Hollywood on the Head of a Pin: Montage and Marketing at the Oscars®

The great majority of the clips in the “100 Years” montage comprise iconic moments from significant performances: Al Pacino shouting “Attica!” in Dog Day Afternoon; Sally Field holding up a “Union” sign in Norma Rae; Whoopi Goldberg’s body being “taken over” by Patrick Swayze in Ghost; Cagney and the Public Enemy grapefruit; Diane Keaton’s “La-di-dah” as Annie Hall. And while there is no coherent narrative per se, the montage does contain an overall structure guided by the music: there is a clear introduction, followed by a dramatic build-up, then a...