How The King's Speech got an outside edge at the Oscars

The success of independent cinema at the Oscars is nothing new, but it's always a welcome sight. Sunday night's marginal triumph by The King's Speech over the studio's biggest heavy hitter, The Social Network, will have spread good cheer among the movie's many backers outside the studio system. The King's Speech is one of the moribund UK Film Council's last hurrahs, although there are quite a few forthcoming releases that will bear the stamp of the ill-fated funding body, such as Lynne Ramsay's We Need to Talk About Kevin, Terence Davies's The Deep Blue Sea and Andrea Arnold's Wuthering Heights.

The UK Film Council was one of several key elements on the project, along with UK financiers Prescience and Aegis, UK distributor Momentum Pictures and Australian distributor Transmission, whose sister company See-Saw, run by Iain Canning and Emile Sherman, came on board to produce with Gareth Unwin's Bedlam Productions, which had been a longtime champion of the project. That's quite a list and I'm not even sure it's comprehensive, but it illustrates a truism in independent film financing: the tougher the sell, the greater the number of investors. No studio would have gone near this because the project lacked brand recognition, wasn't part of a franchise and didn't offer clear merchandising opportunities.

And then, of course, there is Harvey Weinstein, the Oscar impresario extraordinaire whose apparently resurgent company did such a bang-up job distributing The King's Speech in the US. The film launched modestly in a handful of theatres last December and climbed from 43 to 700 theatres over the Christmas weekend, rising steadily after that. Heading into the final weekend before the Oscar nominations on 25 January, the movie played in 1,680 theatres, and by the time it emerged as the frontrunner on 12 nominations it was in 2,557.

It went on to gross more than half of its current $114m (£70m) running total in the so-called Oscar corridor between the day of nominations and the show itself. That's the Oscar bump in action and you see it with another success story, Black Swan, which amassed roughly one-fifth of its $103m running total in the same period. Both will continue to prosper now that they have gongs to their name. The King's Speech will go out as a PG-13, too, after Weinstein cut a few expletives from the original R-rated version. Colin Firth disapproves and thinks the movie should be seen "as is", and I wholeheartedly agree. Alas the gatekeepers in the US believe audiences must be protected from the brutal spectrum of the English language, even though they are happy to expose under-13s to a disgraceful level of on-screen violence week-in, week-out.

For some years now a movie's prospects outside the US have played a key role in assembling the financing and distribution. Central to this is the international pre-sale, whereby a company licenses distribution rights to a forthcoming project in return for a portion of the budget. In this regard kudos is due to FilmNation, the New York-based company run by the vastly experienced former Weinstein lieutenant Glen Basner. FilmNation handled international sales on The King's Speech and ensured it ended up in safe hands outside the US. To date the movie has grossed more than $130m outside the US, bringing worldwide ticket sales to around $245m.

Black Swan had a pretty tortuous route to the big screen, too, but when Fox Searchlight came on board as financing partner it knew a good thing and held on to worldwide distribution rights. It's been Hollywood's leading title in the international market for the past few weeks and so far has racked up $123m overseas and $226m worldwide.

These are astonishing and rare numbers for specialty film, but what's so gratifying is that because both movies got made for a price and were expertly released in the US and overseas, they're profitable. The rumour doing the rounds at the recent Berlin film festival was that Weinstein is plotting a sequel to The King's Speech called The Windsors at War. Harvey and his cohorts are keeping mum about that right now as they focus on this year's movies, which include Michelle Williams as Marilyn Monroe in the Oscar hopeful My Week With Marilyn.

Credit : The Guardian UK

Actress Melissa Leo's true grit leads to Oscar

As the supremely competent Detective Kay Howard on "Homicide: Life on the Street," Ms. Leo famously refused to make herself look glamorous. She told Terry Gross on NPR's "Fresh Air" that she didn't use makeup on the show because her male colleagues didn't.

When she was unceremoniously dumped from "Homicide" at the end of its fifth season, Ms. Leo said collateral damage from her then-messy personal life and the flinty realness of her Kay Howard character marked her as damaged goods on a show belatedly striving for higher ratings.

Unable to find a steady network gig after "Homicide," Ms. Leo entered what she described to Ms. Gross as a career dry spell. She reprised her role as Kay Howard in "Homicide: The Movie" in 2000, but by then she had set her eye on the big screen, where the perception of being a "gritty gal" didn't work against her.

Ms. Leo had a series of small roles in small movies, the most memorable in "21 Grams" (2003) until her star turn as an impoverished trailer park mom turned illegal alien smuggler in "Frozen River" (2008).

Ms. Leo got her first taste of major industry respect that year when she was nominated for more than a dozen awards, including the Oscar for best actress in "Frozen River."

"Homicide" creator David Simon took a second look at the actress NBC fired in 1997 and hired her to play ACLU lawyer Toni Bernette in HBO's post-Katrina drama, "Treme."

