Even after “The King’s Speech” surprised at the Producers’ Guild Awards and took a dozen Oscar nominations, I held on to the notion that critical favorite “The Social Network,” a film more in line with the Academy’s recent choices, would emerge victorious on Oscar night.
However, Kris called it right. When the former film’s comparatively inexperienced director can beat a heavyweight field of Darren Aronofsky, Christopher Nolan and the Davids Fincher and O. Russell to the Directors’ Guild prize — and for a film that’s widely been deemed, rightly or wrongly, an actors’ showcase more than a director’s one — it’s clear the tide has turned. It pains me to say it, folks, but the stammering-royal drama is your Best Picture winner.
That said, I’m not willing to hand Hooper an accompanying Best Director Oscar just yet. Although the Academy and the Guild have parted ways in this category just six times in 64 years, their last such disagreement strikes me as a pertinent one.
In 2002, freshman director Rob Marshall won at the DGA for runaway Best Picture frontrunner “Chicago,” leaving still-unawarded veterans Martin Scorsese and Roman Polanski on the sidelines. The Academy, however, wasn’t quite so welcoming to the newcomer: his film still emerged triumphant in the big race, but Polanski pipped him to the post.
Will the Academy be similarly reluctant this year to let the Best Picture juggernaut sweep its helmer to the podium ahead of four more seasoned (and three more due) filmmakers? I imagine they might be, but perhaps my vision is just clouded by my own personal bewilderment at the turn the race has taken. I’m no “Social Network” die-hard, but I think it’d be a shame to deny a filmmaker as significant and substantial as Fincher a career-crowning Oscar for such a universally approved vehicle, least of all in favor of a directorial achievement as modest as Hooper’s. But that’s me. Clearly industry folks feel differently.
Is the year’s most acclaimed film really going to wind up with just a writing Oscar to its credit? Even “L.A. Confidential” managed more than that.
In other news, it was no surprise that Charles Ferguson took the Guild’s documentary award for “Inside Job” — though with only a two-film overlap between the DGA’s and the Academy’s nominees in this category, it’s not the most conclusive of Oscar bellwethers. (Fun fact: in 20 years, just two DGA-winning docs have gone on to take the Oscar. Last year’s “The Cove” was one of them.)
Meanwhile, here’s some cold comfort for “Shutter Island” fans: Martin Scorsese just won his second DGA gong… for “Boardwalk Empire.”
Comments
166 responses to “Tom Hooper wins DGA Award”
I wasn’t around in 1970 either but Godfather was the favorite going into Oscar night, though when Cabaret had 8 oscars to Godfather’s 2 before best picture, Albert Rudy (Godfather’s producer) had said he was sure best picture was going to Cabaret.
Anyway, I think I might slightly prefer if Hooper wins this year since I wasn’t particularly impressed with the direction of either Social Network or King’s Speech, however I loved Longford and The Damned United (throw in a very solid John Adams mini-series and The King’s Speech is actually my least favorite work of Hooper’s I’ve seen).
I think maybe I’ll start treating the critic’s awards as my personal Oscars. They seem to pick the best film of the year more often than the Academy. As a lover of filmmaking, I find critics’ analytical approach to judging film more preferable than the Academy’s “I enjoyed it more” or “it’s their time” approach.
I think Hooper did a good job of varying up a fairly traditional sort of film template, and I liked TKS better than TSN overall, so I don’t have a problem with him winning. But I was expecting it to go to showier choice.
I’m so damn happy that Tom Hooper won. He deserved it. So many bloggers have dissed his directing style, but he did an excellent job with TKS and the DGA honored him appropriately!
I am so happy for Tom Hooper!!!!!!!! I have watched both Elizabeth and Damned United (gotta catch up with John Adams) and loved them both. I also see nothing pedestrian about his direction in TKS. It may look like your typical movie, British, period, royal, etc… But he and the screenwriter elevated the movie to something bigger, yet personal and definitely better.
