Monday, April 22, 2013

Oscar Oddity #10: The Godfather Part II (1974)


The Godfather Part II is often associated with being the first (and only one of two) sequel(s) to win the Academy Award for Best Picture. While this is a groundbreaking statistic, the film holds another interesting Oscar distinction.

It is also one of five films to score three acting nominations in the same category.

Mutiny on the Bounty (1935)

Nominated for Best Actor: Clark Gable, Charles Laughton, Franchot Tone

On the Waterfront (1954)

Nominated for Best Supporting Actor: Lee J. Cobb, Karl Malden, Rod Steiger

Tom Jones (1963)

Nominated for Best Supporting Actress: Diane Cilento, Dame Edith Evans, Joyce Redman

The Godfather (1972)

Nominated for Best Supporting Actor: James Caan, Robert Duvall, Al Pacino

The Godfather Part II (1974)

Nominated for Best Supporting Actor: Robert De Niro (won), Michael V. Gazzo, Lee Strasberg

Moreover, it is the only film to actually win in that situation. Robert De Niro won, but the actors in the other four films all lost, potentially to vote-splitting. This makes The Godfather Part II a unique acting winner, breaking a losing streak that spanned nearly 40 years. It's also worth noting that since this win (almost another 40 years), no film has received three acting nominations in the same category. Not a bad feat for a sequel.

13 comments:

  1. That is interesting but it's also kind of sad considering that John Cazale wasn't nominated for any of his work in those 2 Godfather films plus The Conversation, Dog Day Afternoon, and The Deer Hunter.

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    1. It's shocking that he never got a nomination. Gazzo and Strasberg over him for The Godfather Part II? And Chris Sarandon over him for Dog Day Afternoon? A shame, really.

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    2. I'm with you @thevoid99 Cazale was the best supporting playing in The Godfather II (I consider De Niro lead) and he really should have been nominated.

      Great stats Josh! I love these.

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    3. Yeah I agree with you both - Cazale deserved a nom over both Gazzo and Strasberg, despite how amazing they both are.

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    4. @Fisti: Thanks! Cazale was robbed more than once, for sure.

      @Alex: They're great, no doubt, but he deserved the nom. It's strange that he didn't get a makeup nod for Dog Day Afternoon the following year.

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  2. Fun trivia! Why do you think that is, that no film has received three acting nominations in the same category since? A coincidence, or because Academy want to spread out the love to various films these days?

    I agree with thevoid99, surprised John Cazale was snubbed by the Academy. At least he got a Golden Globe nom for Dog Day Afternoon.

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    1. Thanks Chris! I think a weak year of nominated films could've played a part in '63. In '35, the Best Supporting Actor category didn't exist, and Franchot Tone plays a supporting role. The other three films were probably LOVED by the Academy, especially the actors' branch. Plus, all five films won Best Picture, so they were well-liked by most of the voters.

      More films, especially smaller ones, have a better chance these days, and 2 nominations in one category still happen frequently. If the right film comes along, I think it could happen again. Things are just so spread out now that it seems harder for films to dominate in the acting categories. Of course, it only happened 5 times in about 40 years to begin with. ;)

      Yeah, and at least Cazale has the distinction of appearing only in Best Picture nominees/winners.

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  3. I guess good things come in threes, huh? This is quite fascinating Josh. Btw, is it more rare to have four acting noms in one film? That happened recently w/ Silver Linings Playbook right?

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    1. Yeah, it doesn't happen much now, but it happened more often in the past. For instance, 14 films have been nominated in all 4 acting categories, including Silver Linings Playbook, Reds, Network, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and A Streetcar Named Desire. You can see the full list here:
      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_films_with_all_four_Academy_Award_acting_nominations

      Also, a total of 13 additional films have been nominated for 4 acting awards, and 9 films have been nominated for 5 acting awards. Here's another link:
      http://www.filmsite.org/oscars2.html#3

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  4. Very cool Josh! Perhaps you could do a post for that and pick which of those films from the list are your faves :D

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    1. Thanks for the tip Ruth! I'll keep it in mind. ;)

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  5. You know what else is interesting? All five of those films are Best Picture Winners. I guess if another film ever gets three acting nominations in the same category, you know it's winning the top award!

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    1. Ha, good point. You might be right. I hope another film gets three nominations, just to see if it keeps the streak alive!

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