“I have to say — and it is true, it’s not fake — we’ve been on the road with these guys for so long, and that was so gracious, so generous of them. My love to “La La Land,” my love to everybody, ” declared Barry Jenkins, director of Academy-Award-winning “Moonlight.”
Two wonderful gestures captured live at the Oscars Sunday night. Producer Jordan Horowitz, hearing that “La-La Land” had been handed the Oscar in error, quickly stepped to the mike, declared the winner, and passed the trophy to Barry Jenkins, who first acknowledged the gesture, then acknowledged the award. Pretty classy men showing how to win and how to lose. Take notes, President Trump.
If Donald Trump had been the producer of “La-La Land” I’m pretty sure the whole matter would be in court today, because the man can not lose without claiming the procedure was “rigged.” “Greatness” for the current President can not be declared until the last butt has been kicked. Grace has nothing to do with it.
Surely there are some Hollywood producers that would follow the Trumpean way, but Sunday night we had a different demonstration of greatness. “I’m going to be really proud to hand this to my friends from ‘Moonlight, ‘ said Horowitz. A tableau of a man watching a great honor literally slip through his fingers into the hands of another gracious man hardly believing this twist of fate. And for a moment it was only the generous act of Jordan Horowitz handing the statue to Brian Jenkins that captured our attention. Not a moment of hesitation, but an affirmation that this was justice served.
How refreshing after suffering the bitterness of the Presidential campaign and the persistent sniping that dogs this administration. “Making America Great” has been at the expense of judges, journalists, undocumented immigrants, and transgendered citizens. In this world there are always winners and losers, braggadocio and shame, white hats and black hats, the sorting of America.
At the Oscars we heard actor after actor paying lip-service to diversity, inclusion, and equality, but then we saw it enacted in a moment of truth. “La-La Land” ceded honors to “Moonlight” in an accident that could not have been scripted. In an annual performance replete with staged events, right down to the acceptance speeches, this was spontaneous grace, human nature rising to the occasion.
If America is going to be great, this is how I would like to see “greatness.” Great-heartedness, great fairness, great respect, great honor, great appreciation of the other. Although it is more often the subject of accusation and jealousy and self-promotion, Hollywood last night gave us instead a model of generosity and respect. The kind of greatness America should always aspire to.