I hope some people will come off their high horses and accept that TKS is a genuinely good movie. The fact that they like TSN more does not mean they have to bash TKS to pieces. They were IMO both solid 9/10 movies. Great scripts, great direction, great acting. Period. There is nothing groundbreaking with either of them. TSN is not the deep and revolutionary movie some of its fans argue it is. That TKS is a crowd-pleaser and it takes movie buff to appreciate TSN is simply not true.
Sorry but TSN is not an obscure foreign movie with layers of meaning and surrealism. It is not an experimental movie. It is a straight forward movie. A great one. So is TKS. People who watch them enjoy them both.
Normally I would have been happy for either to win. But because of people bashing TKS and accusing people who did enjoy that movie being rather simple, or of simple taste, I support TKS and want TSN not to win the biggest prizes. Funny how the same people say it is time we do not care about those royals, class division, blah blah yet they do the biggest elitism by calling the rest regular folk.
I guess if it wasn’t for zealot supporters of TSN, my vote would still go to TKS, which had one thing over TSN. At the end of the movie I was smiling, a big grin stuck on my face. That may be why people vote for it. A great movie that makes you feel all warm inside. What a magic combination!
Oh and many thanks to Kris and Guy for making this a welcoming place for all movie lovers!
I have to add Nolan would have been my first choice followed by Aronofsky. But alas, that was not meant to be.
I wonder if Hooper’s successfull career in TV (John Adams, ect.) gave him a leg up at the DGA, who’s body consists of many TV people. Also, if Hooper won Best Director, he would be one of the youngest, I believe, at 38.
Yes, TSN has been critically aclaimed, but I don’t remember who said. wether Kris, Guy or Anne, that the movie got love from «30 people critics groups». Of course, this shows recognition for a well made movie, but that’s not sufficient. We now see, with PGA and yesterday’s DGA, that large groups do not go with critics flow, but prefer another kind of movie. Is TKS better than TSN? We can talk a while about it, but it’s clearly not the opinion of the majority.
DG regroups more than 13 000 members, nearly 140 000 for the SAG…that’s a lot of people.
And with 6000 more for the Academy, 6500 for BAFTA, we’ll see who gets recgonition of the industry, which is also important to call a film: instant classic.
And frankly, I would stop comparisons with «Shakespeare in Love» (and actually, John Madden had not won DGA) as TKS is way superior to it. Colin Firth, Gwyneth Paltrow? Helana B. Carter, Judi Dench? Screenplay& I can’t bear to compare.
Maybe the only parallel os Rush’s supporting performances, hehe.
I really thought Nolan the award this year but I do love TKS and I think others did too. But I so think there were a lot of votes for all the directors this year and Hooper squeaked through.
QUESTION:
I’ve seen a few posters who have pointed out the fact that Hooper has previously been known for directing TV. Do TV directors vote for the DGA award in film (and, likewise, do film directors vote for the DGA award in TV)? If that’s the case, then I can easily see how Hooper would have won this, as he is a respected TV director. In fact, it actually would have been a bigger shock if he HADN’T of taken it with all the support from his TV-brethren.
Tapley, thank you for your comments of sense and moderation.
I was already impressed with Hooper’s direction when I saw the Helen Mirren Elizabeth miniseries. I think is direction on TKS is worthy of award consideration. All the nominees (all 6, incl. Coen and Nolan) are worthy of the accolades and my guess is the votes are quite close. Can we acknowledge the worthiness of one artist’s work without denigrating the other(s)?
Gabriel D: You actually just made the best case yet for SIL and TKS comparisons. All of those examples are pretty indicative, and I just realized that both movies feature both Firth and Rush.
So I listened to the Awards Daily podcast and Sasha Stone claimed that if Hooper won the DGA, she would quit. Hopefully, she lives up to her statement.
Ding dong, the witch is dead!
I wonder if the goodwill for TKS will spill right over into ballots over the next 2 weeks … or if the reverse will happen.
Loyal, you tell me (and I don’t doubt you, at all. I know nothing of this stuff) that there can be no more momentum shift. But is that really the case? Is it really looking like ‘finito’ for TSN?
“I don’t understand how you could be a film lover and not be embarassed by the fact that the King’s Speech is going to sweep the Oscars”
Here’s how: Who cares? It’s the Oscars. I’m content being a film lover who doesn’t need my taste reflected by another group of people. You should try it some time.
