Entertainment
Oscars 2021: Viewers puzzled by ‘speedy’ and ‘upbeat’ In Memoriam segment
Every year, the Oscars celebrates the lives of those in the film industry who have died since the last ceremony, from actors to directors to producers, in the In Memoriam section.
Many of the stars, including Chadwick Boseman, Helen McCrory, and Sir Sean Connery were remembered in the section – but some viewers were left puzzled by the ‘speedy’ pace of the montage, and the ‘upbeat’ music accompanying it.
‘Okay, let’s play the In Memoriam again but maybe not on double speed?’ one wrote on Twitter. ‘I’m fine remembering those who passed away at least as long as we played Name that Tune a few minutes ago.’
‘This year’s Oscars In Memoriam played accidentally at podcast 1.5x speed,’ another said.
‘They could’ve cut out that whole quiz thing and let the in memoriam section go longer instead of throwing up peoples names for .0001 seconds,’ one more added.
‘Man, even the In Memoriam was a huge tonal miss tonight. “3 million people died during a pandemic this year…so here’s a weirdly upbeat song while we click through the slides faster than usual,”‘ an unimpressed viewer said.
Elsewhere, some were left disappointed that stars like actor Jessica Walter, and Oscar-nominated songwriter Adam Schlesinger were missed out.
It’s not the first time the In Memoriam segment has had notable absences.
Last year, fans were sad to see Beverley Hills 90210 actor Luke Perry (who also appeared in Once Upon A Time In Hollywood) and Descendants star Cameron Boyce weren’t included in the montage.
However, The Academy later addressed the absences, explaining that there is ‘limited time available’ for the memoriam tribute, meaning not everyone can feature.
A statement, given to E! News, read: ‘The Academy receives hundreds of requests to include loved ones and industry colleagues in the Oscars In Memoriam segment.
‘An executive committee representing every branch considers the list and makes selections for the telecast based on limited available time.’
The 93rd Oscars were were pushed back due to the coronavirus pandemic after the ceremony was initially scheduled to be held in January.
While other events have seen nominees and guests Zooming in from home, this year’s Oscars was a strictly in-person event, with co-producer Steven Soderbergh insisting it would have ‘the aesthetic of a film’.
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