When Ms. Leo signed on to play Alice Ward, the mother of boxers Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg) and Dicky Eklund (Christopher Bale), she became the spark that ignited "The Fighter" whenever she was on screen. Despite being only a decade older than Mr. Wahlberg, Ms. Leo learned enough from observing the real Alice Ward to make her role as his mother work.

On Sunday, Ms. Leo capped an extraordinary year by winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in "The Fighter."

Having cleaned up more than half the regional critics' honors already, she was, justifiably, the front-runner. Still, hearing her name called on Hollywood's most prestigious night was not the kind of industry respect Ms. Leo was used to.

A self-promotional Oscar campaign in which she took out trade ads had landed her in hot water a few weeks ago. There was some talk that an industry backlash might deny her the coveted award.

Perhaps Ms. Leo was more relieved that the pessimists were wrong about her chances than she was surprised at her win when she uttered the first televised f-bomb in the history of the Oscars during her acceptance speech.

The censors caught it in time, but the happy outburst landed her a spot in Oscars infamy alongside the streaker who interrupted David Niven's speech during the 1974 broadcast.

Calculated or not, Ms. Leo's exuberance provided an otherwise dull show with one of its few genuinely interesting moments.

My affection for Ms. Leo began when I visited the set of "Homicide" in 1996. I interviewed the entire cast, but my time with the actress was particularly memorable.

Unlike the character she played, Ms. Leo had a wicked sense of humor. She was also far more attractive and articulate in person than her laconic character on TV.

Hours after our interview, our paths crossed again on the sound stage. That's when she insisted on taking me to where the cast and crew hung out for lunch. She escorted me around the set like an old friend instead of a nosy fan pretending to be a journalist.

When Colin Firth, 50, won his own Oscar for best actor Sunday, he quipped, "I have a feeling my career just peaked."

Ms. Leo, also 50, probably isn't giving much thought to the "curse" said to befall actresses trying to find meaty roles after they land an Oscar. She has been fortunate enough to never have been a pretty ingenue waiting for the phone to ring, so her hustling will never end.

Instead of peaking, Melissa Leo is just getting started.


Credit : Pittsburgh Post Gazette

Four Oscars For "The King's Speech"

Hollywood - The royal drama "The King's Speech" took three top prizes of the Academy Awards, including best actor Colin Firth.

The film took the Best Film and the coveted best director and the Firth gong for his portrayal of stuttering with King George VI, the coach for help in time of war Australian ballot rally Britain.
He also won the Best Original Screenplay, giving the film four Oscars in common - the same as Hi-tech thriller "original" and one more than this, the film "Social Networking", which was tipped as a winner best film possible.

Screenwriter David Seidler used his speech to the joke to thank the Queen Elizabeth II, in particular, as stutterers everywhere.

"I want to thank Her Majesty the Queen does not put me in the Tower of London" for placement of swear words in the mouth of George VI. "And I accept it on behalf of all stutterers worldwide .
"We have a voice we heard," said Seidler, who himself suffered from stuttering, echoing the sidelines of the film.

"Social Networking", which was nominated in eight categories, an Oscar, ended up going home with only three, and none among the most important: editing, original score and adapted screenplay for writer Aaron Sorkin .

Sorkin later gave Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, whose image in the film is not too flattering. "I think it was a very good sport about it.

"I do not know if each of us wants the film, based on when we were 19," he said.
"Initial" Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio as a mercenary who goes through the dreams of people around, won four Oscars: film, visual effects, sound editing and sound mixing.

Natalie Portman won best actress for her role in the ballet disquieting thriller "Black Swan".
boxing movie "The Fighter" took two gongs - Best Supporting Actor for Christian Bale, and best supporting actress Melissa Leo, who were both favorites to win.

"King's Speech", directed by Tom Hooper told an incredible story about how he came to do a film with his Australian mother, who was in the room.

"My mother in 2007 was invited by friends in Australia - he is Australian - London fringe in reading unproduced play, an unexpected piece titled " King's Speech, "said 38-year-old Briton.

He explained: "She was never asked to play a reading of his life before she almost did not go because it did not sound exactly promising, but thank you God, it ..

"She called me and said afterwards, Tom, I think I found your next movie. So, tonight, I will honor and moral of the story, listen to your mother. "

In other awards, "Toy Story 3," the third installment of the franchise family, featuring Woody, Buzz Light year and cooperation. Best Animated Film Oscar as expected.

And the award for best foreign film went to "a better world" by director Susanne Bier's Danish star, who defeated the films from Algeria, Canada, Greece and Mexico.

"Oscar" is the culmination of the film award season industry several billion dollars and was preceded by months or a crazy campaign for the coveted golden statuettes.

Firth, who had seen Shu-in for best actor, was one of the usual speech of acceptance of self-mockery, with the opening: "I feel that my career has peaked.

"I'm afraid I must warn you that I feel the excitement, somewhere in the upper abdominal muscles, threatening to join the dance, he said.

