“Slumdog,” and Ledger Cross triumph at the Oscars
February 23, 2009 by
Filed under Entertaiment
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The prize for best actress went to Britain’s Kate Winslet for her role as an illiterate former Nazi guard who has an affair with a teenager in “The Reader,” and best actor for Sean Penn for his interpretation of gay leader murdered Harvey Milk Civil Rights in “Milk.”
It was the first victory for Kate Winslet after six nominations, and the second for Penn, who had already received the same recognition for his performance in “Mystic River” (2003).
“Slumdog Millionaire,” a raw and poignant story of a teenage orphan of the low districts of Mumbai emerging from poverty to succeed in a televised version of “Who wants to be millionaire?”, Competing in 10 sections.
“Just to say to Mumbai, all of you who helped us to make the film and all those who did not, thank you very much. You do look a little to this type,” Boyle said in reference to the statue.
The directors accepted the trophy for best film surrounded by the film’s protagonists, including some children who chose Boyle of the slums of Mumbai.
The multi box office hit, which was about to go directly to DVD, also won awards for best adapted screenplay, cinematography, sound mixing, original score, original song and editing.
Cruz, with her lunatic ex-wife role in “Vicky Cristina Barcelona,” was imposed as Best Supporting Actress the following year that his compatriot Javier Bardem achieved the same feat in the male under the same name.
“Have you ever lost someone here, because I think I will be the first, were the first words of Cruz, who looked obviously overwhelmed on receiving his award, announced the first of the night.
After Woody Allen to thank him “for entrusting this beautiful character, and the Spanish director Pedro Almodovar and Fernando Trueba, Bigas Luna, who have been instrumental in her career, she dedicated the Oscar to his parents, his brother and sister and before leaving the stage he addressed his compatriots in Spanish:
“All those from Spain are now sharing this moment with me and also feel that this is theirs, they are dedicated. And to all the players in my country.”
Later Winslet joked in accepting his award: “OK, (I) that the faint, Penelope.”
And more seriously, with the tip of nerves also acknowledged that “lying if I said that I had never prepared a version of this speech. I think that was probably 8 years when I started looking in the mirror in the bathroom and this would be a bottle of shampoo “he said in reference to his trophy. “But now this is not a bottle of shampoo.”
Penn used his acceptance speech to condemn an anti-gay protest which took place near the Kodak Theater and criticized the recent ban on gay marriage in California.
“I think it is a good time for those who voted for the ban on gay marriage feel and reflect on his great shame and disgrace in the eyes of their grandchildren if they continue with this,” he said. “We need equal rights for all.”
Ledger, meanwhile, won the prize for best supporting actor for his dark version of the Joker in Batman film “The Dark Knight” and became the second player to win the statuette posthumously. The first was Peter Finch, who won the Oscar for best actor for “Network” (1976).
Ledger died 13 months ago by an accidental overdose of prescription drugs, the same day as the nominees were announced last year. The parents and sisters of the Australian actor accepted the honor on behalf of his daughter Matilda.
The epic of love “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” which topped the list of nominees with 13 nominations, won three statuettes, a visual effects, art direction and makeup. For this latest award-competed the U.S. mexico Mike Elizalde, for his work on the film by Guillermo del Toro “Hellboy II”.
In a major change to the traditional format, five winners of the past had the acting categories in which once won, including Marion Cotillard, Tilda Swinton, Halle Berry, Nicole Kidman, Kevin Kline, Sophia Loren, Anthony Hopkins, Shirley MacLaine and Robert De Niro.
For years, the winners of the previous year gave the statuette to the new winner of the opposite sex, and have maintained the tradition Cruz would have touched to receive your prize from the hands of Bardem. The actor was filming in Barcelona “Biutiful,” the new film by Mexican Alejandro González Iñárritu.
After the Oscars had their ratings under the past year, producers made sure to fan the show with some surprises. Instead of hiring a comedian as host, as has been customary, decided by the Australian singer and actor Hugh Jackman, who has been master of ceremonies for the Tony Awards on Broadway.
Jackman, stole the show when it opened with a musical number in which artfully waved the nominees, which won a standing ovation. Later performed a medley mounted by the director of “Australia” with Baz Luhrmann and stars Beyonce Knowles of “High School Musical” Vanessa Hudgens and Zac Efron.
Among other winners, “WALL-E” won as best animated feature film, “Milk” also won the prize for best original screenplay and “The Dark Knight” the sound editing. The honor for best foreign language film went to the Japanese “Departures.”
The ceremony for the Academy Awards, in its 81st edition, also included the participation of Queen Latifah, Sarah Jessica Parker, Anne Hathaway and Jennifer Aniston, among other stars.
