thu 10/10/2024

Silence is golden as The Artist sweeps film BAFTAs | reviews, news & interviews

Silence is golden as The Artist sweeps film BAFTAs

Silence is golden as The Artist sweeps film BAFTAs

Best film, director, actor and screenplay awards for new-age silent movie

The Artist: judged the best in just about every category

The Artist was showered with awards by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts last night in an elegant occasion at the Royal Opera House, London, hosted by Stephen Fry. Director Michel Hazanavicius won for Best Film, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Music, Cinematography and Costume Design, while Jean Dujardin's extraordinary silent performance was judged Best Actor.

Meryl Streep won Best Actress for her Maggie Thatcher - quipping that as half her ancestry is from Lincolnshire, she had every right to have been cast in the role.

The much-nominated Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy came in only with Best British Film and Adapted Screenplay, and We Need To Talk About Kevin and My Week With Marilyn were both left without a golden mask. The Help, deprived of Best Actress, took the Best Supporting Actress for Octavia Spencer. Senna won Best Documentary and Martin Scorsese, denied multiple awards for Hugo and his George Harrison documentary, was given the BAFTA Fellowship for a lifetime of distinctive film-making.

There were several poignant moments, first when Cuba Gooding Jr, presenting an early award, paid tribute to Whitney Houston, and still more so when Peter Straughan, holding the Best Adapted Screenplay BAFTA for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, credited his co-writer and wife, Bridget O'Connor, who died before the film started shooting.

The Awards

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