In 1973, when actor Marlon Brando received the Oscar for Best Actor for his performance in the film The Godfather, he did not attend the ceremony. Instead, Brando sent indigenous actress Sacheen Littlefeather to refuse the award and protest the way Native Americans were portrayed in Hollywood.
At the time, Littlefeather went to the stage, but did not take the award from actor Roger Moore, saying that Brando would not accept the Oscar. She suffered boos and various types of aggression. Actor John Wayne tried to hold her back, and had to be restrained by six bodyguards.
Nearly 50 years later, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences came out apologizing to what Sacheen Littlefeather had to pass that night.
Who is Sacheen Littlefeather?
Sacheen Littlefeather is a 76-year-old activist. At the time of the Oscars, she was 26 and a young Native American rights activist, but she was already doing some modeling and acting work. She appeared in films like Johnny Firecloud.
After her participation in the Oscars, her work as an actress failed, as she was boycotted by the film industry. Sacheen then began to dedicate herself fully to activism and graduated from college with a degree in health and nutrition.
At the time of the Oscar delivery, she had met Marlon Brando a few times. Their friendship began because Sacheen sent the actor a letter asking if he was interested in the issue of oppression of indigenous peoples.
Today, at 76, Sacheen Littlefeather is battling cancer. breast.
The importance of Sacheen Littlefeather’s act
(Source: Mdig)
On the occasion of the 1973 Oscars, Sacheen Littlefeather’s protest surprised many people. Some would have thought it was a Marlon Brando joke. The fact is that this was the first political demonstration at the most important ceremony in the film industry – which started a trend that continues to this day.
Sacheen took the stage calmly, but did not take the award from actors Roger Moore and Liv Ullman. Instead, she pulled out a speech written by Marlon Brando, but didn’t read it, as she only had 60 seconds to speak.
As she left the stage, some people in the audience made the ” Tomahawk chop” — a hand gesture that is considered very demeaning to Native Americans.
The main aggression Sacheen Littlefeather faced was after she left the ceremony, which was broadcast to 85 millions of people. She had her life unraveled, and several TV shows and newspapers were speculating that she wasn’t really indigenous, or that she was Marlon Brando’s lover.
She said she never imagined she would receive this request. of apologies. A letter written to her by David Rubin, former president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, said she received an unwarranted attack in 1973. “The speech at the 45th Academy Awards continues to remind us of the need for respect and the importance of human dignity,” he said.
Sacheen Littlefeather’s response to this apology carries a lot. humor. She declared: “we indigenous people are very patient people — it was only 50 years of waiting!”
