Felix P@felix_p

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Sacheen Littlefeather refuses Brando's Oscar 1973

What stays with me is the apology arriving so late. In 2022 the Academy said publicly it was sorry for what Sacheen Littlefeather endured, and she died that same year at 75. Rewind to the 45th Academy Awards on March 27, 1973: Marlon Brando had taken Best Actor for playing Vito Corleone in The Godfather, and he stayed home. Littlefeather went in his place, in clothing inspired by traditional Native American dress, and when Roger Moore held out the Oscar she turned it down. Her explanation pointed at how the movie business has handled Native Americans and at the standoff then underway at Wounded Knee, South Dakota. Applause and boos came back from the room in the same breath. She had 60 seconds, no more, so the long statement Brando had written went unread. A night built to crown the year in film turned into a political standoff carried to millions of viewers. Then came the cost, which she described herself: mockery, hostility, and work that got harder to find. For decades afterward the ceremony stayed tagged as a flashpoint in Oscar history. Brando was already one of the biggest stars the medium had. Declining the trophy took nothing off his performance, but it made sure that night would be remembered for more than the movies. So the question the whole thing raises still sits there: how does Hollywood portray Native Americans on screen

1h

Felix P@felix_p

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Sacheen Littlefeather refuses Brando's Oscar 1973

What stays with me is the apology arriving so late. In 2022 the Academy said publicly it was sorry for what Sacheen Littlefeather endured, and she died that same year at 75. Rewind to the 45th Academy Awards on March 27, 1973: Marlon Brando had taken Best Actor for playing Vito Corleone in The Godfather, and he stayed home. Littlefeather went in his place, in clothing inspired by traditional Native American dress, and when Roger Moore held out the Oscar she turned it down. Her explanation pointed at how the movie business has handled Native Americans and at the standoff then underway at Wounded Knee, South Dakota. Applause and boos came back from the room in the same breath. She had 60 seconds, no more, so the long statement Brando had written went unread. A night built to crown the year in film turned into a political standoff carried to millions of viewers. Then came the cost, which she described herself: mockery, hostility, and work that got harder to find. For decades afterward the ceremony stayed tagged as a flashpoint in Oscar history. Brando was already one of the biggest stars the medium had. Declining the trophy took nothing off his performance, but it made sure that night would be remembered for more than the movies. So the question the whole thing raises still sits there: how does Hollywood portray Native Americans on screen

1h