Therefore, in addition to Marketing Blitz, there is so much Personal Bias, in 
addition to the Politicking, it should not be a suprise that "Martin 
Scorsese's 'My Voyage to Italy'" was not among the nominees.  

In Letters to the Editor, of the Los Angeles Times, regarding: "Nominations: 
What the Oscar Voters Missed", after mercilessly "panning" the Academy voters 
for nominating "Moulin Rouge" the following comment reflected my viewpoint.
*       *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *
Once again, the academy's documentary branch displays its usual dubious 
expertise and denies even a nomination to what was clearly the year's best 
documentary. For many, "Martin Scorsese's 'My Voyage to Italy'" was not only 
the year's best documentary but the year's best film. Period.

This beautiful four-hour cinematic history lesson brought tears to my eyes, 
as it reminded me again and again of the potential power and beauty of the 
cinema, from the days when some people still treated movies as an art form.

As usual, the documentary branch didn't do its homework.

DAVE SCHMERLER
Westminster