the oscars ceremony that year was attended byjust 270 people at the hollywood roosevelt hotel, and itted just 15 minutes. # i can feel it coming in the airtonight...# i arrived in los angeles to cover the oscars for the first time in the 1980s, with the late great bbc film critic barry norman. i can see that the party is taking over here now, barry. in subsequent years, american film reviewer david ansen, who wrote for newsweek, joined barry to comment on the oscars for the bbc. the biggest voting branch in the academy is actors. this veteran hollywood—based film critic and film festival programmer is still thriving. he remembers the 19505 when the oscars were a much larger cultural phenomenon, reflecting, perhaps, america's superpower status. the big stars would all be there, the elizabeth taylors, and kirk douglases, and burt lancasters, and they would get enormous ratings in those days. hollywood had become the world's great empire, and they were making movies that were big and, you know, on great themes, the ten commandments... you have not obeyed the lord! thunder crashes. ..arou