The 80th Annual Academy Awards — nearly sidelined by the writers' strike that ended earlier this month — went on as planned Sunday night, and a number of UVM film buffs tuned in. The view spoke with them about the winners, the losers, the overlooked and the overrated — as well as the significance of the Oscars to scholars.

"I find the Academy Awards interesting, but hardly definitive," says Frank Manchel, professor emeritus of English and film scholar. While he concedes that the Oscars are the most important industry-oriented recognition in film, Manchel adds that "the questionable makeup of the people voting plus the economic pressures on the voters result in a fuzzy mainstream consensus, rather than a clear-cut standard for judging the categories in the film world."

Todd McGowan, associate professor of English and program director of film studies, acknowledges that the Oscars mean different things to different scholars. "Many in film studies pay quite a bit of attention to the industrial side of filmmaking or to audience reception, and for these people, the Academy Awards has some significance," he says. "Many have disdain for the Oscars. Others follow the awards like fans. I fall into the latter category."

The Coen Brothers were the big winners on Sunday night for their harrowing adaptation of author Cormac McCarthy's No Country for Old Men. Manchel doesn't quibble that this picture, or other nominees weren't worthy of consideration, but in his opinion they don't represent the best films of the year. The professor, who has a near film-a-day celluloid habit, rattles off recent movies that have impressed him: In the Valley of Elah, Eastern Promises, The Wind that Shakes the Barley, The Golden Door, The Assassination of Jesse James, Gone Baby Gone, and Amazing Grace. Also overlooked on Oscar night, says Manchel, were the performances of Tommy Lee Jones in No Country and In the Valley and Helena Bonham Carter in Sweeney Todd.

Manchel also hails The Diving Bell and the Butterfly as one of the year's best, admitting that his heart is in the vote as well as his head. It's the latest production of Jon Kilik, UVM Class of 1978, who credits his former professor for kindling his love for film and interest in the profession. (Manchel is among those receiving a "special thanks" in the final credits of Diving Bell.) Considering Kilik's production of the work by director Julian Schnabel, Manchel says, "I thought the film was magnificent and a reminder of just how brilliant Jon's work has become, especially when it follows on the heels of last year's memorable film Babel."

When asked if he was surprised by the winners, McGowan, who never misses the telecast, says that most surprising to him this year is how satisfied he feels with the choices. "Typically, I'm gravely disappointed, as when, for example, Ron Howard won Best Director (for Beautiful Mind) over Robert Altman and David Lynch," he says. "But this year was the first time since Titanic won that I thought the best picture of the year won the award." Although McGowan did find Juno and There Will Be Blood "wildly overrated," he felt the acting awards were "more just than is typical."

"The only thing I really liked from There Will Be Blood," McGowan says, "was the final scene. It is the kind of film that seems like a critique of what it depicts but actually functions as a tacit justification and even endorsement. Part of the problem, ironically, is that the (Best Actor winning) performance of Daniel Day-Lewis is too strong: he is such a powerful figure that one can't help but find him compelling."

Lori Holiff, media services specialist in Bailey/Howe, also found few surprises this year, with the exception, she says, of the Best Actress category. Although Marion Cotillard took the award home for her performance in La Vie en Rose, Holiff was betting on Julie Christie in Away from Her.

The real disappointment for Holiff this year was in the telecast, hosted by Jon Stewart. "I thought many of the jokes fell flat," she says. "The banter was boring much of the time, and it lacked the luster and energy of some previous years. And as usual, way too long!"

While the Oscars may be of questionable importance to film studies, it's clear that the awards continue to persuade viewers. "I do see an increase of library patrons asking if we own the movies nominated," Holiff says. Savvy UVMers who take advantage of Bailey/Howe's free DVD rentals can rest assured. "The media department does purchase most of the nominated films," including, she says, "the lesser known categories of best foreign films and best documentary films."