| 57th Academy Awards | |
|---|---|
 Official poster | |
| Date | March 25, 1985 |
| Site | Dorothy Chandler Pavilion Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Hosted by | Jack Lemmon |
| Produced by | Gregory Peck Robert Wise Larry Gelbart Gene Allen |
| Directed by | Marty Pasetta |
| Highlights | |
| Best Picture | Amadeus |
| Most awards | Amadeus (8) |
| Most nominations | Amadeus andA Passage to India (11) |
| TV in the United States | |
| Network | ABC |
| Duration | 3 hours, 10 minutes[1] |
| Ratings | 38.9 million 27.7% (Nielsen ratings) |
The57th Academy Awards ceremony, organized by theAcademy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honoredfilms released in 1984 and took place on March 25, 1985, at theDorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles. During the ceremony, AMPAS presentedAcademy Awards (commonly referred to as Oscars) in 23 categories. The ceremony, televised in the United States byABC, was produced byGregory Peck,Robert Wise,Larry Gelbart, andGene Allen, and was directed byMarty Pasetta.[2] ActorJack Lemmon hosted the show for the fourth time. He first co-hosted the30th ceremony held in 1958, and had last co-hosted the44th ceremony in 1972.[3][4]
Amadeus won eight awards, includingBest Picture.[5] Other winners includedThe Killing Fields with three awards,A Passage to India andPlaces in the Heart with two, andCharade,Dangerous Moves,Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom,Purple Rain,The Stone Carvers,The Times of Harvey Milk,Up, andThe Woman in Red with one. The telecast was watched by an audience of 38.9 million viewers.
The nominees for the 57th Academy Awards were announced on February 6, 1985, by Academy presidentGene Allen and actressEva Marie Saint.[6]Amadeus andA Passage to India led all nominees with eleven each.[7] The winners were announced at the awards ceremony on March 25.Haing S. Ngor was the first Asian winner forBest Supporting Actor.[8] At age 77,Peggy Ashcroft became the oldestBest Supporting Actress winner.[9] Best Original Song winnerStevie Wonder was the firstblind person to win an Oscar.[10] For the first time in Oscar history, all five nominees for Best Original Song had reached thenumber-one spot on theBillboard Hot 100 singles chart.[11]
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Winners are listed first, highlighted inboldface and indicated with a double dagger (‡).[12]
The award recognizes individuals whose humanitarian efforts have brought credit to the motion picture industry.[16]
The following persons, listed in order of appearance, presented awards or performed musical numbers.[17]
| Name(s) | Role |
|---|---|
| Hank Simms[18] | Announcer of the 57th Academy Awards |
| Gene Allen (AMPAS President) | Gave opening remarks welcoming guests to the awards ceremony |
| Linda Hunt | Presenter of the award forBest Supporting Actor |
| Michael Douglas | Presenter of the award forBest Documentary Short |
| Kathleen Turner | Presenter of the award forBest Documentary Feature |
| Kelly LeBrock Lonette McKee | Presenters of the award forBest Makeup |
| Gregory Hines Amy Irving | Presenters of the award forBest Sound |
| Diana Ross Tom Selleck | Presenters of the award forBest Cinematography |
| Ryan O'Neal | Presenter of the award forBest Supporting Actress |
| Gene Kelly | Presenter of theJean Hersholt Humanitarian Award toDavid L. Wolper |
| Steve Martin | Presenter of the award forBest Art Direction |
| Janet Leigh | Presenter of the Scientific & Technical Awards |
| Candice Bergen William Hurt | Presenters of the award forBest Visual Effects |
| Glenn Close | Presenter of the Honorary Award to theNational Endowment for the Arts |
| Kirk Douglas Burt Lancaster | Presenters of the awards forBest Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen andBest Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium |
| Jeff Bridges Ann Reinking | Presenters of the award forBest Original Score |
| Michael Douglas Kathleen Turner | Presenters of the award forBest Original Song Score |
| Jennifer Beals Glenn Close | Presenters of the award forBest Costume Design |
| Jeff Bridges Ann Reinking | Presenters of the award forBest Animated Short Film |
| Tom Selleck Kathleen Turner | Presenters of the award forBest Live Action Short Film |
| Shirley MacLaine | Presenter of the award forBest Actor |
| Gregory Hines | Presenter of the award forBest Original Song |
| Geneviève Bujold William Hurt | Presenters of the award forBest Film Editing |
| Cary Grant | Presenter of the Honorary Award toJames Stewart |
| Plácido Domingo Faye Dunaway | Presenters of the award forBest Foreign Language Film |
| Steven Spielberg | Presenter of the award forBest Director |
| Robert Duvall | Presenter of the award forBest Actress |
| Laurence Olivier | Presenter of the award forBest Picture |
| Name | Role | Performed |
|---|---|---|
| Bill Conti | Musical director conductor | Orchestral |
| Ray Parker Jr. Dom DeLuise | Performers | "Ghostbusters" fromGhostbusters |
| Deniece Williams | Performer | "Let's Hear It for the Boy" fromFootloose |
| Ann Reinking | Performer | "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)" fromAgainst All Odds |
| Lonette McKee Willie Nelson Kris Kristofferson | Performers | "How Do You Feel about Foolin' Around?", "On the Road Again" "Amazing Grace"[19][20] |
| Debbie Allen | Performer | "Footloose" fromFootloose |
