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"SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE" WINS OSCAR GOLD
Sunday February 22, 2009

LOS ANGELES, USA (Reuters) - A ragtag group of Indian orphans triumphed at the Academy Awards on Sunday as "Slumdog Millionaire" took top honors with an against-all-odds love story that resonated with recession-weary moviegoers. The small-budget British film - shot in the teeming slums of Mumbai - was named best picture as widely predicted and won seven other Oscars. At the climax of the night, the stage was swarmed by jubilant members of the "Slumdog" cast and crew, including several school children who were plucked from Mumbai's shantytowns to appear in the movie. British filmmaker Danny Boyle was named best director for the often dark but ultimately hopeful tale of a young orphan who risks it all for love and a shot at instant wealth as a TV game show contestant. "It is a love story but is heavily disguised," he said. "The spine appears to be the game show but ... there's another story underneath, which is the love story". Adding to the international flavor of this year's Oscars, hosted by Australian stage and film star Hugh Jackman, three of the night's four acting awards went to non-Americans. Kate Winslet of Britain was named best actress for her dramatic turn as a former Nazi prison guard who has a love affair with a teenage boy in "The Reader". Penelope Cruz broke through as the first Spanish actress to claim an Academy Award, winning for her supporting role in the Woody Allen romance "Vicky Cristina Barcelona". And Australian Heath Ledger, who died last year of an accidental prescription pill overdose, was named best supporting actor for his role as the evil Joker in the Batman blockbuster "The Dark Knight." He became only the second performer after Peter Finch to win an Oscar posthumously. Sean Penn, the lone American among the newly honored performers, was voted best actor for his portrait of slain gay rights leader Harvey Milk in the political drama "Milk".
But "Slumdog" was the big winner. Besides best picture and best director, the film also earned Oscars for cinematography, sound mixing, film editing, original score and song. Shot on a modest budget of $15 million, the film was orphaned at one point when it was dropped by financier Warner Independent Pictures, a division of Warner Bros. Fox Searchlight Pictures ultimately rescued the film and released it in November. It went on to win raves from critics and crossed over from arthouse success to delight mainstream audiences, grossing nearly $100 million domestically to date. The movie's triumph restored a kind of feel-good mood to the Oscars amid the global economic downturn, following several years in which dark dramas, "No Country for Old Men," "The Departed" and "Crash" topped the Oscars. The only arena in which the film was overshadowed was in the acting categories, where A-list stars earned the nominations over the relatively unknown cast of "Slumdog". Winslet, a six-time nominee, fought back tears when accepting her trophy and remembered a time as a child when she dreamed of winning it. "I would be lying if I said I haven't made a version of this speech before. I think I was probably 8-years-old and staring into the bathroom mirror," she said. Penn, who won an Oscar five years ago for his performance as a grieving father in "Mystic River," used his acceptance speech for "Milk" to condemn passage of California's recent ballot measure banning gay marriage as a "great shame". The film's Oscar-winning screenwriter, Dustin Lance Black, a gay Mormon, struck a similar chord in his remarks from the stage, telling young gays and lesbian viewers, "...You are beautiful, wonderful creatures of value". The night's biggest surprise came in the foreign-language film contest, with Japan's funereal drama "Departures" upsetting Israel's animated anti-war film "Waltz With Bashir. Despite Oscar producers' hopes of rejuvenating the ceremony, early reviews of the show were largely negative. The Los Angeles Times said Jackman "never radiated any real heat," and the Washington Post opined that his opening medley of songs lampooning the best picture nominees was "pointless and flat for all Jackman's workmanlike efforts to enliven it".



"DEPARTURES" WINS BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE OSCAR
Sunday February 22, 2009

