Fair question, Damien. I've been President of the Film side or Vice President of OFTAA overall for years and even I am unaware of the full membership. However, I do know that many of the members also post here.Damien wrote:Who are the members of the OFTAA?
Wesley has plans to revise the Hall of fame that includes a select committee making recommendations for Hall of Fame induction, something that proved necessary after this year's embarassing list of nominees in the various categories. Hopefully some of the more knowledgeable members will participate in the committee.
I'm not saying that any of the candidates were unworthy, jsut that there are other, worthier choices that get overlooked time and again. The reason being that many of the members do not have a broad appreciation of film history.
For example, I nominate George Cukor and Vincente Minnelli for membership in the Directors' branch year after year and year after year they are ignored. I have been mominating Cole Porter and George Gershwin for the music branch ever sicne Irving Berlin was inducted. This year Gershwin finally made it, but Porter is still missing.
Of the actress nominees, only Anne Bancroft, who made it, and Greer Garson, who didn't, deserved to be inducted ahead of Liv Ullmann, Sophia Loren and Marilyn Monroe in my estimation. On the actor side, John Wayne continues to be passed over, though it is no dishonor for him to be by-passed by either Fred Astaire or Gregory Peck.
When it comes to younger, still active stars, where is Dustin Hoffman? His contemporaries, Jack Nicholson, Robert De Niro and Al Pacino have all been inducted, so why not Hoffman?
I'm not sure we should be including film critics, but since we opened the door with Harkness, why not include Ferguson, James Agee, Sarris and his arch enemy, Kael? I personally can't stand the woman or most of her writing, but I will concede that she should be inducted before any of her legion of Paulettes, and that includes Roger Ebert.
