Academy snubs ‘Silence,’ Martin Scorsese film about persecuted Jesuit priests in 17th century Japan

Martin Scorsese’s “Silence,” a drama about persecuted Jesuit missionaries in 17th century Japan, was surprisingly snubbed by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Variety magazine reported Tuesday.

The critically acclaimed director “has been nominated for best director eight times, but Oscar voters were indifferent to” his latest venture, Variety said. The movie only garnered a Best Cinematography nod. In a recent interviews, Mr. Scorsese waxed eloquent about the role of his Catholic Church in his upbringing and his work as a director.

“When I was young and serving Mass there was no doubt that there was a sense of the sacred. I tried to convey this in ’Silence,’ during the scene of the Mass in the farmhouse in Goto,” the director recently told the Italian-language Jesuit publication La Civilta Cattolica, according to the National Catholic Reporter.

Oddly enough, Tuesday’s Oscar nominations saw something of a redemption story for long-ostracized director and devout Catholic Mel Gibson, observed both Variety and People magazines. 

Mr. Gibson’s best director and best picture nominations for war drama “Hacksaw Ridge” come 21 years after he won both awards for “Braveheart,” People magazine said. Mr. Gibson has been in something of a wilderness period in Hollywood since a 2006 DUI arrest in which he was caught on camera making anti-Semitic remarks.

Tom Hanks and Clint Eastwood were puzzlingly overlooked by the Academy for their acting and directorial work on “Sully,” Variety said, while Variety, The Hollywood Reporter and People all agreed that Amy Adams’ critically acclaimed role in the sci-fi drama “Arrival” was a stunner, especially given the film’s garnering eight nominations overall Tuesday morning.

Finally, the latest Oscar crop for Best Picture seems to have slighted fan favorites on opposite ends of the family-friendly spectrum, with both the G-rated animated movie “Finding Dory” — $1 billion in global box-office revenue according to BoxOfficeMojo.com — and the raunchy R-rated “Deadpool” — $783 million globally — being overlooked.