It’s that time of the year again, The Academy Awards, and so many fantastic films got recognized. Yes, the Oscar nominations have their shortcomings (cough, cough, no female directors, cough, cough, few people of color nominated for acting), but this is not a discussion about what should or should not have been awarded. This is about honoring the weird and fascinating statistics that make up a small pool of this year’s films. So, here are some numbers to think about relating to the nine best picture nominees.

Note: Most of the numbers collected are from IMDb’s trivia section for each individual film.

Nabeeha Anwar | Design Editor

Ford v Ferrari
20: This spot could have been used to honor Christian Bale’s ridiculous weight-loss regimen —he weighed 225 pounds for last year’s “Vice” and dropped 70 pounds for this role. However, the number 20 is honoring the minutes Bale and co-star Matt Damon took to film a fighting scene. Both actors said that this was the most enjoyable scene to film, and their chemistry is one of many of the exhilarating aspects of “Ford v Ferrari.”

Nabeeha Anwar | Design Editor

The Irishman
40–50: That’s the reported number of times actor Joe Pesci turned down his role as Russell Bufalino. Pesci has mostly retired from acting, aside from appearing in several commercials and three previous films since 2000. He was coaxed back to this role by Robert De Niro and earned high praise for contributing to yet another great mafia film.

Nabeeha Anwar | Design Editor

Jojo Rabbit
31: Taika Waititi’s anti-hate satire is filled with several details that comment on the Nazi Party’s ideological rise in Germany. Several of those moments lead to laughs, as does one scene where the main character’s home is raided by the Gestapo. That is at least the number of times the phrase “heil Hitler” was uttered in one minute in a scene to show how ridiculous the protocols of the Nazis were during World War II. Waititi somehow expertly toes the line between humor, tragedy and critique of radicalism throughout “Jojo Rabbit.”

Nabeeha Anwar | Design Editor

Joker
1: “Joker” is the first R-rated film to gross over 1 billion dollars worldwide. On top of that, the film’s budget is about $55 million, pennies compared to the price of most superhero films. Amidst controversy, praise and dismissal, “Joker” and star Joaquin Phoenix have risen to the top of the Oscars world (leading all films with 11 nominations) thanks to the combination of an art film commentating on society’s pitfalls and a familiar brand.

Nabeeha Anwar | Design Editor

Little Women
4: These are the four color palettes chosen for each of the four main characters in their costume design. Meg’s pair is lavender and green, Jo has red and indigo, Beth’s is pink and brown and Amy’s is light blue, with their mom Marmee wearing a combination of all of the colors. This is just another small detail that adds to the strong presentation of Greta Gerwig’s film, along with the sweet and ingenious portrayal of the classic story.

Nabeeha Anwar | Design Editor

Marriage Story
3: One of the oddest coincidences of this year’s group of Oscar nominees. Three nominated members of the film, director/writer Noah Baumbach, Scarlett Johansson and Laura Dern, have all gone through at least one divorce. In fact, this is Johansson’s third film (“Lost in Translation” and “Her”) that features marital troubles and/or divorce as a plotline.

Nabeeha Anwar | Design Editor

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
2: That’s the number of hours the LA Hollywood Freeway (US 101) was shut down for a sequence during the day. Quentin Tarantino did not digitally recreate any cars for this scene, one of many special touches the director used to depict 1960s Los Angeles in his 10th film.

Nabeeha Anwar | Design Editor

Parasite
2: Yes, I’m using this number twice, but it’s warranted in this scenario. Director Bong Joon Ho was most impressed with two of the film’s six nominations: best editing and best production design. He was happy with these awards because, as he explained in an interview with The Wrap, Korean technicians are barely recognized in the film industry. The attention to detail in “Parasite” is second to none, as the usage of architecture and editing heighten the themes presented in the film.

Honorable Mention — 2,500: the price in U.S. dollars of a single garbage can used to film in the Park family’s expensive home.

Nabeeha Anwar | Design Editor

1917
8.5: When mentioning “1917,” one could discuss the more than 5,200 feet of trenches that were dug for the film or the six months of rehearsal the actors used to get the film right. However, the number we’re highlighting is a fraction because, according to director Sam Mendes, the longest continuous shot in the film is about eight-and-a-half minutes. The edits in the film are expertly hidden by characters’ movements behind objects and flashes to black.

Published on February 10, 2020 at 1:05 am

Contact Patrick: pagunn@syr.edu