Dark comedy “Birdman”, the story of a former superstar struggling for career revival on Broadway, walked away with four Oscars including best picture and director honours. It was a big moment for Mexican director Alejandro G Inarritu, 51, who shared three of the four wins of his film that also bagged cinematography and original screenplay awards at the song-and-dance filled ceremony where winners made passionate speeches about equality.
In honouring the small-budget film with the top prize over Richard Linklater’s “Boyhood”, the 87th Academy Awards echoed the tradition of recognising Hollywood stories like “The Artist” and “Argo”.
British star Eddie Redmayne interrupted Birdman’s winning march by clinching the best actor trophy for his physically- transformative turn as physicist Stephen Hawking in “The Theory of Everything”. It was a close call for Redmayne, 33, as Michael Keaton was his strongest competitor besides Benedict Cumberbatch, Bradley Cooper and Steve Carell.
Julianne Moore, 54, won a long overdue Oscar in the best actress category for her poignant portrayal of a mother and academic struggling with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease in “Still Alice”.
Both the top acting categories honoured the indomitable spirit of people fighting rare diseases. Redmayne was visibly nervous as he walked up to the stage to receive his first ever Oscar trophy for portraying Hawking’s gradual physical decline after he was diagnosed with motor neuron disease (ALS) at the age of 21.
“I am fully aware that I am a lucky, lucky man. This Oscar belongs to the people around the world battling ALS. It belongs to one exceptional family: Stephen, Jane, Jonathan and the Hawking children. And I will be its custodian,” he said.
Moore too threw light on the neurodegenerative disease that leads to memory loss, in her acceptance speech. “I’m so happy, I’m thrilled that we were able to shine a light on Alzheimer’s disease. So many people who have this disease feel marginalised. People who have Alzheimer’s disease deserve to be seen so we can find a cure.”
“Birdman” entered the race with nine nominations where it tied with “The Grand Budapest Hotel” and they were equal in their wins too though Wes Anderson’s quirky period drama won in technical categories like original score, hair and make up, costume and production design. As the best picture was announced at the end of the ceremony, a beaming Inarritu took to stage with the entire “Birdman” team.
He joked about his poor English-speaking skills besides referring to last year’s best director winner, fellow Mexican Alfonso Cuaron for “Gravity”.
The director, however, hoped that Mexicans living in the US “can be treated with the same dignity and respect as the ones who came before and built this incredible immigrant nation.”
Patricia Arquette, who won the best supporting actress Oscar for her role in Richard Linklater’s “Boyhood”, delivered a speech on women’s equality and got a standing ovation from fellow nominee Meryl Streep.
“To every woman who gave birth, to every tax payer and citizen of this nation, we have fought for everybody else’s equal rights. It is our time to have wage equality once and for all, and equal rights for women in the United States of America,” Arquette said as she read out her speech. Her win was the lone trophy for “Boyhood” which was tipped to win in either the director or picture category but lost out to Birdman’s flight.
JK Simmons, the best supporting actor Oscar winner for “Whiplash” was at his kindest best as he paid tribute to his wife and children, a stark contrast to his bullying role in the movie that bagged a total of three awards, including sound mixing and film editing gongs.
Original song went to ‘Glory’ by John Legend and Common from civil rights drama “Selma”, whose exclusion had sparked a debate about the lack of diversity in the Academy.
“This bridge was the landmark of the divided nation but it’s now a symbol for change. The spirit of the bridge transcends race, gender, religion, sexual orientation and social status,” said Common recalling the attack on civil rights activists, led by Martin Luther King Jr, on Edmund Pettus Bridge in 1965.
Best foreign film award went to Polish historical drama “Ida” by director Pawel Pawlikowski. It is the first Oscar for Poland despite nine earlier nominations. India, which had sent “Liar’s Dice” in this category, had failed to secure a nomination.
The last Oscars won by Indians was A R Rahman and Resul Pookutty’s awards in 2010 for “Slumdog Millionaire”. Clint Eastwood’s Iraq-based drama “American Sniper”, which many fancied as the dark horse of this year’s race, had to satisfy itself with a lone Oscar in sound editing. Another lone winner was “The Imitation Game”, a biopic based on English mathematician and logician, Alan Turing, which won for adapted screenplay.
Sci-fi thriller “Interstellar” took home the Academy Award for best special effects. Walt Disney’s superhero action comedy film “Big Hero 6” won the best animated feature.
Laura Poitras’ “Citizenfour”, which captures whistleblower Edward Snowden’s NSA surveillance leak unfolding in real time, won the best documentary feature Oscar. (PTI)
