AFP/Los Angeles
Royal drama The King’s Speech was crowned with Oscars gold on Sunday, taking three of the top Academy Award prizes, including best actor for self-mocking Englishman Colin Firth.
The movie grabbed the coveted best film and best director awards as well as Firth’s gong for his portrayal of a stammering King George VI, helped by an Australian voice coach to rally wartime Britain. Best original screenplay completed a four-Oscar haul — the same as hi-tech thriller Inception and one more than Facebook movie The Social Network, which had a disappointing night after being tipped as possible best film.
Screenwriter David Seidler used his acceptance speech to jokingly thank Queen Elizabeth II, among others, as well as stutterers everywhere. “I would like to thank Her Majesty the Queen for not putting me in the Tower of London” for putting swear words in George VI’s mouth.
“And I accept this on behalf of all the stutterers throughout the world.
“We have a voice, we have been heard,” said Seidler, who himself suffered from a stammer, echoing a line from the movie.
The Social Network, nominated in eight Oscars categories, ended up going home with only three, and none of the major ones: film editing, original score and adapted screenplay for screenwriter Aaron Sorkin.
Sorkin paid tribute afterwards to Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, whose portrayal in the movie is not overly flattering.
“I think he’s been an awfully good sport about this,” he told reporters. “I don’t know if any of us want to have a movie made about when we were 19.”
Inception, starring Leonardo DiCaprio as a hired hand who penetrates people’s dreams, won four Oscars: cinematography, visual effects, sound mixing and sound editing, while a heavily pregnant Natalie Portman, as expected, won best actress for her role in disturbing ballet thriller Black Swan.
Boxing movie The Fighter took two gongs — best supporting actor for Christian Bale, and best supporting actress for Melissa Leo, who had both been favourites to win.
In a rare edgy moment on an otherwise drama-free night, Leo’s used an expletive in her acceptance speech which had to be cut out of the time-delayed broadcast. “I had no idea, I apologise to anyone I offended,” she later said.
The King’s Speech director Tom Hooper related the extraordinary story of how he only came to make the movie thanks to the help of his Australian mother, who was in the audience.
“My mum in 2007 was invited by some Australian friends — she’s Australian — in London, to a fringe theatre play reading of an unproduced, unrehearsed play called The King’s Speech,” said the 38-year-old Brit.
He explained: “She’s never been invited to a play reading her entire life before. She almost didn’t go because it didn’t sound exactly promising, but thank God she did.
“She rang me up after, said, Tom, I think I found your next film. So, with this, I honour you and the moral of the story is, listen to your mother.”
In other prizes, “Toy Story 3,” the third instalment of the family-friendly franchise starring Woody, Buzz Lightyear and Co won best animated feature Oscar as expected.
And the best foreign film prize went to In a Better World by Denmark’s star director Susanne Bier, who vanquished movies from Algeria, Canada, Greece and Mexico.
The Oscars is the culmination of the multi-billion movie industry’s awards season and has been preceded by months of frantic campaigning for the coveted gold statuettes.
The ceremony marked the second year that 10 films were competing for the best picture prize, up from five previously. The academy expanded the category in a bid to include more popular films.
This year, most of the top contenders crossed the $100mn mark at the box office. Firth, who had been seen as a shoo-in for best actor, made a typically self-deprecating acceptance speech, opening up with: “I have a feeling my career’s just peaked. I’m afraid I have to warn you that I’m experiencing stirrings, somewhere in the upper abdominals, which are threatening to form themselves into dance moves,” he went on. “Joyous as they may be for me, it would be extremely problematic if they make it to my legs before I get off stage,” he added, referring to his role in the ABBA-inspired musical hit Mamma Mia!.
Quotable quotes
l “I’m afraid I have to warn you that I’m experiencing stirrings, somewhere in the upper abdominals, which are threatening to form themselves into dance moves” — Colin Firth, accepting best actor Oscar. These urges, “joyous as they may be for me, it would be extremely problematic if they make it to my legs before I get off stage,” he added. Afterwards he explained: “I’m not doing it here. I was struggling to contain them in that moment. And I think I need some quality time on my own. Anyone who’s seen Mama Mia knows what I’m talking about.”
l “Just have fun and find the bar as quickly as you can,” Kevin Spacey, executive producer on The Social Network, when asked on the red carpet about his plans for the evening. The Facebook movie ended the evening with three awards, but missed out on any of the big gongs.
l “I had no idea, I apologise to anyone I offended. There’s a great deal of the English language that’s in my vernacular” - Melissa Leo, after using an expletive during her acceptance speech for best supporting actress Oscar. The on-stage comment by the veteran actress, honoured for her role of a feisty mother in boxing movie The Fighter, was cut out of the time-delayed telecast broadcast around the world.
l “Thank you to my wonderful actors, the triangle of man love, which is Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush and me” - King’s Speech director Tom Hooper, explaining the special bond he developed with his two male actors. “I’m only here because of you guys and Helena, I hope that reference doesn’t make you too jealous,” he added, to Helena Bonham Carter, who played stammering King George VI’s wife, the late Queen Mother.
