For the Oscar-winning directors, the major reward of having the award is power rather than money. James Brooks noted after winning the Best Director for the 1983 “Terms of Endearment”: “The Oscar gives you the right to make whatever movie you want next.” However, this freedom could be positive as well as negative. Richard Attenborough fell flat on his face with the musical version of the Broadway hit “A Chorus Line.” It was an unsuitable film for his talents and skills that Attenborough was only able to make on the strength of winning the Best Director Oscar for “Gandhi,” in 1982.
Oscar Impact: Brando
February 2, 2007 by
Marlon Brando was paid $40,000 for his first film, Zinnemann's “The Men” (1950), and $75,000 for his second, Kazan's “A Streetcar Named Desire.” Brando's Oscar-nominated role for that movie brought his salary up to $100,000 for his third picture, Kazan's “Viva Zapata.”
Oscar Impact: Fontaine, Joan–Market Value (Loan Out Fees)
February 2, 2007 by
After Joan Fontaine won the Best Actess for Hitchcock's “Suspicion” (1941), her fee went up, but she received only $100,000 out of the $385,000 that Selznick made. Fontaine's market value, like that of other winners, went up, but she didn't reap the rewards due to her exploitative contracts with Selznick.
Oscars Impact: Colbert, Claudette–Cash Value (Reel/Real)
February 2, 2007 by
Claudette Colbert's fee jumped from $35,000 to $150,000 per picture after winning the Oscar for It Happened One Night. In 1936, Colbert became the highest-paid actress in the United States, based on her $302,000 yearly income.
Oscar Impact: Leaving Las Vegas
February 2, 2007 by
The Oscar-nominated director Mike Figgis refused to view the omission of “Leaving Las Vegas” from the Best Picture nominees as a snub, claiming: “Everything is a bonus. The awards will provide the film with an exposure to audiences it would not have otherwise had.”