LOS ANGELES, USA (Reuters) - The Japanese movie "Departures", about an out-of-work classical musician who takes a job as an undertaker preparing corpses for cremation, was the surprise winner of the Oscar for best foreign language film on Sunday. The movie was directed by Yojiro Takita and stars Masahiro Motoki as a cellist who loses his job when his orchestra folds. It was an upset win for "Departures", as the Israeli animated documentary "Waltz with Bashir" was widely expected to take the honor. A second Japanese movie won an Oscar for best animated short film. In "Departures", Motoki's unemployed character sells his expensive cello and moves with his wife to the snowy northern town where he grew up, in an attempt to start a new life. Answering a mysterious job ad for someone to "help with journeys" lands him a post as an apprentice mortician, something he feels obliged to hide from his wife. To his surprise, he discovers that he has an aptitude for the job, which teaches him about life and death. Unlike their counterparts in many countries, Japan's "noukanshi" morticians perform cleansing and beautifying services in the presence of the bereaved family, in a ritual that combines an atmosphere of sympathy and reverence with a magician's sleight of hand. The director attended a number of such rituals to gain an understanding of how families react. "The purification of the body, the make up, the change of clothing are aimed at recalling the most vibrant time of that person's life", Takita told Reuters in an interview last month, after his film was nominated for an Oscar. "That sparks such a variety of emotions. There are people who laugh, thinking about how glad they are to have known that person". "Departures", already a hit in Japan, is scheduled for limited release in the United States in May, with screenings planned in nearly 30 other countries. Another Japanese film, "Tsumiki no Ie," La Maison en Petits Cubes, won the Oscar for the best animated short film. The 12-minute film, directed by Kunio Kato, portrays the life of an old man who adapts to a world gradually flooding with water as he looks back on his life.



The Oscar Awards - from 1928 to 2008

YEAR - BEST PICTURE OF THE ACADEMY

1928 - Wings [Asas], William Wellman
1929 - Broadway Melody [Melodia da Broadway], Harry Beaumont
1930 - All Quiet on the Western Front [Sem Novidades no Front], Lewis Milestone
1931 - Cimarron [Cimarron], Wesley Ruggles
1932 - Grand Hotel [Grande Hotel], Edmund Goulding
1933 - Cavalcade [Cavalgada], Frank Lloyd
1934 - It Happened One Night [Aconteceu Naquela Noite], Frank Capra
1935 - Mutiny on the Bounty [O Grande Motim], Frank Lloyd
1936 - The Great Ziegfeld [Ziegfeld, o Criador de Estrelas], Robert Z. Leonard
1937 - The Life of Emile Zola [Émile Zola], William Dieterle
1938 - You Can't Take It with You [Do Mundo Nada se Leva], Frank Capra
1939 - Gone with the Wind [E o Vento Levou], Victor Fleming
1940 - Rebecca [Rebeca, a Mulher Inesquecível], Alfred Hitchcock
1941 - How Green Was My Valley [Como era Verde o Meu Vale], John Ford
1942 - Mrs. Miniver [Rosa da Esperança], William Wyler
1943 - Casablanca [Casablanca], Michael Curtiz
1944 - Going My Way [O Bom Pastor], Leo McCarey
1945 - The Lost Weekend [Farrapo Humano], Billy Wilder
1946 - The Best Years of Our Lives [Os Melhores Anos de Nossas Vidas], William Wyler
1947 - Gentlemen's Agreement [A Luz é Para Todos], Elia Kazan
1948 - Hamlet [Hamlet], Laurence Olivier
1949 - All the King's Men [A Grande Ilusão], Robert Rossen
1950 - All About Eve [A Malvada], Joseph L. Mankiewicz
