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| Scene from The Shape of Water |
Welcome to the series Nothing But the Best in which I chronicle all of the Academy Award Best Picture winners as they celebrate their anniversaries. Instead of going in chronological order, this series will be presented on each film's anniversary and will feature personal opinions as well as facts regarding its legacy and behind the scenes information. The goal is to create an in depth essay for each film while looking not only how the medium progressed, but how the film is integral to pop culture. In some cases, it will be easy. Others not so much. Without further ado, let's start the show.
Background Information
The Shape of Water
Release Date: December 22, 2017
Director: Guillermo del Toro
Written By: Guillermo del Toro & Vanessa Taylor (Screenplay), Guillermo del Toro (Story)
Starring: Sally Hawkins, Octavia Spencer, Michael Shannon
Genre: Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
Running Time: 123 minutes
Oscar Wins: 4
-Best Picture
-Best Director
-Best Original Score
-Best Production Design
Oscar Nominations: 9
-Best Actress (Sally Hawkins)
-Best Supporting Actor (Richard Jenkins)
-Best Supporting Actress (Octavia Spencer)
-Best Original Screenplay
-Best Cinematography
-Best Costume Design
-Best Editing
-Best Sound Mixing
-Best Sound Editing
-Best Director
-Best Original Score
-Best Production Design
Oscar Nominations: 9
-Best Actress (Sally Hawkins)
-Best Supporting Actor (Richard Jenkins)
-Best Supporting Actress (Octavia Spencer)
-Best Original Screenplay
-Best Cinematography
-Best Costume Design
-Best Editing
-Best Sound Mixing
-Best Sound Editing
Other Best Picture Nominees
-Call Me By Your Name
-Darkest Hour
-Dunkirk
-Get Out
-Lady Bird
-Phantom Thread
-The Post
-Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
-Darkest Hour
-Dunkirk
-Get Out
-Lady Bird
-Phantom Thread
-The Post
-Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
And the winner is...
Following the Oscars So White controversy, The Academy has had a major face lift that has resulted in some of the most interesting winners of the decade. The class of 2016 saw Moonlight become the first queer narrative lead by a black cast to win Best Picture in one of the ceremony's most memorable moments. What could possibly follow a film that was so against the conventions of a typical Oscar winner? That honor would go to director Guillermo del Toro and the fantasy romance The Shape of Water. By reinventing Universal Horror through a Parisian gaze, del Toro found a way to turn monster movies into something more contemporary and accessible to audiences who generally don't seek out The Creature from the Black Lagoon. It's a film that compliments a legacy of reinventing cinema's relationship to monsters in ways that are both powerful and controversial. In more ways than one, it's the perfect second note in a new Academy voting block and evidence that whatever's to follow has to be pretty, pretty weird.
The story begins in 2011. Del Toro pitched the idea for what would become The Shape of Water over breakfast with Daniel Kraus, whom he co-wrote the novel and TV series Trollhunters with. Del Toro had this fascination with The Creature from the Black lagoon and wondered what would've happened if the creature succeeded in his romance with the female protagonist. It was a small idea that stuck with the director for several years and would appear again when del Toro was confronted by Universal to make an updated version of the aforementioned film for their Dark Universe. They disapproved of the idea and soon del Toro would have to work on other films, which would include Pacific Rim and Crimson Tide. By 2014 he would pitch the idea to Sally Hawkins at the Golden Globes ceremony. Del Toro was a big fan of Happy-Go-Lucky and imagined that Hawkins had the specific kind of beauty he was looking for. He later joked that pitching the idea to Hawkins while drunk actually made it sound worse because it was the kind of story that already sounded like he was drunk. He was so invested in the characters that he wrote lengthy back stories for each of them with some even reaching as high as 40 pages.
After production stalled out, he would continue to work on the film sporadically over the years. Among the most noteworthy aspects of the film was the creature design, which del Toro claims took nine months to perfect. Many have since accused the director of having a creature design similar to his character Abe Sapien from the Hellboy films. He claims that this is just coincidence despite also casting character actor Doug Jones in both roles. Despite it taking three hours to put on the costume, Jones considered it to be a lot easier than other roles he had played. He based his moves on a matador, choosing to put a lot of emphasis in the hips. Hawkins meanwhile was encouraged to base her performance on old silent actors such as Charles Chaplin, Laurel & Hardy, and Buster Keaton as well as Audrey Hepburn. Del Toro would give her box sets to help her prepare. Octavia Spencer was also on board because of her deep fandom of the director's previous work and how the film featured figures of oppression (blacks and gays) during the Cold War-era giving voice to the white character. Michael Shannon also was attracted to the idea of the role when it was pitched to him that he was going to be the villain in a type of story that in the 1950's would see him as the hero. Richard Jenkins was cast via e-mail with a script attachment after Ian McKellen proved to be too busy.
