Dec 11, 2012

Worst Oscar Night Ever, or "American Pigs, We Got Oscars!"

Winning an Academy Award should be a night to remember. For Polish animator Zbigniew Rybczynski, it was a night he would rather forget: in 1983, he had the ignominious honor of being the only person to win an Academy Award, only to be arrested and jailed minutes later.

The trouble began the moment presenter Christy McNichol tried to announce his name as a nominee in the short animation category for the film "Tango":

She gave up because of the difficulty of his name and had to announce his name again as the winner When it was no longer possible, she tampered with it to sound like "Zbigniewski Sky."

Dressed in a tuxedo and sneakers, Lipchinski took the stage with an interpreter. Distinguished members of the Academy, ladies and gentlemen, I speak very shortly because I have made this short film. I am honored to receive this award. I dream of one day being able to speak longer here at ......." . At that moment, the orchestra broke off his speech with the Looney Tunes theme.

His interpreter addressed the audience. He has an important message," he appealed to the audience. However, McNichol and co-host Matt Dillon were already trying to push Rybczynski offstage. Rybczynski insisted that he could not leave yet, saying, "No, no." Rybczynski backed away, kissing McNichol. 'It's a Slavic custom,' he said. We are very warm people," the interpreter told the puzzled audience. And through the interpreter, Lipchinski tried to point out a point that is garbled in translation: and on the occasion of a film like "Gandhi," which portrays Lev Walesa in solidarity."

After speaking with reporters in the press room, Lipchinski stepped outside the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion to enjoy a dose of victory. When Livchinsky, with his Oscar in hand, attempted to return inside the building, a security guard denied him entry. The guard's attitude escalated into a physical altercation, which was reported to the police.

Two officers, Sgt. Richard Longshore and another detective arrived. 'There was a female detective with us who spoke 15 languages,' Longshore said. 'She explained the situation to him. An exasperated (and, according to the police, drunk) Rybczynski looked at Longshore and shouted, 'There's Oscar, the American pig. Then - if the police account is to be believed - Rybczynski tried to kick him in the groin.

Lipchinski was arrested and Oscar was booked as "property." In prison, he sought to speak with Marvin Mitchelson, a well-known "alimony" attorney. Mitchelson later quipped that when he was first contacted, he said, "First bring an interpreter, then tell me how to pronounce his name."

The district attorney's office refused to prosecute Lipczinski, citing language problems. Lipchinski later expressed his own view of the incident, saying, "Success and defeat are quite intertwined."

Lipczinski's special night was special for all the wrong reasons, but the story had a happy ending. After winning the Oscar, he went on to direct a number of successful experimental short films and music videos for MTV.

After living in the United States for many years, Rybczynski recently returned to Poland to lead Wroclaw Visual Technology Studio, a hybrid school/production studio focused on applying new technologies to filmmaking. As this video shows, Rybczynski now speaks English.