Cinecom Pictures (Merchant Ivory and Goldcrest Production)
Oscar Alert
Oscar Nominations: 8
Picture: produced by Ismail Merchant
Director: James Ivory
Screenplay (Adapted): Ruth Prawer Jhabvala
Supporting Actor: Denholm Elliott
Supporting Actress: Maggie Smith
Cinematography: Tony Pierce-Roberts
Art Direction-Set Decoration: Gianni Quaranta and Brian Ackland-Snow; Brian Savegar and Elio Altamura
Costume Design: Jenny Beavan and John Bright
Oscar Awards: 3
Screenplay
Art Direction
Costume Design
Oscar Context
In 1986, the Merchant-Ivory period adaptation “A Room With a View” competed for the Best Picture Oscar with Woody Allen's serio-comedy “Hannah and Her Sisters,” the well-acted melodrama “Children of Lesser God,” Oliver Stone's Vietnam combat film “Platoon,” which won, the dull historical epic “The Mission.”
The nominations caused a scandal when the helmer of “Children of a Lesser God,” Randa Haines, failed to receive a Best Director nod, probably because of the gender; similar discrimination occurs when both Penny Marshall and Barbra Streisand were snubbed by the Director Branch, despite the fact that their pictures, “Awakenings” and “The Prince of Tides,” respectively, did get Best Picture nominations.
The Cinematography Oscar went to Chris Menges for “The Mission.” Both Michael Caine and Dianne Wiest won the Supporting Acting Oscars for “Hannah and Her Sisters.”
