The Oscars academy has apologised to a Native American actress who famously took to the stage for Marlon Brando when he won the best actor award in 1973. Brando sent Sacheen Littlefeather in his place as a protest against the treatment and stereotypical portrayal of Native Americans by the film industry.
When Brando won best actor for his starring role in "The Godfather," he was absent. In his stead, he asked Littlefeather, then an actress and activist, to attend the ceremony -- and to refuse the award on his behalf.
She had two promises to keep: not to touch the statuette (Brando’s instructions), and to keep her comments to 60 seconds (an order from show producer Howard Koch, who told Littlefeather minutes before the award presentation that he had security on hand to arrest her if she went past time).
圖源：CNN視頻
而接下來，小羽毛成就了被《好萊塢報道者》稱為“奧斯卡和電視直播的歷史性時刻（historic moment in both Oscars and live television history）”：
"(Brando) very regretfully cannot accept this very generous award, and the reasons for this being are the treatment of American Indians today by the film industry," she said to a mix of boos and applause. John Wayne, who was backstage at the time, was reportedly furious. John Wayne had to be restrained from storming the stage to physically attack her.
她在發(fā)言中還提到了翁迪德尼鎮(zhèn)（town of Wounded Knee，又名傷膝鎮(zhèn)）事件。據(jù)《好萊塢報道》消息，在奧斯卡頒獎禮的一個月前，“美國印第安人運(yùn)動”組織占據(jù)那里并和聯(lián)邦執(zhí)法人員發(fā)生對峙，抗議對美國原住民的迫害。而按照美國司法部的要求，當(dāng)時媒體不對小羽毛的奧斯卡亮相作報道。
A month before the ceremony, the activist organization American Indian Movement had occupied the South Dakota town of Wounded Knee to protest the sustained mistreatment of Native Americans, a standoff that at the time of Littlefeather’s televised appearance at the Oscars was under a U.S. Department of Justice-imposed media blackout.
圖源：CNN視頻
然而，在這段演講后的多年里，她被嘲弄、歧視，遭遇人身攻擊。
In the years since, Littlefeather has said she’s been mocked, discriminated against and personally attacked for her brief Academy Awards appearance.
Littlefeather, who had acted in a few films before her infamous moment, says that the federal government threatened to shut down any talk shows or productions that put her on the air.
In making the announcement, the Academy Museum shared a letter sent June 18 to Littlefeather by David Rubin, academy president, about the iconic Oscar moment. Rubin called Littlefeather’s speech “a powerful statement that continues to remind us of the necessity of respect and the importance of human dignity.”
“The abuse you endured because of this statement was unwarranted and unjustified,” wrote Rubin. “The emotional burden you have lived through and the cost to your own career in our industry are irreparable. For too long the courage you showed has been unacknowledged. For this, we offer both our deepest apologies and our sincere admiration.”
“I was stunned. I never thought I’d live to see the day I would be hearing this, experiencing this,” Littlefeather, now 75, tells The Hollywood Reporter of receiving the Academy’s statement, which was first privately presented to her in June. “When I was at the podium in 1973, I stood there alone.”
Littlefeather, in a statement, said it is “profoundly heartening to see how much has changed since I did not accept the Academy Award 50 years ago.” “Regarding the Academy’s apology to me, we Indians are very patient people — it’s only been 50 years!” said Littlefeather. “We need to keep our sense of humor about this at all times. It’s our method of survival.”
今年9月17日，小羽毛將作為嘉賓出席電影學(xué)院博物館的活動，屆時道歉信將全文朗讀。
The statement of apology will be read in full at the Sept. 17 Academy Museum event honoring Littlefeather.
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