“Crash” stuns Oscars to win best film

By Bob Tourtellotte

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Gritty race relations drama “Crash”
pulled a stunning upset at the Oscars winning the best film
award over highly favored gay romance “Brokeback Mountain” in a
night heavy with political messages.

On the home front it was a good, if not overwhelming night
for Britain — Rachel Weisz won the best supporting actress
award for playing a social activist who is murdered for her
beliefs in thriller “The Constant Gardener, although Judi Dench
and Keira Knightley lost out to Reese Witherspoon for the best
actress award.

Other local successes came from Nick Park’s “Wallace and
Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit” which won the Oscar for
best animated feature film while “Six Shooter” won in the best
short film category.

Philip Seymour Hoffman was named best actor playing
homosexual writer Truman Capote in “Capote,” while Hollywood
sweetheart Witherspoon’s performance as country singer June
Carter in the Johnny Cash biographical film, “Walk the Line,”
earned her the best actress Oscar.

“Crash,” which covers a 36-hour period in Los Angeles as
the lives of people of many races collide in a way that
highlights bigotry, was a close second to “Brokeback” in Oscar
handicapping. Backstage, “Crash” writer/director Paul Haggis
said he was “shocked, shocked” with the victory.

“We’re still trying to figure out if we got this,” he said,
clutching his golden trophy in his hand. “None of us expected
it. You hope, but we had a tiny picture … this was a year
when Hollywood rewarded rule breakers.”

Overall, the movie won three awards including film editing
and best original screenplay for Haggis and co-writer Bobby
Moresco.

“Brokeback” screenwriter Larry McMurtry told reporters
backstage he believed that Crash’s setting in Los Angeles
helped it because many of the 6,000 members of the Academy of
Motion Picture Arts and Sciences live in the city.

“Americans don’t want cowboys to be gay,” McMurtry said.

THANKS AND TEARS

“Brokeback,” about two cowboys who fall into a love affair
that spans decades, won three awards overall; Ang Lee as best
director, McMurtry and Diana Ossana for best adapted
screenplay, and Gustavo Santaolalla for best original score.

Lee thanked the normal list of agents, managers and other
Hollywood handlers, but added the fictional characters in the
movie he said had taught audiences “the greatness of love,
itself.”

Fighting back tears when accepting her award, Witherspoon
thanked her family, husband actor Ryan Phillippe, and told
their young children — via the TV — they should be in bed.

“People used to ask June (Carter) how she was doin’ and she
used to say, ‘I’m just trying to matter,”‘ Witherspoon said. “I
know what she means, you know, I’m just trying to matter and
live a good life and make work that means something to
somebody. You have all made me feel that I might have
accomplished that tonight with this honor.”

“Crash” and “Brokeback” faced three rivals for the best
film Oscar: George Clooney’s “Good Night, and Good Luck,”
Steven Spielberg’s “Munich,” and “Capote.”

“Munich” and “Good Night” failed to win any Oscars, but
“Good Night” mastermind Clooney, who also directed and co-wrote
the film, did win an Oscar for best supporting actor in his
turn as a world-weary CIA agent in the oil industry drama
“Syriana.”

A range of films won other trophies. Japanese saga “Memoirs
of a Geisha” was given three Oscars for costume design, art
direction and cinematography.

“The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the
Wardrobe” won for best makeup. “It’s Hard Out Here for a Pimp”
from “Hustle & Flow” was named best original song.

In another surprise, South African film “Tsotsi,” was named
best foreign language movie over favorite “Paradise Now.”

OSCAR POLITICS

Following the plots of many of its message-themed movies,
Oscar took a decidedly political tone with winners noting
causes, and show host Jon Stewart making wisecracks.

“We are a little bit out-of-touch in Hollywood,” Clooney
said. “I think that’s probably a good thing. We are the ones
who talked about AIDS when it was only being whispered … We
talked about civil rights … I’m proud to be part of this
Academy, proud to be part of this community.”

Stewart, known for political satire, began the 3-hour and
33-minute telecast by sticking to what he does best — poking
fun at politicians and Hollywood stars.

He reminded audiences of the swan dress Icelandic pop
singer Bjork wore several years ago and became a major fashion
faux pas on Oscar’s red carpet. Stewart said that this year
when Bjork was trying on her dress, “Dick Cheney shot her.”

“Brokeback Mountain” was released by Focus Features, a unit
of NBC Universal, which is controlled by General Electric Co.
“Capote” and “Memoirs of a Geisha” were released by Sony
Pictures, a unit of Sony Corp.

“Walk the Line” was released by Twentieth Century Fox, a
unit of News Corp.. “Crash” was released by Lionsgate, a unit
of Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. “Syriana” was released by
Warner Bros. Pictures, a unit of Time Warner Inc.