European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - March 1, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 16 the stars and stripes saturday March 1, 1986 Oscar nominees by Vernon Scott United press International t his year s Oscar race promises to be the weirdest indecent Academy award memory thanks to the exclusion of some deserving candidates and the inclusion of others. The greatest oversight was that of director Steven Spielberg who produced and directed the color purple which accumulated 11 nominations. It came As a Shock to most in Hollywood that Spielberg who has directed some of the screen s All time Box office winners was not among the nominees. In past years he was nominated for raiders of the lost Ark e. T. And close encounters of the third kind. He has never won an Oscar. Spielberg had nothing to say about his omission. He was in Hawaii on vacation when the nominations were announced in february. But he must be wondering about his popularity in the film Community. Everyone agrees movies Are a collaborative Art form. But if one person can be held responsible for the Success or failure of a movie it is almost certainly the director. The color purple More than most films reflects its director s intellect and passions. It was nominated for Best picture but the Academy ignored Spielberg As if he were nothing More than a Spectator. Warner bros., which released the color purple fired off a corporate announcement lamenting the Academy s slight Warner Bros wishes to express its sincere appreciation to the members of the motion picture Academy for according the color purple the total of 11 nominations and also congratulates All of the picture s wonderfully talented Oscar nominees. At the same time the company is shocked and dismayed that the movie s primary creative Force Steven Spielberg was not  then there s the Case of the nomination of Japan s master filmmaker Skiro Kurosawa for Best director for ran. He was nominated but his picture was ignored for Best picture and Best foreign language film. Academy rules eliminate foreign language films for competing for Best picture so the 4,200 Academy members Are off the Hook for overlooking ran in that category. But Why was it not nominated for Best foreign language film a spokesman for ran said Well it was a combined japanese and French project. I guess the French contingent thought the japanese would put it up for nomination and vice versa. It s a shame it was t  Kurosawa however has two oscars for Best foreign language film Ras Homon in 1951, and Persu Uzala in 1975. Like Spielberg Kurosawa 75, seems to be a Prophet without Honor at Home. He has not exactly endeared himself to his japanese Peers who have dubbed him the emperor. His admirers Call him sense an affectionate appellation for teacher or master. A spokesman for the directors Guild of America which did nominate Spielberg for its awards this year and also nominated Ron Howard for cocoon said we nominated Tom Sawyer and Huck finn while the Academy nominated two foreign Guys Kurosawa and Hector Babenco who won a nomination for kiss of the spider woman Spielberg could still win the Guild award March 8, becoming Only the third director in history to win the Dag award and still fail to capture the Oscar. The others were Francis Coppola in 1972 for the godfather when Bob Fosse won the Oscar for cabaret and Anthony Harvey in 1968 who won the Dag award for the lion in Winter the same year Carol Reed won the Oscar for Oliver. Gilbert Gates president of the directors Guild said i find it amazing that anyone can be nominated for Best director and not have his picture nominated and the corollary is just As astonishing. How can you separate the Quality of the film from the work of the director it s happened before. Everyone is entitled to vote the Way they feel. But i am truly  another off beat nomination is that of the color purple for Best original score. Starting at the top with Quincy Jones there Are a total of 12 nominees. If Jones and company win the Oscar they will break the All time award record in a single category 10 individuals for Art direction in Cleopatra Back in 1963. Another oddity too is whoops Goldberg a one time stand up comedian who is in the running for Best actress in her movie debut As a performer. Goldberg of course had never been nominated before and finds herself in the the color purple received 11 Academy award nominations none of them was Tor Best director. Director Steven Spielberg a photo running against a formidable Bunch of Veteran Oscar campaigners with an intimidating aggregate of 23 nominations to their credit. Geraldine Page has been nominated a whopping eight times but has never won an Oscar. Anne Bancroft has had five nominations and won the Oscar in 1962 for the Miracle worker. Jessica Lange has been nominated four times winning Best supporting actress for Tootsie m 1982. Meryl Streep a two time Winner for Best actress in Sophie s Choice in 1982 and Best supporting actress in Kramer is. Kramer a 1979 has six. Nominations. Whoops will be Able to shout whoopee indeed if she can overcome her heavyweight Competition. Page is Likely to win the sympathy vote of Academy members having been nominated eight times since 1953 but always coming away empty handed. She is ahead of such other Oft nominated losers As Peter o Toole and the late Richard Burton who were nominated seven times without winning. Others in the also ran Hall of Fame with six nominations but no oscars Are Paul Newman Deborah Kerr and Thelma Ritter. But Page in t uptight about winning this year. She said being nominated is almost As much fun As getting the Oscar adding you Don t have the horrible responsibility to make a big  the Best actor category suffers from the blahs this year. Jack Nicholson has become a perennial nominee with eight nominations. He s won two oscars for Best actor in one flew Over the cuckoo s nest and Best supporting actor in terms of endearment. He belongs to a special Oscar club a handful of performers who have won awards in both acting categories. The others Are Jack Lemmon Robert Deniro Helen Hayes Streep Maggie Smith and Ingrid Bergman. Jon Voight who won the Golden Globe for his heroics in runaway train is a former Winner with an outside Chance. There Are three newcomers in the Best actor race. Harrison Ford who gained Fame in the Star wars trilogy and As Indiana Jones was nominated for his cop role in witness. James Garner Surprise was nominated for his amorous druggist role in Murphy s Romance. The brooding William Hurt won his nomination playing a homosexual in kiss of the spider woman. The supporting categories offer mostly new faces with a few old timers thrown in. All 10 nominees Are in the race for the first time. Most interesting of the nominated supporting players is Anjelica Huston who played the scheming daughter in prizzi s Honor. It is possible she will become part of a father daughter combination if she wins the Oscar and John Huston wins the award for Best director again for prizzi s Honor. An Anjelica Victory would make her the second person Ever to win an Oscar for a role in a film directed by a family member. The first time involved her father who directed his father Walter Huston to a supporting role Oscar in the treasure of the Sierra Madre Back in 1948. A nostalgic touch was provided by the inclusion of Don Ameche a romantic leading Man in almost 50 movies in the 30s and 40s, who was nominated for his comic oldster role in cocoon. Said Ameche of his nomination i really was t expecting it but in the past few weeks i be eaten a great Deal and gained 12 pounds. Maybe i was subconsciously preparing for All  his opposite number must be Oprah Winfrey who made her acting debut in the color purple and was nominated in her very first film. A minor Surprise Sally Field last year s Winner for places in the heart was t nominated this year