These impulses, "as happy as they can be for me ... it would be extremely problematic if they do it at my feet before going behind the scenes," he added, laughing.

He won a Jeff Bridges - who beat Firth for the Oscar for best actor last year - in "True Grit", Jesse Eisenberg in "Social Networking", James Franco in "127 hours" and the heart beat Spanish Javier Bardem in 'Biutiful'.
Portman rivals for Best Actress Annette Bening is a veteran of "Kids Are All Right", Australian Nicole Kidman for "Rabbit Hole", Jennifer Lawrence in "Bones winter" and Michelle Williams in "Blue Valentine".

A few surprises - including bad words - at the Oscars

The host was the youngest ever. The winning screenwriter was the oldest ever. The ceremony was hipper than usual - and a bit more vulgar.

The 2011 Academy Awards came with a few surprises in the early going, which started by honouring the boxing drama The Fighter for its supporting performances.

Christian Bale, whose portrayal of a crack addict almost overwhelmed the boxing movie, was named best supporting actor, and Melissa Leo - whose self-promoting ads caused consternation in Hollywood - overcame the controversy to win the Oscar as best supporting actress.

Leo won for her excoriating portrait of the mother and manager of "Irish" Micky Ward, the real-life junior welterweight who overcame the odds (and his family) to win a title.

The actress had taken out ads in trade publications featuring glamour photos of herself, superimposed over the word "Consider." While the campaign did not hurt her chances, she ignited a second controversy during her speech when she said, "When I watched Kate (Winslet) two years ago, it looked so f---ing easy."

Bale said he wasn't going to drop the "f-bomb," but the slip of the tongue promoted co-host Anne Hathaway - at 27, the youngest host of the show in history - to say, "It's the young and hip Oscars."

Young and hip was a big part of the 2011 Oscar story. It was set up as a battle of Old vs. New Hollywood, with the veterans being given the edge. Old Hollywood was represented by The King's Speech, a piece of royal history with established star Colin Firth - an overwhelming favourite for the best actor award - as King George VI, the stammering ruler of England at the start of the Second World War, who has his stutter corrected by an eccentric speech therapist played by supporting actor nominee Geoffrey Rush.

The champion of the New Hollywood was The Social Network, a more modern sort of biopic. It tells the story of Mark Zuckerberg (played by best actor nominee Jesse Eisenberg, 27, part of the new generation of stars) who founded Facebook. That was a different kind of watershed event, one that may turn out to be no less earth-shaking than the war.

Aaron Sorkin won the award for adapted screenplay for his smart, fast-moving original screenplay for The Social Network. He paid tribute to legendary screenwriter Paddy Chayefsky, who won the Oscar "for another movie with Network in the title;" that is, Network (he also won for Hospital and Marty). The movie also won the award for best original score.

David Seidler, who wrote The King's Speech, won the Oscar for best original screenplay. "My father always said to me I would be a late bloomer," said Seidler, 73. He noted that he is the oldest person to ever win the award, which he accepted "for all the stutterers throughout the world."

With its front-running 12 nominations, and already winner of prizes given by the influential Directors Guild, Producers Guild and Actors Guild, The King's Speech led the pack.

Old vs. New also came up in another of the most hotly contested categories, best actress. Natalie Portman, 29 - playing a ballerina whose persona is slowly shattered when she has to find her dark side to dance Swan Lake - was the favourite almost from the time her film, Black Swan, had its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. But there was some late momentum for Annette Bening, 52, for her role as a workaholic doctor in The Kids Are All Right. Bening has been nominated three times before without a victory, and this might have been her last chance.

The Danish film In a Better World - a story about friendship between two families - won the Oscar for best foreign-language film, beating the Canadian entry Incendies, Denis Villeneuve's shattering film about a Montreal woman who returns to the Middle East to learn secrets about her family.

The Australian film The Lost Thing won the award for animated short film, beating the favoured Pixar entry Day & Night. Nevertheless, Pixar bounced back by winning the award for best animated feature for Toy Story 3.

Two Canadian animators - Dean DeBlois, co-director of How to Train Your Dragon, and Paul Dutton, animation director of The Illusionist - had also been nominated for that animated feature award.

In addition, Montreal effects artist Adrien Morot was nominated for the Oscar for best makeup for his work on the Canadian film Barney's Version, which went to The Wolfman, and Craig Berkey was nominated for the sound design of True Grit, an award that went to Inception.

Alice in Wonderland won the first award, for art direction, and Wally Pfister - director Christopher Nolan's favourite cinematographer - won the award for Inception, upsetting the favoured Roger Deakins from True Grit, who has now been nominated nine times without a win. The sci-fi epic also won the awards for sound mixing and editing. The Inception winners all gave special thanks to Nolan, who was snubbed in the best director category, even though the movie itself was nominated for best picture.


Credit : The Gazette,Montreal