Driving Miss Daisy          

By Jeff Shannon

Winner of the Academy Award for best picture of 1989, this gracefully moving drama, adapted from the hit play by Alfred Uhry, chronicles the 25-year friendship between a stubborn, aging Southern widow (Jessica Tandy) and her loyal chauffeur (Morgan Freeman). At first, the self-sufficient Miss Daisy is reluctant to accept the services of a chauffeur, but Hoke is quiet, wise, and tolerant, and as the years pass the unlikely friends develop a deep mutual respect and admiration. Tandy deservedly won the Oscar for her sassy and sensitive performance, and Freeman earned an Oscar nomination for bringing quiet depth and integrity to his memorable role. Ironically, director Bruce Beresford (Tender Mercies) was not nominated, but the film won Oscars for makeup and for Uhry's screenplay, in addition to a supporting actor nomination for Dan Aykroyd as Daisy's supportive son. Delicate, funny, and bittersweet, Driving Miss Daisy was a surprise hit when released, and marked the crowning achievement of Tandy's great career.

Academy Awards

Driving Miss Daisy received Academy Awards for Best Picture of the Year (Richard D. Zanuck - Producer, Lili Fini Zanuck - Producer), Best Performance By an Actress in a Leading Role (Jessica Tandy), Best Screenplay Based on Material From Another Medium (Alfred Uhry) and Best Achievement in Makeup (Manlio Rocchetti, Lynn Barber, Kevin Haney). Driving Miss Daisy also received Academy Awards nominations for Best Performance By an Actor in a Leading Role (Morgan Freeman) Best Performance By an Actor in a Supporting Role (Dan Aykroyd), Best Achievement in Art Direction (Bruno Rubeo - Art Direction, Crispian Sallis - Set Decorator), Best Achievement in Costume Design (Elizabeth McBride), and Best Achievement in Film Editing (Mark Warner).

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