by Sydney Morrison ‘13

After taking on the role of the valiant Jean Valjean in the film version of the 1987 Tony winner “Les Miserables,” Hugh Jackman was nominated for his first Academy Award on January 10.  Nominated for Best Actor, Jackman deserves to win this Oscar way more than the critics’ darling, Daniel Day-Lewis, for his performance in “Lincoln.” Unfortunately, Jackman’s chances of winning are slim, as the Oscars for Best Actor and Actress usually go to the person who played the most serious role in the most serious film.

Oscar winners are chosen by members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, a group of people who are experts in the art of film. These members, however, continue to vote for films/roles in serious dramas or social-problem films with heavier themes. Last year’s Oscar for Best Actor went to Jean Dujardin for his role in the silent drama, “The Artist.” The year before that it went to Colin Firth’s portrayal of King George VI in the biopic “The King’s Speech.”

            Dramas, biographies and crime films, along with every mix of the three have dominated the Oscars for the last decade. These types of films, however, are directed towards a more mature and older audience, for example, let’s say, the members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Action-adventure, thrillers, horror,

science fiction and family oriented comedies are continuously overlooked, with very rare exceptions. The most recent musical, for example to win Best Picture was “Chicago” in 2002, and even it can still be categorized as a drama flick.

“Les Miserables” and Jackman’s performance consist of epic greatness, deserving nothing less than the nominations they received for this year’s Academy Awards. It is a shame, however, to know that such a universal and popular story, as well as a remarkable production of film, will be overlooked because it does not fit the preferences of the Academy.