Filming began August 15, 2016 and was shot in Toronto and Hamilton, Ontario. The film shot over the course of 12 weeks. Del Toro had problems getting financing for the film, in large part because he initially wanted to film it in black and white. However, he was convinced by Fox Searchlight to do it in color so that it felt engaged with the material. It also allowed him to use color theory, such as prominent uses of green and red throughout the film. Del Toro would also incorporate his breathing into the Amphibian Man's vocalization. In a dream sequence that involved dancing, del Toro used the Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers film Follow the Fleet for reference. In the score, Alexandre Desplat recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra and added himself whistling to counterbalance the soundtrack. While the film is predominantly references to older cinema and music, including orchestra performers like Benny Goodman and Glenn Miller, there's a reference to the 80's sitcom Alf. In that series, the titular alien character Alf is known to eat cats except for one cat named Lucky. In the film, Jenkins finds a cat who avoids similar fate and says "You're Lucky."
The film would go on to premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. The choice of venue was a bit cheeky, as the Elgin Theater was also a central location to the film's plot. People watching the film were literally watching scenes set at the Elgin Theater while there. The reviews were immediately positive and found many calling it del Toro's best since Pan's Labyrinth. The director would also claim that if the film failed, he would quit directing because of how personal the film was to him. It was dealing with modern fears regarding the way we treat each other. By the time that the first trailer dropped, filmmaker Kevin Smith would post on Twitter that "Seeing something as beautiful as this makes me feel stupid for ever calling myself a 'Director.'" The film would have its debut on December 1 in limited release with moderate box office. It would continue to build over time, though rarely breaking above $10 million on any given week. It would receive a bump following its Oscar wins, earning $63 million at the American box office. The rest would be made internationally with a gross of $195.2 million.
The film was the front runner for most of the awards season and would earn 13 Oscar nominations. It was the most for that year just beating out Dunkirk's eight nominations. The film would have such honors as being the first film to win both the Golden Lion (top prize at Venice Film Festival) and Best Picture as well as the first in the category since 2010's Somewhere to be a film in English. It was also the first film since 1995's Braveheart win Best Picture without being nominated by the Screen Actors Guild for Outstanding Performance by a Cast. It was also the first film with science fiction themes to win the top prize as well. The Shape of Water also was the first film since The Artist in 2011 to receive top honors without winning any screenplay awards. In total, the film would earn four Oscars including Best Director for Guillermo del Toro. This is only the the fourth time since 2010 that Best Picture and Best Director would both win for the same film. Because of its international box office, it was also the highest grossing Best Picture winner of the past five years with $195.2 million.
With the win behind him, del Toro has claimed that he's taking a break from picking his next project. He does however have a lot of unpublished scripts at the ready for whatever he chooses to do next. As for The Shape of Water, its legacy has only grown in the year since its release. For starters, it has received derision for its depiction of humans having intimate affairs with fish men. Those who love the film say that those who dislike the avant garde touch missed the point, and it keeps the film from being as universally acclaimed. There have also been many complaints from other artists regarding the film's authenticity. In February 2018, Paul Zindel claimed that the film "brazenly copies" his 1969 work Let Me Hear You Whisper. Del Toro adamantly claims he was never aware of the work. Similarly, French director Jean-Pierre Jeunet has claimed that The Shape of Water borrows elements from his films Amelie and Delicatessen. Despite his disapproval, Jeunet has no plans to actually sue him as he believes t del Toro is a smart and talent artist. Del Toro would collaborate on a novelization of the film with Daniel Kraus. The book was released on March 6, 2018.
As one of the most acclaimed visual artists of the 21st century, del Toro almways seemed overdue for an Oscar win. What wasn't expected was that it was for a film that managed to show compassion for monster movies while reinventing how they're seen. This isn't one where violence and fear dominate the narrative, but instead one where the oppressed are given a voice. There's power to every frame, and it also shows how the new class of Academy has changed from the old guard. There hasn't been a Best Picture winner like The Shape of Water before. Not ever in The Academy's 90 year history. It's a big reason why it only helps to make the recent years far more fascinating for what will be deemed worthy of awards. If films with queer black narratives and monster romances could win the top prize, then what else could possibly be up for consideration as well?
The story begins in 2011. Del Toro pitched the idea for what would become The Shape of Water over breakfast with Daniel Kraus, whom he co-wrote the novel and TV series Trollhunters with. Del Toro had this fascination with The Creature from the Black lagoon and wondered what would've happened if the creature succeeded in his romance with the female protagonist. It was a small idea that stuck with the director for several years and would appear again when del Toro was confronted by Universal to make an updated version of the aforementioned film for their Dark Universe. They disapproved of the idea and soon del Toro would have to work on other films, which would include Pacific Rim and Crimson Tide. By 2014 he would pitch the idea to Sally Hawkins at the Golden Globes ceremony. Del Toro was a big fan of Happy-Go-Lucky and imagined that Hawkins had the specific kind of beauty he was looking for. He later joked that pitching the idea to Hawkins while drunk actually made it sound worse because it was the kind of story that already sounded like he was drunk. He was so invested in the characters that he wrote lengthy back stories for each of them with some even reaching as high as 40 pages.
