The belief that Hollywood loves nothing more than a minority was given a boost Tuesday when the gay cowboy drama Brokeback Mountain topped the list of nominations for the Golden Globe awards.
The film, made by the genre-hopping director Ang Lee, received seven nominations, including best drama, director, actor, supporting actress, screenplay, score and song.
The big surprise of the nominations, announced in the early morning in Los Angeles, was that Steven Spielberg's much-hyped Munich was overlooked in the best drama category, receiving recognition instead for best director and best screenplay. But while one veteran director may have felt snubbed, Woody Allen, whose career has been in freefall, did make the best drama list, for his latest film, Match Point.
PHOTO: REUTERS
The other films in the best drama category were the thriller The Constant Gardener, David Cronenberg's edgy A History of Violence and George Clooney's political drama Good Night and Good Luck.
The Globes are viewed as the second most important film awards after the Oscars, and are often interpreted as a guide to the likely destination of the Oscars. They followed the early lead in the awards season given by Los Angeles and New York film critics, who have already voted Brokeback Mountain their film of the year.
This year's nominations overlook the blockbusters churned out by the Hollywood industry with King Kong, directed by Peter Jackson, the man responsible for the Lord of the Rings trilogy, being the only big- budget film to gain a nomination in a leading category, for best director.
PHOTO: AP
In a tilt at the big studios, the Globes' organizers took pleasure in declaring that all the best film nominees were independents, made for less than US$30m.
Unlike the Oscars, the Golden Globes divide films into best drama and best comedy or musical categories. The nominees for best musical or comedy included Pride and Prejudice, the Johnny Cash biopic Walk the Line and Mrs. Henderson Presents, the story of an upper-class English woman who opens a nude theatrical review. Performances in that film earned nominations for Judi Dench for best actress and Bob Hoskins for supporting actor.
Other nominations included Keira Knightley for Pride and Prejudice and Rachel Weisz for The Constant Gardener.
PHOTO: REUTERS
The best actor category, which included a nomination for Brokeback Mountain star Heath Ledger, was dominated by actors impersonating historical figures: Philip Seymour Hoffman got a nod for his depiction of Truman Capote, David Strathairn for his performance as newsman Ed Murrow and Russell Crowe as boxer Jim Braddock in Cinderella Man.
But Brokeback Mountain stole the headlines. Based on a short story by Annie Proulx that was first published in the New Yorker, the film tells the story of two cowboys who have a long-running affair.
Michelle Williams received a nomination for her performance as the wife of one of them, who chooses to ignore the affair to keep her family together. After winning best film at the Venice film festival, Brokeback Mountain has only had a limited opening in the US, where it has received ecstatic reviews.
PHOTO: AFP
The Golden Globes will be presented in Los Angeles on Jan. 16.
★ The following is the list of motion picture nominees for the 63rd annual Golden Globe Awards, which will be presented on Jan. 16 by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association
BEST MOTION PICTURE -- DRAMA
PHOTO: AP
"Brokeback Mountain"
"The Constant Gardener"
"Good Night, and Good Luck"
PHOTO: AP
"A History of Violence"
"Match Point"
BEST ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE -- DRAMA
Maria Bello, "A History of Violence"
Felicity Huffman, "Transamerica"
Gwyneth Paltrow, "Proof"
Charlize Theron, "North Country"
Ziyi Zhang, "Memoirs of a Geisha
BEST ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE -- DRAMA
Russell Crowe, "Cinderella Man"
Philip Seymour Hoffman, "Capote"
Terrence Howard, "Hustle and Flow"
Heath Ledger, "Brokeback Mountain"
David Strathairn, "Good Night, and Good Luck"
BEST MOTION PICTURE -- MUSICAL OR COMEDY
"Mrs. Henderson Presents"
"Pride and Prejudice"
"The Producers"
"The Squid and the Whale"
"Walk the Line"
BEST ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE -- MUSICAL OR COMEDY
Judi Dench, "Mrs. Henderson Presents"
Keira Knightley, "Pride and Prejudice"
Laura Linney, "The Squid and the Whale"
Sarah Jessica Parker, "The Family Stone"
Reese Witherspoon, "Walk the Line"
BEST ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE -- MUSICAL OR COMEDY
Pierce Brosnan, "The Matador"
Jeff Daniels, "The Squid and the Whale"
Johnny Depp, "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory"
Nathan Lane, "The Producers"
Cillian Murphy, "Breakfast on Pluto"
Joaquin Phoenix, "Walk the Line"
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
"Kung Fu Hustle" (Chinese)
"Master of the Crimson Armor" ("The Promise") (Chinese)
"Merry Christmas" ("Joyeux Noel") (French)
"Paradise Now" (Palestinian)
"Tsotsi" (South African)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE
Scarlett Johansson, "Match Point"
Shirley MacLaine, "In Her Shoes"
Frances McDormand, "North Country"
Rachel Weisz, "The Constant Gardener"
Michelle Williams, "Brokeback Mountain"
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE
George Clooney, "Syriana"
Matt Dillon, "Crash"
Will Ferrell, "The Producers"
Paul Giamatti, "Cinderella Man"
Bob Hoskins, "Mrs. Henderson Presents"
BEST DIRECTOR -- MOTION PICTURE
Woody Allen, "Match Point"
George Clooney, "Good Night, and Good Luck"
Peter Jackson, "King Kong"
Ang Lee, "Brokeback Mountain"
Fernando Meirelles, "The Constant Gardener"
Steven Spielberg, "Munich"
BEST SCREENPLAY -- MOTION PICTURE
Woody Allen, "Match Point"
George Clooney and Grant Heslov, "Good Night, and Good Luck"
Paul Haggis and Bobby Moresco, "Crash"
Tony Kushner and Eric Roth, "Munich"
Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana, "Brokeback Mountain"
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE -- MOTION PICTURE
Alexandre Desplat, "Syriana"
James Newton Howard, "King Kong"
Gustavo Santaolalla, "Brokeback Mountain"
Harry Gregson-Williams, "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe"
John Williams, "Memoirs of a Geisha"
BEST ORIGINAL SONG -- MOTION PICTURE
"A Love That Will Never Grow Old" -- "Brokeback Mountain"
Music by: Gustavo Santaolalla. Lyrics by: Bernie Taupin
"Christmas in Love" -- "Christmas in Love"
Music by: Tony Renis. Lyrics by: Marva Jan Marrow
"There's Nothing Like a Show on Broadway" -- "The Producers"
Music and Lyrics by: Mel Brooks
"Travelin' Thru" -- "Transamerica"
Music and Lyrics by: Dolly Parton
"Wunderkind" -- "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe"
Music and Lyrics by: Alanis Morissette
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