'No Country for Old Men' snaps up early Oscar awards

HOLLYWOOD — No Country for Old Men got off to a killer start at the 80th annual Academy Awards.
Javier Bardem, who portrayed a particularly brutal serial killer in No Country, won the first of the “big six” Oscars, in the supporting-actor category.
During his acceptance speech, the Spaniard — directing his comments toward his mother in the audience — told her in Spanish that this Oscar will help “to recover the dignity of actors... and it’s for our pride.”
Soon afterward, Joel Coen and Ethan Coen won the Oscar for adapted screenplay for No Country — based on the novel by Cormac McCarthy. Canadian writer/director/actress Sarah Polley, 29, was nominated in that category for her celebrated feature-film directorial debut, Away From Her. She had adapted her screenplay from Alice Munro’s short story.
In a huge early upset, French actress Marion Cotillard beat huge favourite Away From Her’s Julie Christie for the best-actress Oscar. In her broken Engish, a clearly rattled Cotillard thanked “life” and “love” for her victory. Ellen Page of Halifax, who just turned 21, was up for best actress for her turn as the pregnant teen in Juno.
Whether Oscar was going to heap its lion’s share of praises by night’s end on Old Men, oil men, war men, corporate men or a lovable pregnant teen was unknown at press time for this edition.
No Country for Old Men, the dark tale of a serial killer on the trail of a looted fortune, was thought to be the likely winner of the best-picture Oscar, over the oil epic There Will Be Blood, the World War II drama Atonement, the corporate drama Michael Clayton and the popular comedy Juno, starring Page.
The Coen brothers went into the evening hoping to make Academy Awards history by winning all four categories in which they were nominated: best picture, director, adapted screenplay and — under the pseudonym Roderick Jaynes — in film editing. But when The Bourne Ultimatum won for film editing, that dream died. Only legendary animator Walt Disney has ever won four Oscars in the same year, albeit not for the same movie.
No Country lost in three other technical categories, one to There Will Be Blood in cinematography, and two to The Bourne Ultimatum, in sound editing and sound mixing. The latter meant that Kevin O’Connell’s incredible Oscar losing streak was extended to 0-for-20.
In a big surprise, Tilda Swinton won the supporting-actress Oscar for Michael Clayton. Cate Blanchett’s turn as folk-era Bob Dylan in I’m Not There and 83-year-old Ruby Dee, for American Gangster, were seen to be the favourites in that category.
Swinton said she was completely shocked.
“I thought Ruby Dee would win and then, frankly, anybody but me,” Swinton told reporters backstage.”
She did not react to her name being announced as winner, she admitted.
“I had a reverse Zoolander moment when I thought I heard someone else’s name. Then I slowwwwly heard my own.”
Other Canadians were up for Oscars at the Kodak Theater.
Two Canadian filmmakers lost in the animated-shorts category. Josh Rankin’s I Met the Walrus and Chris Lavis and Maciek Szcerbowski’s Madame Tutli-Putli failed to gain more academy votes than Peter & the Wolf.
Also for Juno, Montreal-born Jason Reitman, himself only 30, was up for best director. He is the son of Canadian director Ivan Reitman.
The Daily Show’s Jon Stewart, hosting for the second time, opened last night’s awards show by referencing the bitter writers strike that ended earlier this month, saying, “Welcome to makeup sex.”
The first award of the night, presented by Jennifer Garner, went to Elizabeth: The Golden Age. George Clooney, in a traditional tuxedo with a big ’70s-style bow tie, introduced a montage of highlights from Oscar shows past.
In the early going, even though it was clear No Country had begun to pick up steam, the awards were spread far and wide — with seven other films getting at least one Oscar.
Brad Bird, director of Ratatouille, which won as best animated feature, made an impassioned plea backstage for animated films to get back in the running for best picture. But he still said that he’s happy with his own category.
“It’s all good. Come on, it’s the Oscars!” Bird told reporters.