Where's the 'race' in this year's Oscar race?

A trusty reader of The Envelope sent us a provocative e-mail the other day, noting that our Oscar coverage lately mentions only one African American in the top races: Halle Berry ("Frankie & Alice"). "It looks like we are going back to the Fifties," he added.

He's got a good, and cautionary, point. Early on during this derby there were high Oscar hopes for Tyler Perry's "For Colored Girls," but that's cooled, and now only "Frankie & Alice" has front-runner status for Berry. Where is the "race" in this Oscar race? Has the derby gone lily white again?

Until recent years, the Academy Awards had a poor track record in terms of recognizing the work of black movie-makers. Before 2001, only one African American actor had won a lead race: Sidney Poitier ("Lilies of the Field," 1963). Five black actors won in supporting: Hattie McDaniel ("Gone with the Wind," 1939), Lou Gossett Jr. ("An Officer and a Gentleman," 1982), Denzel Washington ("Glory," 1989), Whoopi Goldberg ("Ghost," 1990) and Cuba Gooding Jr. ("Jerry Maguire," 1996).

Then in 2001, the issue of race heated up, got talked about across Hollywood, and academy members responded with victories in the lead actor and actress contests for Washington ("Training Day") and Berry ("Monster's Ball"). Suddenly, it looked like the matter was settled, but then the list of nominees kept looking suspiciously white in subsequent years.

There have been some notable victories for African Americans since then — Jamie Foxx ("Ray," 2004),  Morgan Freeman ("Million Dollar Baby," 2004), Forest Whitaker ("Last King of Scotland," 2006),  Jennifer Hudson ("Dreamgirls," 2006) and Mo'Nique ("Precious," 2009). So the question looms: Are the Oscars finally all inclusive and color-blind?

Last year there was heartening evidence that recent racial progress is real. "Precious" was up for best picture, and it pulled off an upset for original screenplay. Its helmer, Lee Daniels, became the second African American nommed for best director (after John Singleton, "Boyz 'n the Hood," 1991) and the first of his race to direct a best picture nominee.

Futhermore, "Invictus" was in the derby with a notable nomination for Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela.

So, bottom line: Let's be optimistic that this current derby is a fluke and it will become a more colorful contest in 2011.

— Tom O'Neil

Photo: "Frankie & Alice" (Freestyle Releasing).