AWARDS CONTENDERS AMONG SLEW OF 2010 FILMS SET IN CONFINED SPACES
It occurs to me that no fewer than six films from 2010 — including a couple of awards hopfeuls — unfold entirely or almost entirely, for a wide variety of reasons, in extraordinarily small, confined, claustrophobic spaces:
- an isolated canyon in “127 Hours” (Fox Searchlight, 11/5, trailer)
- a buried coffin in “Buried” (Lionsgate, 9/24, trailer)
- a stalled elevator in “Devil” (Universal, 9/17, trailer)
- a stalled ski lift in “Frozen” (Anchor Bay, 2/5, trailer)
- a moving tank in “Lebanon” (Sony Pictures Classics, 8/6, trailer)
- a motel room in “Legacy” (D&E and Codeblack, 10/15, trailer)
How have movies of this sort fared at the Oscars in the past? Here’s a fun look back…
- a moving train in “The Lady Vanishes” (1938) — none
- a moving stagecoach in “Stagecoach” (1939) — picture, director, supporting actor WON, art direction, cinematography (black & white), film editing, score WON
- a drifting lifeboat in “Lifeboat” (1944) — director, original story, cinematography (black & white)
- a one-room apartment in “Rope” (1948) — none
- a secret bunker in “The Hidden Room” (1949) — none
- a moving aircraft in “No Highway in the Sky” (1951) — none
- a living room in “Dial M for Murder” (1954) — none
- an immobile person’s bedroom in “Rear Window” (1954) — director, screenplay, cinematography (color), sound
- a jury room in “12 Angry Men” (1957) — picture, director, adapted screenplay
- a hidden attic in “The Diary of Anne Frank” (1959) — picture, director, supporting actor, supporting actress WON, art direction-set direction (black & white) WON, cinematography (black & white) WON, costume design (black & white), score
- a submerged submarine in “On the Beach” (1959) — film editing, score
- a kitchenette in “A Raisin in the Sun” (1961) — none
- a one-room apartment in “Repulsion” (1965) — none
- a small apartment in “Wait Until Dark” (1967) — actress
- a deserted farmhouse in “Night of the Living Dead” (1968) — none
- a one-room apartment in “The Tenant” (1976) — none
- a moving U-boat in “Das Boot” (1981) — director, adapted screenplay, cinematography, film editing, sound, sound effects
- an interrogation room in “Closet Land” (1991) — none
- a spacecraft in “Apollo 13″ (1995) — picture, supporting actor, supporting actress, adapted screenplay, art direction-set direction, film editing WON, score, sound WON, visual effects
- a flying aircraft in “Executive Decision” (1996) — none
- a flying aircraft in “Air Force One” (1997) — film editing, sound
- an endless maze in “Cube” (1997) — none
- a moving car in “Taste of Cherry” (1997) — none
- a motel room in “Tape” (2001) — none
- a submerged submarine in “K-19: The Widowmaker” (2002) — none
- a safe room in “Panic Room” (2002) — none
- a telephone booth in “Phone Booth” (2002) — none
- a taxi cab in “Collateral” (2004) — supporting actor, film editing
- a massive cave in “The Descent” (2005) — none
- a flying aircraft in “Flightplan” (2005) — none
- a flying aircraft in “Red Eye” (2005) — none
- a jury room in “12″ (2007) — foreign language film
- a haunted bedroom in “Paranormal Activity” (2009) — none
Photo: A scene from “Lebanon.” Credit: Sony Pictures Classics.
