All season the long, many prognosticators were calling a nomination for Robert Redford for his turn in “All Is Lost” a slam dunk. Not only is he a beloved, veteran actor and the man behind the Sundance Film Festival, the survival picture found him delivering a near wordless performance in a movie that featured only one character: himself. It all seemed so inevitable… until this morning. Among the Biggest Shocks, Snubs & Surprises was Redford getting shut out of the Best Actor field, despite certainty from nearly every corner of the awards blogosphere all season long. So, why did he miss out? Well, that’s what journalists asked Redford this morning.
At a press conference for the Sundance Film Festival, Redford was fairly candid about why he thinks “All Is Lost” didn’t have the gas in the tank to earn him a nomination. “In our case, we suffered from little to no distribution. I don’t know what they were afraid of. They didn’t want to spend money or they were incapable,” he said. Redford added: “We had no campaign to cross over into the mainstream.”
That said, he acknowledges that campaigning “can be very political,” and at the end of the day he’s “not disturbed by it or upset by it.”
However, is Redford being a bit unfair? As the sole face of “All Is Lost,” Redford wasn’t as present on the promo circuit this fall for his film as some of his other contenders (such as the Best Actor nominated Bruce Dern, who was everywhere). And then there’s the simple fact that Roadside Attractions is a small company and doesn’t have the kind of money to spend as a major studio. Not to mention that selling a worldless movie about a guy on a boat isn’t easy.
Sour grapes or honest assessment? Let us know below.