| Diana Ross | Performer | "I Just Called to Say I Love You" fromThe Woman in Red |
| Academy Awards Orchestra | Performers | "They Say It's Wonderful" (orchestral) fromAnnie Get Your Gun during the closing credits |
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Determined to revive interest surrounding the awards and reverse declining ratings, the Academy recruited a four-person committee in December 1984 composed of actorGregory Peck, directorRobert Wise, screenwriterLarry Gelbart, and AMPAS presidentGene Allen to oversee producing duties.[21] The following month, it was announced that actorJack Lemmon would preside over emceeing duties for the 1985 ceremony. Allen explained the decision to hire Lemmon, saying, "Jack's untiring energy, zest for living, and imaginative talents have won respect and approval of everyone in the film community."[22]
In an effort to shorten the ceremony, ten actors (Candice Bergen,Jeff Bridges,Glenn Close,Michael Douglas,Gregory Hines,Amy Irving,William Hurt,Diana Ross,Tom Selleck, andKathleen Turner) were announced as "co-hosts" and served as either presenters announcing two awards each or introducing other presenters and musical numbers.[23] In addition, producers warned nominees prior to the ceremony that winners would have 45 seconds to finish their speeches before a blinking red light would flash and the orchestra would begin playing them off.[24]
Marty Pasetta directed the telecast;Bill Conti served as conductor and musical director.[2] Oscar winnerTheoni V. Aldredge served as costume designer for the ceremony which featured a segment showcasing the Best Costume Design nominees that included an elephant wearing costumes fromA Passage to India.[25]Scott Salmon served as choreography for the ceremony.[26] In view of the Academy nominating movies reflecting life in the American heartland such asPlaces in the Heart,The River, andSongwriter, singersWillie Nelson,Kris Kristofferson, andLonette McKee performed a medley of country songs.[20]
At the time of the nominations announcement on February 6, the combined gross of the five Best Picture nominees at the US box office was $103 million.[27]Places in the Heart was the highest earner among the Best Picture nominees, with $31.2 million in domestic box office receipts. The film was followed byAmadeus ($25.7 million),A Soldier's Story ($21.4 million),A Passage to India ($13.5 million), andThe Killing Fields ($11.7 million).[27]
Television criticHoward Rosenberg of theLos Angeles Times wrote, "The Oscar telecast was born to bore. It's unethical to tamper with failure. It's unholy. It's criminal. Now look what's happened. The Oscar telecast is good." He also noted that shortened acceptance speeches and well-disciplined production numbers made for a brisk-paced ceremony.[28] Jerry Coffey of theFort Worth Star-Telegram commented, "Monday night's Academy Awards show was the best in recent memory, a snappy, disciplined event that sacrificed nothing of value and trimmed off much of the obligatory baggage and extraneous clutter." He also commended Lemmon's performance as host while also singling outJames Stewart's Honorary Oscar acceptance speech as one of the emotional highlights of the night.[29]The Sacramento Bee's George Williams said, "It was a classy show all the way, a pure Hollywood production. Jack Lemmon, a two-time Oscar winner himself, was at the helm with his consummate timing and irresistible likableness."[30]
Chicago Tribune television columnist Jon Anderson wrote, "Like a whale on a diet, Monday night's 57th Academy Awards ceremony on ABC-TVChannel 7 was leaner and trimmer than past shows, but seemed to have lost something. The show, still fat, lacked spirit." He reserved praise particularly for the Best Costume Design presentation and presenterSteve Martin, but compared host Lemmon's hosting performance as "luncheon-club amiability" to previous year's hostJohnny Carson's "Las Vegas sharpness."[31] Michael Dougan of theSan Francisco Examiner remarked, "Last night's extravaganza was more than 30 minutes shorter than the 1984 event, but not because the audience got less to look at." He criticized the decision to cut off various winners' speeches and several technical production errors such as flashing theAmadeus logo whenThe Killing Fields won Best Cinematography.[32]Harold Schindler, writing forThe Salt Lake Tribune, said despite the ceremony's shorter runtime, "It wasn't noticeably better, but it did provide plenty a copy for a TV bloopers and outtakes or a segment in 'Life's Most Embarrassing Moments' if ABC cares to use it someday."[33]
The American telecast onABC drew in an audience of 38.9 million, which was a smaller figure compared to last year's audience.[34] The show also garnered lowerNielsen ratings compared to the previous ceremony, with 27.7% of households watching with a 45% share.[35] Nevertheless, the ceremony presentation received two nominations at the37th Primetime Emmy Awards in August 1984.[36] The following month, the ceremony won one of those nominations for Outstanding Art Direction for a Variety Program (Rene Lagler and Jeremy Railton).[37]
| Awards of Merit |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Special awards |
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| Former awards |
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| Ceremonies (years of film release) |
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