Muted Golden Globes spread riches

By Neil Smith
Entertainment reporter, BBC News

Faced with a strong field of candidates, the Golden Globes chose to spread their awards around in a year destined to be remembered for its lack of red carpet glitz.

The winners were announced at a pared-down news conference

What if they held the Oscars and no one came? Chances are it might look like this year's apologetic Golden Globes announcement.

Forced to scale down their usual shindig by the writers strike, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association revealed the winners of its annual awards at a low-key press conference.

The organisers put a brave face on it, but could not hide the fact that the industrial action had dealt a body blow to its usual ceremony.

But while the event was a washout, the awards themselves proved it has been a bumper year for classy, intelligent movies.

Faced with an embarrassment of riches, the Golden Globes chose to spread theirs around a number of deserving candidates.

Whatever form the Oscars take next month, it is likely the Academy's voters will follow suit.

Frontrunners

Four films won two awards, testament to a strong list of nominees where no single title was a standout.

All four - Atonement, Sweeney Todd, No Country for Old Men and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly - must now be considered frontrunners in this year's Oscar race.

Schnabel won best director for The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

The last of these, a biographical drama about a paraplegic French writer, pulled off perhaps the biggest upset of the night when it scooped the best director prize.

Julian Schnabel's moving tale was also named best foreign language film - ahead of Romanian drama 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days, winner of the Palme d'Or at Cannes.

Atonement's success in the best film drama category came at the expense of six other well-regarded features.

If recent history is anything to go by, however, this is no guarantee it will go on to receive the best picture Oscar.

Safe bet

For the past three years, none of the Golden Globes' best movie drama winners have won the Academy's top honour.

There can be little doubt, though, that the Hollywood Foreign Press have identified all the main Oscar hopefuls in the acting categories.

There were no award for either of Denzel Washington's films

It will be a major shock if best dramatic actor winner Daniel Day-Lewis does not go on to receive the Academy's equivalent prize.

Britain's Julie Christie looks an equally safe bet to win the best actress Oscar off the back of last night's victory.

As expected, Cate Blanchett was rewarded for her androgynous turn as Bob Dylan in I'm Not There - a title that took on an ironic significance given this year's pared-down event.

And there will be consternation if Spain's Javier Bardem does not get the best supporting Oscar that, following his Golden Globe triumph, now seems his to lose.

If one wants proof of how strong a film year this has been, however, one need only look at the movies the Globes ignored.

Indignity

Nothing for political satire Charlie Wilson's War, despite it being the movie with the second highest number of nominations.

Nothing for teen pregnancy comedy Juno, its up-and-coming star Ellen Page and its hotly tipped screenwriter Diablo Cody.

And nothing for Denzel Washington, whose crime thriller American Gangster and earnest period drama The Great Debaters were both shut out in every category they were cited.

Will he mind? Probably not - and at least he was spared the customary indignity of politely applauding from the stalls.