‘Oppenheimer’ wins best picture Oscar
“OPPENHEIMER,” the blockbuster biopic about the race to build the first atomic bomb, claimed seven Academy Awards, including the prestigious best picture trophy, on Sunday as Hollywood celebrated a triumphant year in film.
Irish actor Cillian Murphy won best actor for playing theoretical physicist J Robert Oppenheimer, leader of the United States’ effort in the 1940s to create a weapon that ended World War II. “Oppenheimer” director Christopher Nolan took home the directing Oscar.
“We made a film about the man who created the atomic bomb, and for better or worse we are living in Oppenheimer’s world,” Murphy said as he held his trophy on stage. “So I would really like to dedicate this to the peacemakers everywhere.”
A three-hour historical drama about science and politics, “Oppenheimer” became an unlikely box office hit and grossed US$953.8 million, in addition to widespread critical praise.
It was the first of Nolan’s films to win best picture. The director has previously won acclaim for “The Dark Knight” Batman trilogy, “Inception,” “Memento” and other movies.
As he accepted his gold statuette, Nolan noted that the movie business was a century old and still evolving.
“To know you think I’m a meaningful part of this means the world to me,” he said.
Emma Stone was named best actress for playing a woman revived from the dead in the dark and wacky comedy “Poor Things.” It was the second Academy Award for Stone, who landed the best actress honor for 2016 musical “La La Land.”
“This is really overwhelming,” she said.
The best actress race had been considered one of the tightest competitions with Lily Gladstone nominated for “Killers of the Flower Moon.” Had she prevailed, Gladstone would have been the first Native American to win an acting Oscar.
At the Oscars ceremony 50 years ago, a man ran across the stage naked flashing a peace sign behind actor David Niven, a legendary piece of Academy Awards history that host Kimmel said he wanted to commemorate.
To celebrate the anniversary, actor and wrestling star John Cena walked on stage wearing nothing but the envelope containing the name of the winner of the best costume Oscar.
“Costumes are so important,” Cena deadpanned. “Maybe the most important thing there is.”
In supporting actor categories, Robert Downey Jr of “Oppenheimer” and “The Holdovers” star Da’Vine Joy
Randolph claimed their first Academy Awards.
Downey, who was nominated for an Oscar in 1993 before his career was derailed by drug use, won his honor on Sunday for playing Oppenheimer’s professional nemesis, Lewis Strauss.
Randolph received the best supporting actress trophy for playing a grieving mother and cafeteria worker in the comedy set in a New England boarding school.
Winners were chosen by the roughly 10,500 members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences.
After 2023 was marred by labor strikes by actors and writers, the Oscars gave Hollywood a chance to celebrate two blockbusters, “Oppenheimer” and “Barbie,” which brought in a combined US$2.4 billion at theaters and made movies the center of pop culture last summer.
(Reuters)