After production stalled out, he would continue to work on the film sporadically over the years. Among the most noteworthy aspects of the film was the creature design, which del Toro claims took nine months to perfect. Many have since accused the director of having a creature design similar to his character Abe Sapien from the Hellboy films. He claims that this is just coincidence despite also casting character actor Doug Jones in both roles. Despite it taking three hours to put on the costume, Jones considered it to be a lot easier than other roles he had played. He based his moves on a matador, choosing to put a lot of emphasis in the hips. Hawkins meanwhile was encouraged to base her performance on old silent actors such as Charles Chaplin, Laurel & Hardy, and Buster Keaton as well as Audrey Hepburn. Del Toro would give her box sets to help her prepare. Octavia Spencer was also on board because of her deep fandom of the director's previous work and how the film featured figures of oppression (blacks and gays) during the Cold War-era giving voice to the white character. Michael Shannon also was attracted to the idea of the role when it was pitched to him that he was going to be the villain in a type of story that in the 1950's would see him as the hero. Richard Jenkins was cast via e-mail with a script attachment after Ian McKellen proved to be too busy.
Filming began August 15, 2016 and was shot in Toronto and Hamilton, Ontario. The film shot over the course of 12 weeks. Del Toro had problems getting financing for the film, in large part because he initially wanted to film it in black and white. However, he was convinced by Fox Searchlight to do it in color so that it felt engaged with the material. It also allowed him to use color theory, such as prominent uses of green and red throughout the film. Del Toro would also incorporate his breathing into the Amphibian Man's vocalization. In a dream sequence that involved dancing, del Toro used the Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers film Follow the Fleet for reference. In the score, Alexandre Desplat recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra and added himself whistling to counterbalance the soundtrack. While the film is predominantly references to older cinema and music, including orchestra performers like Benny Goodman and Glenn Miller, there's a reference to the 80's sitcom Alf. In that series, the titular alien character Alf is known to eat cats except for one cat named Lucky. In the film, Jenkins finds a cat who avoids similar fate and says "You're Lucky."
The film would go on to premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. The choice of venue was a bit cheeky, as the Elgin Theater was also a central location to the film's plot. People watching the film were literally watching scenes set at the Elgin Theater while there. The reviews were immediately positive and found many calling it del Toro's best since Pan's Labyrinth. The director would also claim that if the film failed, he would quit directing because of how personal the film was to him. It was dealing with modern fears regarding the way we treat each other. By the time that the first trailer dropped, filmmaker Kevin Smith would post on Twitter that "Seeing something as beautiful as this makes me feel stupid for ever calling myself a 'Director.'" The film would have its debut on December 1 in limited release with moderate box office. It would continue to build over time, though rarely breaking above $10 million on any given week. It would receive a bump following its Oscar wins, earning $63 million at the American box office. The rest would be made internationally with a gross of $195.2 million.
The film was the front runner for most of the awards season and would earn 13 Oscar nominations. It was the most for that year just beating out Dunkirk's eight nominations. The film would have such honors as being the first film to win both the Golden Lion (top prize at Venice Film Festival) and Best Picture as well as the first in the category since 2010's Somewhere to be a film in English. It was also the first film since 1995's Braveheart win Best Picture without being nominated by the Screen Actors Guild for Outstanding Performance by a Cast. It was also the first film with science fiction themes to win the top prize as well. The Shape of Water also was the first film since The Artist in 2011 to receive top honors without winning any screenplay awards. In total, the film would earn four Oscars including Best Director for Guillermo del Toro. This is only the the fourth time since 2010 that Best Picture and Best Director would both win for the same film. Because of its international box office, it was also the highest grossing Best Picture winner of the past five years with $195.2 million.
With the win behind him, del Toro has claimed that he's taking a break from picking his next project. He does however have a lot of unpublished scripts at the ready for whatever he chooses to do next. As for The Shape of Water, its legacy has only grown in the year since its release. For starters, it has received derision for its depiction of humans having intimate affairs with fish men. Those who love the film say that those who dislike the avant garde touch missed the point, and it keeps the film from being as universally acclaimed. There have also been many complaints from other artists regarding the film's authenticity. In February 2018, Paul Zindel claimed that the film "brazenly copies" his 1969 work Let Me Hear You Whisper. Del Toro adamantly claims he was never aware of the work. Similarly, French director Jean-Pierre Jeunet has claimed that The Shape of Water borrows elements from his films Amelie and Delicatessen. Despite his disapproval, Jeunet has no plans to actually sue him as he believes t del Toro is a smart and talent artist. Del Toro would collaborate on a novelization of the film with Daniel Kraus. The book was released on March 6, 2018.
As one of the most acclaimed visual artists of the 21st century, del Toro almways seemed overdue for an Oscar win. What wasn't expected was that it was for a film that managed to show compassion for monster movies while reinventing how they're seen. This isn't one where violence and fear dominate the narrative, but instead one where the oppressed are given a voice. There's power to every frame, and it also shows how the new class of Academy has changed from the old guard. There hasn't been a Best Picture winner like The Shape of Water before. Not ever in The Academy's 90 year history. It's a big reason why it only helps to make the recent years far more fascinating for what will be deemed worthy of awards. If films with queer black narratives and monster romances could win the top prize, then what else could possibly be up for consideration as well?
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