwhelming.”

The show on Sunday had a lot of flash and sparkle, such as Ryan Gosling’s expansive song-and-dance performance of the “Barbie” smash “I’m Just Ken,” which featured guitar help from Slash and a sea of Kens crowding the stage.

However, politics and protest trumped the Academy Awards during an election year. Jimmy Kimmel, the presenter, read aloud a scathing social media remark by former president Donald Trump toward the end of the program.

“I appreciate you watching,” Kimmel remarked. “Isn’t your jail term over?”

Previously, a number of Nolan films, such as “Inception,” “Dunkirk,” and “The Dark Knight,” were considered for Oscars. But the 53-year-old director’s victory on Sunday marks his first Academy Award. Nolan said, “Cinema is just over a hundred years old,” as he addressed the assembly.

“Consider being present a century from now in painting or theater,” added Nolan, who won a share of the best film prize with his producer and wife, Emma Thomas. “Where this amazing voyage will go from here is unknown. But it means the world to me to know that you believe I have a significant role in it.

After receiving two prior nominations (for “Chaplin” and “Tropic Thunder”), Downey finally achieved his dream of winning an Oscar, capping an incredible second act in his turbulent career.

The son of director Robert Downey Sr., Downey commented, “I’d like to thank the academy and my terrible childhood, in that order.”

With over $1.4 billion in ticket sales, “Barbie” was the largest movie office smash of the previous year. However, it only took home one trophy: best song, which went to Billie Eilish and Finneas’ “What Was I Made For?” (sorry, Ken). Two years after winning for their James Bond theme, “No Time to Die,” they are back with another Oscar.

On Sunday, March 10, 2024, in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles, a protester carries a poster as part of a rally in favor of Palestinians demanding a ceasefire in Gaza. The 96th Academy Awards ceremony is taking place nearby.AP

Oscar for best foreign picture goes to “The Zone of Interest.”
Oscar winners Emma Thomas, left, and Christopher Nolan collect the best picture trophy for “Oppenheimer” on Sunday, March 10, 2024, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.

“Beautiful Things,” Da’Vine Protests outside the Oscars center over Joy Randloph’s victory for Gaza.
Traffic near the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles was clogged by protests against Israel’s assault in Gaza, delaying the entrance of celebrities on the red carpet and drawing attention to the situation. “Shame!” was yelled by several demonstrators at those attempting to claim the trophies.

The terrifying Auschwitz drama “The Zone of Interest,” directed by British director Jonathan Glazer, won best international picture. Glazer made a link between the dehumanization shown in his film and contemporary society.

“Now, as men who deny being Jewish and the Holocaust being appropriated by an occupation that has caused conflict for countless innocent people—whether it be the October 7th victims in Israel or the current Gaza attack victims—how do we fight against this dehumanization?”

Mstyslav Chernov’s “20 Days in Mariupol,” a terrifying account of the early stages of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, won best documentary a year after “Navalny” took home the same honor. The victory, which was a first for PBS’s “Frontline” and The Associated Press, occurred as the conflict in Ukraine entered its second year and showed no indications of ending.

Speaking vehemently against Russia’s incursion was Chernov, the Ukrainian filmmaker and AP journalist whose city was destroyed the day he found out he was nominated for an Oscar.

“I’m honored to have won the first Oscar in Ukrainian history,” Chernov said. “I think I’ll be the first director here to say that I wish I hadn’t made this movie.” This is what I would want to trade (for) Russia never invading Ukraine.

Yorgos Lanthimos’ Frankenstein-riffing film “Poor Things” won three accolades in the early going for its exquisite craftsmanship, including best production design, best makeup and hairstyling, and best costume design. With four prizes overall, “Oppenheimer” won the most, followed by “Poor Things.”

After the actor and writer strikes of 2023, Kimmel, who was hosting the ABC telecast for the fourth time, began the awards show with a monologue emphasizing that Hollywood was still “a union town.” This earned her a standing ovation for bringing out teamsters and behind-the-scenes workers, who are now starting their own labor negotiations.

One of the most expected awards of the evening went to Da’Vine Joy Randolph for best supporting actress, in recognition of her work on Alexander Payne’s “The Holdovers.” Paul Giamatti, Randolph’s co-star on “Holdovers,” escorted an emotional Randolph to the stage.

Randolph said, “I’ve always wanted to be different for so long.” “And now I realize I just need to be myself.”

Oscar winners Emma Thomas, left, and Christopher Nolan collect the best picture trophy for “Oppenheimer” on Sunday, March 10, 2024, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
Cillian Murphy receives his first Oscar for best actor for “Oppenheimer.”
Even though everyone was expecting Randolph to win, there was an unexpected turn of events. Unexpectedly, Hayao Miyazaki’s “The Boy and the Heron” defeated “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” to win best animated film. The 83-year-old Japanese animation creator Miyazaki did not attend the event. Miyazaki came out of retirement to produce “The Boy and the Heron.” Additionally, he skipped the 2003 Oscars, the year that “Spirited Away” took home the same prize.

“Anatomy of a Fall” won Best Original Screenplay. Like “Barbie,” it was written by director Justine Triet and screenwriter Arthur Harari as a pair. “I believe this will help me get through my midlife crisis,” Triet said.

The Oscar for adapted screenplay went to Cord Jefferson, who wrote and directed his feature film debut “American Fiction.” Greta Gerwig was not nominated for the role, and many speculated that she would win instead. He implored bosses to take chances with up-and-coming filmmakers like him.

Jefferson, a former award-winning TV writer, advised “trying making 20 $10 million movies instead of a $200 million movie.”

The majority of the Oscars went to theatrically released movies. Despite having 19 nominations going into the Oscars, Netflix was a bit of a player. The live action short “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar,” directed by Wes Anderson and based on a Roald Dahl classic, was its only victory.

Despite looming storm clouds in the film business, Hollywood was able to enjoy “Oppenheimer’s” victory. The release of Nolan’s movie coincided with the screenwriters’ and actors’ protracted walkout over artificial intelligence and streaming economics. November saw the conclusion of the actors’ strike, although Hollywood remained uneasy for a while. The majority of studios that aren’t Netflix have found streaming to be less profitable.

However, “Barbenheimer” was the type of unanticipated hit that Hollywood desperately needs more of. The two movies may also help the Oscar broadcast, which has always benefited from having major motion pictures nominated. When James Cameron’s “Titanic” won a slew of Oscars in 1998, the ceremony drew the biggest crowd ever.