Tea at Trianon: Best Picture No Longer Means Best

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Thursday, July 23, 2026

Best Picture No Longer Means Best

From The Enterprise:

Christopher Nolan may have made The Odyssey to adapt Homer, but Universal also had to make it for the Academy’s confidential diversity, equity, and inclusion spreadsheet. Before the Academy will even consider a 2026 film for Best Picture, the studio must document compliance with it’s identity-based standards covering race, sex, and gender identity of the actors, crew members, interns and even executives. Nolan’s cast contains many excellent performers. But under the Academy’s rules, excellence alone is no longer the measure, and that changes how we should read every casting announcement coming out of Hollywood, including this one.
Start with what the rules actually say, because most moviegoers have no idea they exist. Since 2024, a film cannot compete for Best Picture unless its distributor submits a confidential Representation and Inclusion Standards Entry form, known as the RAISE form, and demonstrates compliance with 2 of 4 standards. Standard A concerns what appears on screen. It can be satisfied if at least one lead or significant supporting actor submitted for Oscar consideration belongs to an Academy-approved list of racial and ethnic groups, or if at least 30% of secondary and minor actors come from at least two categories that include women, racial minorities, LGBTQ+ people and people with disabilities, or if the story itself centers on one of those groups. Standard B counts the crew, requiring qualifying department heads, or at least six technical workers from designated racial groups, or a 30% overall crew threshold. Standard C counts paid interns and apprentices from the designated groups. Standard D counts senior marketing and distribution executives by race, sex and sexual orientation. Of course, none of standards give a picture any credit for hiring white men - they are specifically excluded.
Notice what this is. It is not a mission statement or an aspiration. It is a numerical eligibility gate, with thresholds, categories and a filing deadline. For films released between July and December of 2026, the RAISE form is due November 12, 2026 at 5 p.m. Pacific. The form is confidential. The Academy knows which demographic evidence each studio claims. You do not, and you never will. (Read more.)