Coda, a heartwarming, low-budget film released by a global tech giant far better known for smartphones than cinema, won the best picture award at the 94th Academy Awards on Sunday night, a watershed moment not only for the Oscars but for the film industry as a whole. (See below for full list of winners).
And Will Smith, one of Hollywood's biggest stars, slapped comedian Chris Rock in the face onstage in front of millions of viewers over a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith – then went on to win the lead actor prize for his performance in King Richard.
Suffice to say, the 94th Academy Awards will be one for the history books. And not for the reasons the academy – or Hollywood at large – may have hoped.
Accepting his Oscar an hour after striking Rock, Smith, overcome with emotion, delivered a nearly six-minute speech through copious tears.
"Denzel (Washington) said, 'At your highest moment, be careful because that's when the devil comes from you," said Smith, who was seen huddling with his fellow nominee after the incident.
"I want to be a vessel for love... I want to apologise to the academy. I want to apologise to all my fellow nominees... Art imitates life. I looked like the crazy father, just like they said about Richard Williams. But love will make you do crazy things."
The victory for Coda, which was released by Apple and centres on the relationship between a hearing, music-loving teenager and her deaf parents and brother, marks the first time a film from a streaming company has claimed the top prize at the Oscars.
It signals a long-anticipated changing of the guard at a moment of deep existential uncertainty for the movie business, as audiences have shifted away from theatre-going and major studios have largely backed away from the sort of artistically ambitious, adult-oriented fare that has long ruled the awards.
In winning the best picture prize, Apple – which acquired Coda for a record-setting US$25mil (RM105mil) at last year's Sundance Film Festival – beat out a varied field that included two films released by Netflix, The Power Of The Dog and Don't Look Up, along with bigger-budget, studio-backed fare like West Side Story, Dune, King Richard and Nightmare Alley and indies like Drive My Car, Belfast and Licorice Pizza.
But, in what will certainly go down as one of the most shocking moments in the awards' nearly century long history, this year's Oscars may end up being best remembered for something that no one could have imagined heading into the night.
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More than two hours into the show, while introducing the award for documentary feature, Rock attempted to make a joke at the expense of Pickett Smith, who has spoken of having a hair-loss condition. "I can't wait to see you in G.I. Jane 2," Rock cracked, referring to a film in which Demi Moore played a soldier with a shaved head.
Moments later, Smith stormed to the stage and slapped Rock across the face, leaving Rock – and the audience both in the Dolby Theatre and at home – gasping in stunned silence. "Keep my wife's name out your (expletive) mouth!" Smith yelled at Rock, as ABC's censors bleeped out profanity.
"That was the greatest night in the history of television," Rock said, fumbling for words.
Shortly after the incident, as those in attendance and watching at home tried to catch their breaths, Rock was heard joking backstage: "I just got punched in the face by Muhammad Ali and didn't get a scratch." (Smith played Ali in a 2001 biopic in a performance that landed him an Oscar nomination.)
ALSO READ: Japan's 'Drive My Car' wins best international feature film
Backstage, a reporter asked Questlove, who had won the documentary award for Summer Of Soul, about the incident. After he said he didn't want to talk about it, the moderator told the press not to ask about "anything else" happening in the show.
Until that moment derailed the mood, the night had been all about celebrating a return to one of Hollywood's most cherished traditions.
As glamorous stars strutted and twirled on the red carpet for the first time in two years, with many wearing ribbons in support of Ukraine but almost no one wearing masks, Hollywood's collective sense of relief at returning to something resembling normal was palpable.
Covid-19 restrictions were strict, however, following a suspect outbreak of infections at the British Film Academy Awards earlier this month.
But despite the air of celebration at the return of a full-on Oscars extravaganza with all the familiar bells and whistles, the show arrived at a difficult moment not only for the beleaguered film industry but for the academy as an institution, as the academy struggles to rebound from last year's widely panned telecast, which drew a record-low 10.4 million viewers.
Under pressure by ABC to boost the ratings and hoping to trim a few minutes from the often bloated telecast, academy leaders shifted some of the emphasis of this year's ceremony away from the less starry awards in favour of more populist entertainment, sparking bitter controversy within the organisation in recent weeks.
Even as ABC rallied viewers with the tagline "Movie Lovers Unite," the academy devolved into bitter in-fighting over the decision to hand out eight below-the-line and short-film awards outside of the live ceremony.
