Everyone already knows about the scene in “127 Hours” (Fox Searchlight, 11/5, trailer) in which the mountain climber Aron Ralston (James Franco) cuts off his arm in order to save his life, as I wrote in a post yesterday afternoon and as Fox Searchlight acknowledged last night by introducing Aron Ralston to the audience before the premiere screening of the film. As you might imagine, it’s a particularly difficult one to watch — in fact, two people fainted and had to be carted away by ambulance after seeing it at Telluride last week, while two people passed out and one had a seizure after seeing it last night. Which leads to the big question: will apprehension about it keep Academy members from watching and/or voting for the film?
I’m inclined to think it will not. Why? Because a surprisingly high number of films that have been nominated for (and won) major Oscars did so in spite of the fact that they featured very disturbing scenes. Here are a few that come to my mind (listed in reverse-chronoligical order); feel free to share any others that you can think of in the comments section below…
- slicing open a dead kid in “The Hurt Locker” (2009) — picture WON, director WON, actor, original screenplay WON, cinematography, film editing WON, score, sound WON, sound editing WON
- scalding kids’ eyeballs in “Slumdog Millionaire” (2008) — picture WON, director WON, adapted screenplay WON, cinematography WON, film editing WON, score WON, song WON, song, sound WON, sound editing
- hypodermic-needle stabbing in “Pulp Fiction” (1994) — picture, director, actor, supporting actor, supporting actress, original screenplay WON, film editing
- shooting random Jews from a balcony in “Schindler’s List” (1993) — picture WON, director WON, actor, supporting actor, adapted screenplay WON, art direction-set direction WON, cinematography WON, costume design, film editing WON, makeup, score WON, sound
- sledeghammering legs in “Misery” (1990) — actress WON
- numerous rapes in “Blue Velvet” (1986) — director
- killing a mentally retarded kid in “Platoon” (1986) — picture WON, director WON, supporting actor, supporting actor, original screenplay, cinematography, film editing WON, sound WON
- drilling teeth without anesthetic in “Marathon Man” (1976) — supporting actor
- slicing a nose in “Chinatown” (1974) — picture, director, actor, actress, original screenplay WON, art direction-set direction, cinematography, costume design, film editing, score, sound
- 360-degree head twisting in “The Exorcist” (1973) — picture, director, actress, supporting actor, supporting actress, adapted screenplay WON, art direction, cinematography, film editing, sound WON
- mercilessly beating a homeless man in “A Clockwork Orange” (1971) — picture, director, adapted screenplay, editing
- slow-motion machine gun execution in “Bonnie and Clyde” (1967) — picture, director, actor, actress, supporting actor, supporting actor, supporting actress WON, original screenplay, cinematography WON, costume design
- shower stabbing in “Psycho” (1960) — director, supporting actress, art direction, cinematography