1951 - An American in Paris [Sinfonia de Paris], Vincente Minnelli
1952 - Greatest Show on Earth [O Maior Espetáculo da Terra], Cecil B. DeMille
1953 - From Here to Eternity [A um Passo da Eternidade], Fred Zinnemann
1954 - On The Waterfront [Sindicato de Ladrões], Elia Kazan
1955 - Marty [Marty], Delbert Mann
1956 - Around the World in 80 Days [A Volta ao Mundo em 80 Dias], Michael Anderson
1957 - The Bridge on the River Kwai [A Ponte do Rio Kwai], David Lean
1958 - Gigi [Gigi], Vincente Minnelli
1959 - Ben-Hur [Ben-Hur], William Wyler
1960 - The Apartment [Se Meu Apartamento Falasse], Billy Wilder
1961 - West Side Story [Amor, Sublime Amor], Jerome Robbins, Robert Wise
1962 - Lawrence of Arabia [Lawrence da Arábia], David Lean
1963 - Tom Jones [As Aventuras de Tom Jones], Tony Richardson
1964 - My Fair Lady [Minha Bela Dama], George Cukor
1965 - The Sound of Music [A Noviça Rebelde], Robert Wise
1966 - A Man for All Seasons [O Homem Que Não Vendeu Sua Alma], Fred Zinnemann
1967 - In the Heat of the Night [No Calor da Noite], Norman Jewison
1968 - Oliver! [Oliver!], Carol Reed
1969 - Midnight Cowboy [Perdidos na Noite], John Schlesinger
1970 - Patton [Patton, Rebelde ou Herói?], Franklin J. Schaffner
1971 - The French Connection [Operação França], William Friedkin
1972 - The Godfather [O Poderoso Chefão], Francis Ford Coppola
1973 - The Sting [Golpe de Mestre], George Roy Hill
1974 - The Godfather, Part II [O Poderoso Chefão - 2ª parte], Francis Ford Coppola
1975 - One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest [Um Estranho no Ninho], Milos Forman
1976 - Rocky [Rocky, um Lutador], John G. Avildsen
1977 - Annie Hall [Noivo Neurótico, Noiva Nervosa], Woody Allen
1978 - The Deer Hunter [O Franco-atirador], Michael Cimino
1979 - Kramer vs. Kramer [Kramer x Kramer], Robert Benton
1980 - Ordinary People [Gente Como a Gente], Robert Redford
1981 - Chariots of Fire [Carruagens de Fogo], Hugh Hudson
1982 - Gandhi [Gandhi], Richard Attenborough
1983 - Terms of Endearment [Laços de Ternura], James L. Brooks
1984 - Amadeus [Amadeus], Milos Forman
1985 - Out of Africa [Entre Dois Amores], Sydney Pollack
1986 - Platoon [Platoon], Oliver Stone
1987 - The Last Emperor [O Último Imperador], Bernardo Bertolucci
1988 - Rain Man [Rain Man], Barry Levinson
1989 - Driving Miss Daisy [Conduzindo Miss Daisy], Bruce Beresford
1990 - Dances With Wolves [Dança Com Lobos], Kevin Costner
1991 - The Silence of the Lambs [O Silêncio dos Inocentes], Jonathan Demme
1992 - Unforgiven [Os Imperdoáveis], Clint Eastwood
1993 - Schindler's List [A Lista de Schindler], Steven Spielberg
1994 - Forrest Gump [Forrest Gump, o Contador de Histórias], Robert Zemeckis
1995 - Braveheart [Coração Valente], Mel Gibson
1996 - The English Patient [O Paciente Inglês], Anthony Minghella
1997 - Titanic [Titanic], James Cameron
1998 - Shakespeare in Love [Shakespeare Apaixonado], John Madden
1999 - American Beauty [Beleza Americana], Sam Mendes
2000 - Gladiator [Gladiador], Ridley Scott
2001 - A Beautiful Mind [Uma Bela Lembrança], Ron Howard
2002 - Chicago [Chicago], Rob Marshall
2003 - The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King [O Senhor dos Anéis: O Retorno do Rei], Peter Jackson
2004 - Million Dollar Baby [Menina de Ouro], Clint Eastwood
2005 - Crash - Lions Gate [Crash - no Limite], Paul Haggis
2006 - The Departed [Os Infiltrados], Martin Scorsese
2007 - No Country For Old Men [Onde os Fracos Não Têm Vez], the brothers Joel and Ethan Coen
2008 - Slumdog Millionaire [Quem Quer Ser Um Milionario], Danny Boyle




