Charles Ferguson and 4 Other Political Oscar Acceptance Speeches [VIDEOS]

Charles Ferguson went there.

After a largely apolitical Academy Awards, Ferguson, who won the Best Documentary Oscar for his film "Inside Job," used his acceptance speech to air his frustration regarding the fact that no wrongdoers have been sentenced to prison for helping bring about the financial meltdown.

"Not a single financial executive has gone to jail, and that's wrong," he said.

Though Ferguson was perhaps the first to take the 2011 Oscars in a political direction, he joins a grand tradition. Surge Desk has rounded up four other Academy Award winners who took advantage of their moment to bring attention to a cause.

Michael Moore
Moore, who applauded Ferguson's speech, condemned the election of President George W. Bush and the then-new war in Iraq when he accepted the award for Best Documentary during the 2003 Academy Awards. He said, "[W]e are against this war, Mr. Bush. Shame on you, Mr. Bush, shame on you." His outspoken speech earned him boos as well as cheers from the audience.

Marlon Brando
In 1973, Brando won the Best Actor trophy for "The Godfather," but he didn't take the stage when his name was called. He was boycotting the Oscars. Instead a Native American named Sacheen Littlefeather went to the podium, dressed in traditional Apache clothing, and refused to accept the award. She then read a short statement from Brando, which said that he was rejecting the award because of Hollywood's portrayal of Native Americans in films and television. Watch:

Al Gore
Did this one surprise anyone? In 2007, when Gore won an Oscar for his global-warming documentary "An Inconvenient Truth," he used his time onstage to talk about the dangers of climate change.

Watch:

Vanessa Redgrave
At the 1978 Academy Awards, Redgrave outraged many with her inflammatory acceptance speech after winning the Best Supporting Actress trophy for her work in the movie "Julia." She spoke out against "Zionist hoodlums" -- the Jewish Defense League was protesting outside the Oscars -- though insisted that she would "continue to fight against anti-Semitism and fascism." The audience was shocked, as you can tell by their reaction. Watch:

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