Argo ended up the big winner Sunday night at the Oscars, taking home best picture honours over Silver Linings Playbook, Lincoln, and Life of Pi, which looked early on like it could be on a Titanic-esque roll.
“On behalf of George [Clooney] and myself, I want to thank you, ” Argo producer Grant Heslov said to Ben Affleck, handing the podium the films’s director, who, along with Clooney, was also a producer on the picture. In his turn, Affleck began speed-thanking his way through a list, which included the not oft-spoken line at Oscars time: “I want to thank Canada.”
The Las Vegas and critical favourite to take home best picture honours Sunday, Argo‘s win also vindicated its “snubbed” director Ben Affleck, and the film also won for film editing, plus best adapted screenplay, with the Oscar going to Chris Terrio for his tale of an Iran hostage crisis with a Canadian twist.
Jennifer Lawrence, as expected, took home the best actress Oscar for Silver Linings Playbook, clamming up a bit during an acceptance speech that truly seemed to show how bowled over the 22-year-old star of the Hunger Games really seems to be why the whole thing.
Quentin Tarantino took home writing Oscar honours for Django Unchained, winning for best original screenplay, an award he took home once before, for Pulp Fiction in 1994.
Anne Hathaway, who made a kerfuffle or two on the red carpet with her dress, went on to do what many thought she would Sunday night when she won the Oscar for best supporting actress for her role as Fantine in Les Misérables. Hathaway exchanged an embrace with fellow nominee Amy Adams after picking up the award.
Director Ang Lee came from behind to take best director Oscar honours when everyone seemed pretty damn sure the award was going to go to Michael Haneke for Amour. In his speech, Lee thanked Yann Martel, the Canadian novelist who wrote the book that formed the basis for the film’s screenplay.
Steven Spielberg’s political-historical drama Lincoln, charting the last year in the life of the U.S. president, won the Oscar for production design. Lee’s Life of Pi, which trailed only Lincoln in total nominations, won four Oscars, including the prizes for best visual effects, best cinematography and original score.
Argo, the Las Vegas and critical favourite to take home best picture honours Sunday, thus vindicating its “snubbed” director Ben Affleck, won for film editing, and also for best adapted screenplay, with the Oscar going to Chris Terrio.
Toronto’s Mychael Danna, already feted a few times this awards season, including at the Golden Globes, for the music he wrote for Life of Pi, went home with the Oscar for best original score, his first Oscar win.
Adele, and her co-songwriter Paul Epworth, topped Danna and host Seth MacFarlane with their Skyfall theme to take home the honours for best original song.
