‘The Woman King’ deserves Oscars attention for more than just Viola Davis
With all the chatter about the 2022 movies that are already well on their way to Oscar night, it’s time to shine one last spotlight on Gina Prince-Bythewood’s historical epic “The Woman King.” Released last September, the movie stars Oscar winner Viola Davis in another unforgettable role as Nanisca, the general of the Agojie, an all-woman army protecting the African kingdom of Dahomey during the 1800s.
If that idea sounds familiar, that’s because the Agojie were the inspiration for “Black Panther” comic book writer Christopher Priest to create the Dora Milaje, Wakanda’s woman army that would play a huge role in both 2018’s “Black Panther” and 2022’s “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.”
Despite the similarities, “The Woman King” is a very different movie, based more on historical knowledge of the Agojie while telling an original story about Nanisca and the Agojie’s newest young recruit, Nawi, as played by Thuso Mbedu. Nawi is left at the gates of Dahomey as a present for the new king (played by John Boyega), and she immediately begins training to join the Agojie, although the hotheaded 19-year-old has her own ideas of how to fight.
“The Woman King” isn’t just notable for the gripping story being told, which originated with producer Cathy Schulman, actress/producer Maria Bello and screenwriter Dana Stevens. It ended up being a deeply personal story for director Prince-Bythewood, who paired with Davis as a producer to make the movie in South Africa. Prince-Bythewood has said that she’s always wanted to make an epic in the vein of Oscar-winning Best Picture “Gladiator” or “Braveheart,” and she certainly has succeeded in creating something on that scale.
Davis has rightfully been getting the most attention for the film, having already been nominated for a Golden Globe, as well as receiving Critics Choice and SAG nominations. Prince-Bythewood was also nominated by the Critics Choice Association, and the movie’s ensemble cast also got a nom there, even though the CCA didn’t nominate the movie for Best Picture. The attention to Davis’s performance is well-deserved, but to the many who loved the movie, “The Woman King” deserves far more awards attention than it’s been getting.
The movie premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival a week before its theatrical release, receiving terrific reviews and a rare “A+” CinemaScore, so clearly, the movie has its fans. One can only theorize why the movie hasn’t gotten more support from Oscar predictors. For instance, only six Gold Derby Experts have the movie getting into the Best Picture race, though 14 have Davis getting into the Best Actress contest. Only four Experts think Prince-Bythewood will get a nomination.
Besides Davis and the rest of the cast, which includes Lashana Lynch, Sheila Atim, and Adrienne Warren, “The Woman King” is also an impressive craft accomplishment, from the production design by Akin McKenzie (“When They See Us”), whose art team brilliantly created the walled city of Dahomey and found other appropriate locations, to the cinematography by Polly Morgan (“Legion”), who was able to capture both the film’s kinetic action scenes and the more emotional drama quite gloriously.
Costume designer Gersha Phillips (“Star Trek: Discovery”) also received a Critics Choice nomination in a very competitive category against three previous Oscar winners: Catherine Martin (“Elvis”), Jenny Egan (“Glass Onion”), and Ruth E. Carter (“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”). She’s also up for a Costume Designers Guild Award. (Eighteen experts have Phillips receiving her first Oscar nomination.)
The hair and makeup work on Davis and all of the women (and men) in the film also adds to the authenticity brought to this Africa-set story. It’s the work of the team put together by makeup department head Louisa Anthony (“Black Panther,” “Coming 2 America”), South African makeup and prosthetics designer Babalwa Mtshiselwa, and Davis’s own hair stylist, Jamika Wilson.
Another one of Prince-Bythewood’s crucial collaborators was editor Terilyn A. Shropshire, who has been working with the director going back to her 2000 film “Love and Basketball” and really should be getting some of the attention among the mostly male editors we see on action films.
And then there’s the score by two-time Oscar nominee Terence Blanchard, who pulled out all the stops for a glorious composition that pulls all of the above together to give “The Woman King” the epic nature Prince-Bythewood was going for. And that brings sound into the mix (pun intended), because making all of the dialogue, battle sounds and sound effects, and the orchestral and vocal score work together helps every moment stand out.
“The Woman King” is clearly an impressive overall feat in filmmaking, as much or more than others currently in the Oscar race. It seems like a fine time for the industry to give Prince-Bythewood, and her fantastic film its proper due. It is being re-released into theaters this weekend in case you missed it the first time.
Make your predictions at Gold Derby now. Download our free and easy app for Apple/iPhone devices or Android (Google Play) to compete against legions of other fans plus our experts and editors for best prediction accuracy scores. See our latest prediction champs. Can you top our esteemed leaderboards next? Always remember to keep your predictions updated because they impact our latest racetrack odds, which terrify Hollywood chiefs and stars. Don’t miss the fun. Speak up and share your huffy opinions in our famous forums where 5,000 showbiz leaders lurk every day to track latest awards buzz. Everybody wants to know: What do you think? Who do you predict and why?