It is so demanding that there have never been films that opt ​​for it

If you think that the Oscar They have too many categories, you don’t even know half: there are even more than we see. What happens is that one of them presents such high demands so that the films are nominated that it has always remained deserted. This year, in fact, some main film could opt for it, but one more year will be empty. And behind its existence there is a long history related to Music in cinema.

Recycled musicals. The problem of this strange category dates back to the thirties, when the usual custom for the soundtracks of the films was the use not of exclusive original bands, but of previous musical compositions. We have all seen films of the thirties in which ‘The Lake of the Swans’ or other pieces of classical music, and Hollywood sounded realized that it was a problem when in 1938 ‘crazy for music’, a film without original compositions and whose credits did not even appear a composer, received an Oscar for the best soundtrack. Therefore, since 1939 the best original soundtrack was also rewarded, which won the mythical ‘Robin de los Forests’.

The musical devastates. The situation changed again with new categories in 1942, when musicals became common currency in cinemas. Frank Churchill and Oliver Wallace won the best musical soundtrack for ‘Dumbo’, beating nine opponents. This category faced the best drama soundtrack, who won the great Bernard Herrmann for ‘The man who sold his soul’. For decades, soundtracks were rewarded according to these two distinctions, and suffering multiple variants (sometimes comedies and dramas were grouped in front of musicals, for example).

Adaptations are over. Regardless of this distinction between musical and drama / comedy, in 1963 and until 1985 it went to a distinction between the best original soundtrack and the best adapted soundtrack, to reward the original compositions as it had been done in the thirties. In 1985, the adapted award was definitively dispensed with, and there was only one category, the best original soundtrack. The problem? Disney, always Disney.

The Disney monster. Since 1989, with the premiere of ‘La Sernita’, Disney began razing, year after year, in the category of best soundtrack. Between 1989 and 1994, they won four times (in addition to that, ‘The Beauty and the Beast’, ‘Aladdin’ and ‘The Lion King’) and lost only two. To avoid Disney’s domination, in 1995 the category was divided into two: Best drama soundtrack and best comedy or musical soundtrack. The same was not missing: after change, Disney only won once again, with ‘Pocahontas’.

The musicals, alone. Then, in 2000 a new distinction arrives: the academy decides that there are still two awards for original sound bands, but now we will have a better soundtrack and better original musical, an own category. To be part of that category, the film must include five original songs, and these must be “substantially reproduced, clearly audible and intelligible, and must contribute to the film’s argument. An arbitrary group of songs that are not essential for the argument will not be admitted.” Many films since 2000 have followed those requirements, but then … Why has the category remained unpublished?

The durations, the quantities. To begin with, because the norms require a minimum minute for those soundtracks. For example, two musicals of 1999, ‘Tarzán’ and ‘South Park: larger, longer and without cuts’ had 45 -minute sound bands, insufficient according to the rules. And second and most important: at least ten films must be presented to the category so that it is open. An absolutely excessive amount for the moment that musicals currently live in the cinema.

There are not enough musicals. And this is what has maintained the hidden category, despite successes (even within the Oscars) that show that gender lives good times, such as’LA LA LAND‘. We have had films like ‘Chicago’ (which would not have entered the category for proceeding with a theater musical) and this year, ‘WICKED‘. However, ten are too many: ‘The purple color‘,’Charm‘,’The great showman‘,’Vaiana‘… Great musical films, but you should add all of a decade to find enough tickets for one year in the category. According to They affirmed in Next Best Picturethe last time that amount was added was in 1963.

Why follow. If the history of the Oscars is also the story of an endless list of dead categories (best dance direction, best black and white photograph …), Why is it officially active? Possibly because Hollywood does not want to miss the opportunity to reward a genre that is pure history of cinema. Maybe we would have to open something hand, allow type musicals to participate Jukebox as ‘Joker: Folie A Deux‘, Broadway adaptations such as’ Wicked’ or ‘Chicago’ or, finally, lower the minimum necessary nominated. The musicals deserve it.

In Xataka | ‘The Brutalist’ is so long that it includes an intermediate of 15 minutes. And to the surprise of the director himself, people are delighted