YEAR - BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

1947 - Shoe-Shine [O Engraxate] (Italy), Vittorio De Sica
1948 - Monsieur Vincent [O Sr. Vicente] (France), Leon Carre
1949 - The Bicycle Thief [Ladrões de Bicicleta] (Italy), Vittorio De Sica
1950 - The Walls Of Malapaga [As Muralhas de Malapaga] (France/Italy), René Clément
1951 - Rashomon [Rashomon] (Japan), Akira Kurosawa
1952 - Forbidden Games [Jogos Proibidos] (France), René Clément
1953 - (There was no grant) [Não foi concedido]
1954 - Gate Of Hell [Portal do Inferno] (Japan), Teinosuke Kinugasa
1955 - Samurai, The Legend Of Musashi [Miyamoto Musashi, a Lenda de um Samurai] (Japan), Hiroshi Inagaki
1956 - La Strada [Na Estrada da Vida] (Italy), Federico Fellini
1957 - The Nights Of Cabiria [Noites de Cabíria] (Italy), Federico Fellini
1958 - My Uncle [Meu Tio] (France), Jacques Tati
1959 - Black Orpheus [Orfeu do Carnaval] (France/Italy/Brazil), Marcel Camus
1960 - The Virgin Spring [A fonte da Donzela] (Sweden), Ingmar Bergman
1961 - Through A Glass Darkly [Através de um Espelho] (Sweden), Ingmar Bergman
1962 - Sundays And Cybele [Sempre aos Domingos] (France), Serge Bourguignon
1963 - Federico Fellini's 8-1/2 [Fellini Oito e Meio] (Italy), Federico Fellini
1964 - Yesterday, Today And Tomorrow [Ontem, Hoje, Amanhã] (Italy/France), Vittorio De Sica
1965 - The Shop On Main Street [A Pequena Loja da Rua Principal] (Czech Republic), Ján Kadár e Elmar Klós
1966 - A Man And A Woman [Um Homem, Uma Mulher] (France), Claude Lelouch
1967 - Closely Watched Trains [Trens Estreitamente Vigiados] (Czech Republic), Jiri Menzel
1968 - War And Peace [Guerra e Paz] (Russia), Sergei Bondarchuk
1969 - Z [Z] (France/Argelia), Constantin Costa-Gavras
1970 - [Investigação Sobre um Cidadão Acima de Qualquer Suspeita] (Italy), Elio Petri
1971 - The Garden Of The Finzi Continis [O Jardim dos Finzi-Contini] (Italy/Germany), Vittorio De Sica
1972 - The Discret Charm Of The Bourgeoisie [O Discreto Charme da Burguesia] (France), Luis Buñuel
1973 - Day For Night [A Noite Americana] (France), François Truffaut
1974 - Amarcord [Amarcord] (Italy), Federico Fellini
1975 - Dersu Uzala [Dersu Uzala] (Russia), Akira Kurosawa
1976 - Black And White In Color [Preto e Branco em Cores] (Ivory Coast), Jean-Jacques Annaud
1977 - Madame Rosa [Madame Rosa, a Vida à Sua Frente] (France), Moshe Mizrahi
1978 - Get Out Your Handkerchiefs [Preparem Seus Lenços] (France/Belgium), Bertrand Blier
1979 - The Tin Drum [O Tambor] (Germany), Volker Schlöndorff
1980 - Moscow Does Not Believe In Tears [Moscou Não Crê Em Lágrimas] (Russia), Vladimir Menshov
1981 - Mephisto [Mephisto] (Hungary), István Szabó
1982 - To Begin Again [Começar de Novo] (Spain), Jose Luis Garci
1983 - Fanny & Alexander [Fanny e Alexander] (Sweden), Ingmar Bergman
1984 - Dangerous Moves [Le diagonale du Fou] (Switzerland), Richard Dembo
1985 - The Official Story [A História Oficial] (Argentina), Luis Puenzo
1986 - The Assault [O Ataque] (Netherlands), Fons Rademakers
1987 - Babette's Feast [A Festa de Babette] (Denmark), Gabriel Axel
1988 - Pelle The Conqueror [Pelle, o Conquistador] (Denmark), Billie August
1989 - Cinema Paradiso [Cinema Paradiso] (Italy), Giuseppe Tornatore
1990 - Journey Of Hope [A Viagem da Esperança] (Switzerland), Xavier Koller
1991 - Mediterraneo [Mediterraneo] (Italy), Gabriele Salvatore
1992 - Indochine [Indochina] (France), Régis Wargnier
1993 - Belle Epoque [Sedução] (Spain), Fernando Trueba
1994 - Burnt By The Sun [O Sol Enganador] (Russia), Nikita Mikhalkov
1995 - Antonia's Line [A Excêntrica Família de Antonia] (Netherlands), Marleen Gorris
1996 - Kolya [Kolya, Uma Lição de Amor] (Czech Republic), Jan Sverák
1997 - Character [Character] (Netherlands), Mike Van Diem
1998 - Life Is Beautiful [A Vida é Bela] (Italy), Roberto Benigni
1999 - All About My Mother [Tudo Sobre Minha Mãe] (Spain), Pedro Almodóvar
2000 - Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon [O Tigre e o Dragão] (Taiwan), Ang Lee
2001 - No Man's Land [Terra dos Homens] (Bosnia & Herzegovina), Danis Tanovic
2002 - Nowhere In Africa [Em Nenhum Lugar da Africa] (Germany), Caroline Link
2003 - The Barbarian Invasions [Invasões Barbaras] (Canada), Denys Arcand
2004 - The Sea Inside [Mar Adentro] (Spain), Alejandro Amenábar
2005 - Tsotsi [Tsotsi] (South Africa), Gavin Hood
2006 - The Lives Of Others [As Vidas Dos Outros] (Germany), Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
2007 - The Counterfeiters [Os Falsificadores] (Austria), Stefan Ruzowitzky
2008 - Departures [Saídas] (Japan), Yojiro Takita

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AUTHOR: INTERNET NATIONS
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