Los Angeles – Gladiator, the only-in-Hollywood story of a brooding general turned slave, was named best film of the year while its star, New Zealand-born, Australian-bred Russell Crowe, was crowned best actor.
The Roman Empire epic won five Oscars, nosing out its closest competitors, the martial arts fantasy Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and the drug war drama Traffic, each of which grabbed four Academy Awards.
As expected, superstar Julia Roberts won the Oscar for best actress for her role as the feisty, sexy legal assistant in Erin Brockovich, leading her to declare, “I love the world. I am so happy.”
Looking elegant in a vintage Valentino black velvet dress, she cackled, smiled and laughed as she walked away the winner for the first time for what has been described as a career-defining role for the star who shot to fame in 1990 with Pretty Woman.
Backstage, she realised she had made a major mistake and had forgotten to thank the real life Erin Brockovich, who had stayed home to watch a sick child.
“She knows the esteem in which I hold her, which is quite high … with great humility I acknowledge her profusely,” Roberts said.
The surprise of the night was the victory of the man Roberts describes as “my own personal God,” director Steven Soderbergh.
He won a best director’s Oscar for Traffic, one of two films he was nominated for this year, the other being Brockovich.
It was the first time in 60 years that a director had been nominated for two films and the first time in Oscar history that a director in such a position had actually won. “I think I looked pretty surprised, don’t you think? You must know that I really didn’t anticipate this. I didn’t see it coming. I was having a great time … but this is going to take a while to process.”
A shocked and emotional Crowe won the Oscar for best actor for his brooding performance as the general turned slave in Gladiator, beating Hollywood favourite Tom Hanks for the prestigious film acting award.
“Really folks, I owe this to one bloke and his name is Ridley Scott,” Crowe said as the normally tough British director sat in his seat and smiled.
Personal note:
Then in a personal note, the New Zealand-born, Australian-raised Crowe added, “When you grow up in the suburbs of Sydney or Auckland or Newcastle, a dream like this seems vaguely ludicrous and unobtainable.
“For anyone who’s on the downside of advantage and relying only on courage, it is possible. Thanks very much.”
Backstage, Crowe said Gladiator was physically demanding, – “I got heavily beaten up in this movie” – and he faced a formidable challenge to “find the real man inside” the fictional character of the Roman general Maximus. “I had to find a way to … keep him constant all the way through,” he said.
Besides winning for Crowe and for best picture, the Roman Empire epic also won Oscars for costume design, visual effects and sound while Tiger won for best foreign-language film, art direction, score and cinematography. Traffic won for director,
adapted screenplay, editing and for best supporting actor – an award that went to Benicio Del Toro.
The three films were considered close rivals in one of the tightest Oscar races in years. The race was so close that Oscars host Steve Martin jokingly accused best actor nominee Tom Hanks of plotting to kidnap Crowe.
Marcia Gay Harden won a surprise Oscar as best supporting actress for her portrayal of the tough-talking, tender-hearted wife of tormented artist Jackson Pollock. Harden, an actress admired by peers for her dedication, was named best supporting actress for her role in Pollock, a film biography directed by Ed Harris who also starred in the title role.
Kate Hudson, the 21-year-old daughter of Oscar winner Goldie Hawn, had been expected to win for playing a groupie in the rock drama Almost Famous. Backstage, Harden declared: “This means more to me, personally, than it does in terms of my career. It’s a victory for an actress who came up in New York City and was waiting tables. I wish I could have thanked all the waiters who covered for me when I used to run out for auditions.”
Noo Yawk-trained:
She added: “I’m a New York theatre actress and now I’m here with Oscar,” in a heavy, faux Brooklyn accent.
Puerto Rican-born Del Toro, who played the heroic Mexican cop in Steven Soderbergh’s powerful anti-drug drama Traffic
was named best supporting actor and received a huge roar of approval from the black tie audience.
Crouching Tiger was the first Asian film ever nominated for best picture and has been nominated in a total of 10 categories, a
record for a foreign-language film.
The stars packed the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles looking both resplendent and tasteful, the women dripping with diamonds
– many of them loaned by a prominent Beverly Hills jeweller – and the men decked out in tuxes.
Actress-singer Jennifer Lopez, who made a stir at the Grammys last year by wearing a dress that was hardly there at all, opted for the clingy transparent look, with a massive diamond bracelet, drop diamond earrings and swept-up hair. From the stage, host Steve Martin ribbed Roberts – who commands $20 million per movie — for driving up the price of movie tickets in New York to $10.