Geoffrey Macnab: Hardly a surprise that there was no surprise at the Oscars

Monday 27 February 2012 12:58 GMT

Winner for Best Director for 'The Artist' Michel Hazanavicius on stage (Getty Images)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

What was clear last night is that the Oscars are now a surprise-free zone. By the time the statuettes are dished out on a Sunday night in late February, there have been so many other awards ceremonies already that it is already ordained what will win.

You could be forgiven for stifling a yawn at the news that Michel Hazanavicus’s The Artist has won the major prizes. There wasn’t really any other contender likely to usurp its position as the critics’ and the Academy’s favourite. Hugo did well in the technical categories, The Descendants made up for being roundly ignored at the BAFTAs, Meryl Streep won Best Actress yet again and there was acknowledgement of The Help. Nonetheless, the Academy voters – a conservative bunch by all accounts – were never likely to pull a major surprise by rejecting a movie that had been so enthusiastically championed by so many.

Then again, take a step back in time to May last year, when The Artist premiered in Cannes, and the idea that this (then) unsung film might win Oscars seemed unlikely in the extreme. Nobody really knew who Hazanavicus was. When the Cannes artistic director Thierry Fremaux added this French-made silent movie to the festival competition, nobody was talking Oscars.

As always happens, there has been a backlash against The Artist. Some have grumbled that this is a weak year. Others have called the film kitsch and superficial. However, for those of us lucky enough to see it at its Cannes press screening, when we knew nothing about it, The Artist seemed an absolute delight. Six months on, we certainly don’t begrudge its Oscar success.

Click here for the full list of winners for the 84th Academy Awards

Oscars fashion: The red carpet verdict

Silence reigns again in Hollywood as The Artist sweeps the Oscars