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Academy Awards 2024: Revisiting Tom Hanks' Iconic Acceptance Speech Dubbed 'Incredible' By Steven Spielberg Ahead Of This Year's Oscars
Tom Hanks' iconic 'Philadelphia' Oscar speech resurfaced ahead of 2024 Academy Awards. Back in the day, Steven Spielberg called it 'incredible,' spotlighting Hanks' raw words about the AIDS crisis and LGBTQ+ struggles that transcended Hollywood.
As the entertainment industry prepares for the biggest night in Hollywood—the 96th Academy Awards—which is set to take place on March 10, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, Tom Hanks' famous Oscars acceptance speech from the past recently reappeared again. Back in the day, Steven Spielberg, the renowned director, called Hanks' poignant and powerful speech when he won the Best Actor Oscar for playing Andrew Beckett in the 1993 movie Philadelphia "incredible." Read on to know more about the memorable speech.
A Speech That Transcended Hollywood
Tom Hanks' stirring remarks, which were delivered with unadulterated emotion and vulnerability, have permanently altered the landscape of film. In addition to praising his work, his speech addressed the discrimination and hardships that the LGBTQ+ community was dealing with at the time, especially in light of the AIDS epidemic.
Hanks famously said, "The streets of heaven are too crowded with angels," alluding to the innumerable lives lost to the illness. "We are aware of their names... We've seen these cultural misconceptions about a people's attractiveness much too frequently throughout the course of ages and societies.
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Steven Spielberg's High Praise
In an interview with CNN, Steven Spielberg, who collaborated with Tom Hanks on several projects, including the classic films such as Saving Private Ryan and Catch Me If You Can, lauded the actor's speech. Spielberg remarked, "It was an incredible acceptance speech." "Tom's words resonated not just within the confines of Hollywood, but across the entire nation."
A Groundbreaking Film and Performance
In the early 1990s, the ground-breaking movie Philadelphia' addressed the delicate and frequently taboo subjects of AIDS and homophobia. During the height of the AIDS epidemic, Hanks' portrayal of a lawyer who is fired from his firm because he is HIV positive received critical acclaim and helped bring attention to the discrimination and challenges experienced by the LGBTQ+ community.
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Honoring Collective Sacrifice
In his acceptance speech, Hanks acknowledged the sacrifice and teamwork that go into making a movie, saying, "I knew that there were going to be plenty of very sad people who were going to be leaving this ceremony empty-handed, having given everything they have and more, and there are now and there were then."
A Timeless Message
In addition to honoring his own accomplishment, Hanks' speech honored the many people battling for acceptance and awareness of AIDS as well as the many people who had lost their lives to the disease. His remarks struck a profound chord with listeners, extending beyond the confines of the entertainment sector and igniting discussions on compassion, empathy, and the ability of narrative to affect societal change.
Tom Hanks' famous Philadelphia acceptance speech is a moving reminder of the influence that art and artists can have on society as the 2024 Academy Awards get near. It is evidence of the cinematic medium's continuing ability to subvert social norms, arouse empathy, and spark thought-provoking dialogues about the human condition.
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