BEVERLY HILLS, Feb. 13 – Gladiator, Hollywood’s high-tech return to the glories of Rome, led Academy Awards contenders with 12 nominations, including nods for best picture, actor and director.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, the Mandarin-language martial arts epic, was close behind with 10 nominations including best picture and best director. The other best-picture nominees were the French romance “Chocolat,” the legal drama Erin Brockovich, and the gritty drug-war saga Traffic.
Steven Soderbergh had two directing nominations for Erin Brockovich and Traffic. That’s the first time that’s happened since 1938, when Michael Curtiz had two directing bids. The other director nominees were Stephen Daldry for Billy Elliot, Ang Lee for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and Ridley Scott for Gladiator.
Besides best picture, Gladiator, the first Roman battle spectacle since the genre fell out of favor in the 1960s, grabbed nods for actor Russell Crowe and supporting actor Joaquin Phoenix.
Hans Zimmer’s score for Gladiator also was nominated, and the computer wizardry Scott’s crew used to recreate ancient Rome was honored with a nod for visual effects.
Along with Crowe, the best-actor nominees are Javier Bardem for Before Night Falls, a film biography of Cuban writer Reinaldo Arenas; Tom Hanks as a man stranded on an island in Cast Away ; Ed Harris for Pollock, a film biography of abstract painter Jackson Pollock; and Geoffrey Rush as the asylum-bound Marquis de Sade in Quills.
Hanks has won two Oscars, and Rush has one. Past Oscar-winner Michael Douglas was shut out for a best-actor nod for Wonder Boys.
Best actress nominees are Joan Allen as a vice-presidential nominee in The Contender Juliette Binoche as an itinerant chocolatier in Chocolat ; Ellen Burstyn as a diet-pill addict in Requiem for a Dream Laura Linney as a sibling coping with her prodigal brother in You Can Count On Me, and Julia Roberts as a tart-tounged legal aide in Erin Brockovich.
The best song category was heavy on big names, including Bob Dylan for Things Have Changed from Wonder Boys. The nominees also included Sting and David Hartley for “My Funny Friend and Me” from The Emperor’s New Groove and Randy Newman for “A Fool in Love” from Meet the Parents.
Besides Phoenix, supporting-actor slots went to Jeff Bridges as a flamboyant president in The Contender,Willem Dafoe as the undead Nosferatu in Shadow of the Vampire, Benicio Del Toro as a Mexican drug cop in Traffic, and Albert Finney as a pugnacious attorney in Erin Brockovich.
For supporting actress, the nominees are Judi Dench as a cranky grandmother in Chocolat, Marcia Gay Harden as the painter’s wife in Pollock, Kate Hudson as a ’70s rock disciple and Frances McDormand as an obsessive mother in Almost Famous, and Julie Walters as a disillusioned ballet teacher in Billy Elliot.
Almost Famous, which had emerged as solid candidate for a best-picture nomination, was shut out in that category and director Cameron Crowe also failed to get a nod. Besides its two supporting-actress nominations, the movie earned a nod for Crowe’s original screenplay and for film editing.
Miramax, always a scrappy Oscar campaigner, pulled out a best-picture nomination for Chocolat, which had been considered something of a longshot.
The Taiwanese Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon also was nominated for best foreign language film. Its 10 nominations broke the record for foreign language films, held by Life is Beautiful with seven. The other foreign language nominees are Amores Perros from Mexico, Divided We Fall from the Czech Republic, Everybody Famous from Belgium and The Taste of Others from France.
Nominees in most of the 23 categories are chosen by specific branches of the 5,300-member academy, such as actors, directors and film editors. Contenders in some categories, including documentaries and foreign-language films, are selected by special committees.
All academy members were allowed to vote for best-picture nominees. The full academy also is eligible to vote in all categories for the awards themselves.
Best Picture:
Chocolat Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon Erin Brockovich Gladiator Traffic
Actor:
Javier Bardem, Before Night Falls Russell
Crowe, Gladiator Tom Hanks, Cast Away Ed Harris,
Pollock Geoffrey Rush, Quills
Actress:
Joan Allen, The Contender Juliette Binoche
Chocolat Ellen Burstyn, Requiem for a Dream Laura Linney,
You Can Count On Me Julia Roberts, Erin Brockovich
Supporting Actor: Jeff Bridges, The Contender Willem
Dafoe, Shadow of the Vampire Benicio Del Toro, Traffic
Albert Finney, Erin Brockovich Joaquin Phoenix, Gladiator
Supporting Actress: Judi Dench, Chocolat Marcia Gay
Harden, Pollock Kate Hudson, Almost Famous Frances
McDormand, Almost Famous Julie Walters, Billy Elliot
Director: Stephen Daldry, Billy Elliot Ang Lee,
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon Steven Soderbergh, Erin
Brockovich Ridley Scott, Gladiator Steven Soderbergh,
Traffic
Foreign Film: Amores Perros, Mexico Crouching Tiger,
Hidden Dragon, Taiwan Divided We Fall, Czech Republic
Everybody Famous, Belgium The Taste of Others, France
Screenplay (written based on material previously produced or
published): Robert Nelson Jacobs, Chocolat Wang Hui Ling and
James Schamus and Tsai Kuo Jung, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon Ethan Coen & Joel Coen, O Brother, Where Art Thou?Stephen Gaghan, Traffic Steve Kloves, Wonder Boys.
Screenplay (written directly for the screen): Cameron Crowe,
Almost Famous Lee Hall, Billy Elliot Susannah Grant,
Erin Brockovich David Franzoni and John Logan and William
Nicholson, Gladiator Kenneth Lonergan, You Can Count On
Me
Art Direction: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon Dr.
Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas Gladiator Quills
Vatel
Cinematography: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Gladiator Malena O Brother, Where Art Thou? The
Patriot
Sound: Cast Away Gladiator The Patriot The Perfect Storm U-571
Sound Editing:Space CowboysU-571
Original Score: Chocolat, Rachel Portman Crouching
Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Tan Dun Gladiator, Hans Zimmer
Malena, Ennio Morricone The Patriot, John Williams
Original Song: “A Fool In Love” from Meet The Parents,
Randy Newman “I’ve Seen It All” from Dancer in the Dark
Bjork, Lars von Trier and Sjon Sigurdsson “A Love Before Time” from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon Jorge Calandrelli, Tan Dun
and James Schamus “My Funny Friend and Me” from The Emperor’s
New Groove Sting and David Hartley “Things Have Changed” from
Wonder Boys Bob Dylan
Costume: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon Dr. Seuss’
How the Grinch Stole Christmas Gladiator 102
Dalmatians Quills
Documentary Feature: Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport Legacy Long Night’s Journey Into Day Scottsboro: An American Tragedy Sound and Fury
Documentary (short subject): Big Mama, Curtain Call,
Dolphins The Man on Lincoln’s Nose On Tiptoe: Gentle
Steps to Freedom
Film Editing: Almost Famous Crouching Tiger, Hidden
Dragon Gladiator Traffic Wonder Boys
Makeup: The Cell Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole
Christmas Shadow of the Vampire
Animated Short Film: Father and Daughter The
Periwig-Maker Rejected
Live Action Short Film: By Courier One Day
Crossing Quiero Ser (I want to be) Seraglio A Soccer
Story (Una Historia de Futebol)
Visual Effects: Gladiator Hollow Man The Perfect
Storm