Early in the telecast, co-hosts Amy Schumer, Regina Hall and Wanda Sykes attempted to defuse any lingering tension over the changes among the crowd gathered in the Dolby Theatre, and most in attendance seemed ready to let it go for the moment.
"It was a controversial and difficult decision but I think we've moved on," Sykes said, only to have the lights appear to flicker and the sound to go staticky. "We're all in the union!" Sykes jokingly protested.
But any tension in the room was nothing compared to the mood that overtook the show after Smith struck Rock – or when Smith later won the lead actor award.
Dune, which was the biggest winner of the night, picked up most of its wins in the pre-show portion of the ceremony, having bagged four Oscars before the actual live show began.
Jessica Chastain won best actress for her portrayal of Tammy Faye Bakker in The Eyes Of Tammy Faye, and used her speech to call for love and acceptance for any who might feel threatened by violence and hate, such as members of the LGBTQ community.
“In times like this, I think of Tammy and I’m inspired by her radical acts of love,” Chastain said of the late televangelist. “I’m inspired by her compassion. I see it as a guiding principle that leads us forward. It connects us all.”
Troy Kotsur also made history as the first Deaf man to win an acting Oscar for his moving performance as the father in Coda. (Kotsur’s co-star Marlee Matlin, who plays the film’s mother, was the first Deaf performer to win an Oscar for the 1986 drama Children Of A Lesser God.) The audience stood and signed their applause for the actor, some with tears in their eyes.
Winning the supporting actress prize for playing Anita in West Side Story – a role for which Rita Moreno won the same award six decades ago – Ariana DeBose became the first openly queer woman of colour to win an Oscar for acting.
In a gambit aimed at luring casual movie fans who may not have seen some or all of the nominated films, the telecast introduced the Oscars’ first-ever fan-favourite award, voted on via Twitter.
The subject of widespread derision among academy members and cineastes alike in the run-up to the show, the top-vote getter in the end was Zack Snyder’s Netflix zombie heist film Army Of The Dead.
Another segment highlighting the greatest movie “cheer moments,” as voted on by fans, included a scene from the critically lambasted comic-book blockbuster Justice League – also directed by Snyder, who has a rabid army of online devotees – at number one.
After all the impassioned debate over how best to streamline the show to bring it in under three hours, in the end, the most chaotic telecast in Oscars history clocked in at three hours and 40 minutes – 21 minutes longer than last year’s show. – Los Angeles Times/Tribune News Service
Best picture: Coda
Best actor: Will Smith, King Richard
Best actress: Jessica Chastain, The Eyes Of Tammy Faye
Documentary feature: Summer Of Soul (Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised)
Original song: No Time To Die from No Time To Die, music and lyric by Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell
Best director: Jane Campion, The Power Of The Dog
Best supporting actor: Troy Kotsur, Coda
Best international film: Drive My Car, Japan
Costume design: Cruella
Original screenplay: Belfast
Adapted screenplay: Coda
Best supporting actress: Ariana DeBose, West Side Story
Cinematography: Dune
Visual Effects: Dune
Best animated feature: Encanto
Sound: Dune
Documentary (short subject): The Queen Of Basketball
Best animated short film: The Windshield Wiper
Live action short: The Long Goodbye
Music (original score): Dune
Film editing: Dune
Production design: Dune
Makeup and hairstyling: The Eyes Of Tammy Faye
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At the Oscars
Jennifer Garner, Elliot Page, and J.K. Simmons present an award at the Oscars. Photo: AFP
Jamie Dornan and his wife Amelia Warner pose on the red carpet during the Oscars arrivals. Photo: Reuters
Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban pose on the red carpet during the Oscars arrivals. Photo: Reuters
Brian Connor, second left, Paul Lambert, Gerd Nefzer, and Tristan Myles, winners of the award for best visual effects for 'Dune', Rachel Zegler, far left, and Jacob Elordi pose in the press room at the Oscars. Photo: AP
The cast of 'Coda', Eugenio Derbez, Troy Kotsur, Marlee Matlin, Emila Jones, Amy Forsyth and Daniel Durant pose on the red carpet during the Oscars arrivals. Photo: Reuters
Sofia Vergara and Joe Manganiello arrive at the Vanity Fair Oscar party during the 94th Academy Awards in Beverly Hills, California, U.S., March 27, 2022. Photo: Reuters
