And the Oscar goes to..
He’s one of the most unlikely winners to emerge from this year’s Oscars. Mexican-American folk musician Sixto Rodriguez released two albums which flopped in the early 70s before becoming resurfacing and becoming huge in South Africa.Unaware of his success, Rodriguez retired from music until the late 90s when two fans tracked him down to Detroit, where he was working as a builder.
Searching for Sugarman, a documentary telling his story, has now rebooted his career all over the world. He was even too busy playing a gig to attend last night’s Oscars, where the film picked up the award for best documentary.
Other winners on the night included Ang Lee as best director, Anne Hathaway as best supporting actress and Jennifer Lawrence, who was so eager to collect her award for best actress that she fell up the stairs.
The British charge was led by Adele, who won best song for Skyfall, and Lincoln star Daniel Day Lewis, who became the first man ever to win three Oscars for best actor.
But the big winner of the night was Argo, which took best picture – picked up by producer, director and lead actor Ben Affleck, rounding off what has to be one of the most incredible comebacks ever recorded in the film industry.
Meanwhile, far away from Hollywood another winner has been celebrating Argo’s success. Cumbrian clothing company The Sporting Lodge designed an olive green waterproof canvas holdall used by Ben Affleck’s character in the film.
The Westmorland retails at £225 and the company’s experienced a huge boost in online sales across its range.
But not everyone’s benefitted from Argo’s win at the Oscars. The film claims that six American diplomats caught up in the Iranian hostage crisis of 1979 were turned away by the British before finding shelter in the Canadian ambassador’s residence.
But Martin Williams, first secretary commercial in the British embassy in Tehran, says that this isn’t true.
“We picked them up at first but I’m sure anybody else would have done so as well,” he told Channel 4 News.
“I’m sure if they had called the Canadians the Canadians would have picked them up.
“But the thing that I was upset about regarding the film is that there is the throw away line in it saying that the Brits turned them away. Now that’s not actually true and he didn’t need to say it. It would have been just as good a story if he’d said, well the Brits weren’t able to provide the sufficient security or something like that.”
For decades, British involvement in the incident was kept quiet for fear of offending the Iranians. Only now is the story emerging – ironically in response to the inaccuracy of Argo. Perhaps adding more winners to the list of those who’ve benefitted from Oscar glory.
Follow @MatthewCainC4 on Twitter.
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