70 Years of the Oscar: The Official History of the Academy Awards

Entertaining text and star-studded photographs present the story of the Academy Awards, from their beginnings in 1927 to the return to the golden age ofHollywood with Titanic at the 1998 awards. Of all the thousands of achievement awards presented each year, none captures so many people's imaginations in the same compelling way as the Oscar. On March 23, 1998, a record 87 million viewers watched the Academy Awardsr ceremony in the United States alone. Since 1929 the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has presented the Oscar, the film world's pre-eminent recognition of excellence. As such it has also brought the world its larger-than-life icons and presented a reflection of life to the countlessmoviegoers the world over. This expanded and updated edition is the only official history of the Academy Awards, and includes the titanic achievements of the 1997 Awards. Combining RobertOsborne's cogent writing and the Academy's exceptional historical and photographic archives, this book is unrivaled in illustration, accuracy, and completeness. 70 Years of the Oscar opens with a history of the founding of the Academy, details the organization's aims, and covers the background of the establishment of these highly coveted awards. The rest of the book is divided into decades, with lively overviews that document trends, track new developments, and capture the thrills of the film industry'smost significant and popular event. For each year Robert Osborne presents the range of movies in competition and contemporary speculation on possible winners, and describes memorable moments of the evening's events. Each year concludes with a complete list of nominees in all categories, plus the winners in each. The annual illustrations include evocative stills from many of the best films and candid shots of the celebrities in attendance. Altogether the book is illustrated with nearly 700 rare photographs in black and white and color, and also includes the original movie posters for every year's best picture. With illustrations that are themselves worth the price of the book, this is an unparalleled reference volume forthe film buff and scholar and an enlightening resource that comes right from the source. Other Details:690 illustrations, 60 in full color384 pages9 x 9"Published 1999 Read more