Also, Loyal’s comment at #89 is perfect. Simply perfect.
All I’m saying is utilizing a Beethoven piece to enhance the moment actually detracted from the scene. Tarsem put it to better use in ‘The Fall’.
There is nothing remarkable or exceptional about ‘The King’s Speech’. And I find it terribly ironic that we discuss likeability of character on here re: Nina and Zuckerburg when George was a pandering, petulant child in the film.
So disappointing.
Thank you, Kris (114). All this hand wringing, breast beating and teeth gnashing is over the top, not to mention disrespectful.
At any rate, the Supporting Actor races just got a little more suspenseful.
I’ll admit to being surprised by Hooper’s win but I’d never call him inexperienced. Sure, he’s a decade younger than Fincher but he’s achieved quite a bit in his 20-year career.
Yes, most of Fincher’s work has been in television, but only a film snob would dismiss a resume that includes Longford, John Adams, Daniel Deronda, Elizabeth I and, last but not least, the final installment of Prime Suspect. Each of these earned numerous award nods and even wins, including 10 Golden Globes and 22 Emmys (including one for Hooper), and even more nominations.
I’ll admit that Hooper isn’t a visionary on the scale of Fincher. His strength is in taking material that would otherwise seem grand and bring it down to an intimate, human scale. I’ll also state that, much as I love Fincher (esp. Zodiac), nothing in his films has terrified me as much as watching Jane Tennyson get drunk after her father’s funeral, then walk to her car, keys in hand. FOr me, it was the finest moment of arguably Mirren’s inest performance, and a 30-year-old Hooper was calling the shots.
4/9 of my favorite movies of 2010 didn’t get a single nomination and I didn’t expect them to either, so it’s not like it’s worth freaking out over the Academy not corresponding to my taste. I see the whole thing as a sort of sporting season, where films are teams and different awards down the line are games and the Oscars are the equivalent of the superbowl or whatever. It’s fun to follow is all.
JR: The term I used was “comparatively inexperienced,” and it obviously refers to his feature film record.
@ JJ1
Rudin is one of the smartest guys around. I’m sure he convened his Oscar war cabinet last night. Even if TSN wins SAG tonight, or more likely The Fighter, I’m not sure that’ll mean much. The one guild TSN was expected to win it didn’t. And there are only so many shifts one can have with ballots going out in 72 hours. For all intents and purposes, the Best Picture race is over.
@ Kris
Thanks. I’ve seen a complete lack of perspective over the last 12 hours. I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised.
Loyal, I think TSN was expected to win both PGA and DGA.
“Mark, I slightly prefer Dances with Wolves to Goodfellas as a film and for it’s direction. I would have been fine with either winning.”
Word.
Yeah but it was really expected to win the DGA. The prevailing attitude post PGA was “well, we still have the DGA win.”
I won’t be surprised on oscar night if it miraculously wins sound mixing.
“The moment you start taking Best Picture = THE BEST FILM OF 2010 serious is the moment you need a new hobby. BP is a snapshot captured in time by 6000 people, nothing more. Love the movies you love, and if Oscar agrees, fine.”
Tell that to Sasha Stone over at Awards Daily. The way she was raging about The Social Network losing the DGA last night on her Twitter would make you think she made the damn movie or something. And she’s writing even more long and ridiculous articles about it. Who the fuck cares.
“I won’t be surprised on oscar night if it miraculously wins sound mixing.”
I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if it won in every category it is nominated in. Seriously, if Tom Hooper can win the DGA and become the frontrunner for Best Director, the sky is the limit for this film. Rush and Carter are seeming more likely by the minute.
Wow, the Patriots are not going to win the Super Bowl and now The Social Network will probably not win best picture. This year quickly turned from exciting to disappointing.
@ Kris
“Who cares?” I care. And why not care? Yes, it is absolutely true that the Academy is some random group of people and their opinion is in no way needed to validate my own feelings of any movie. There have been many great films over the years that have been snubbed by the Academy and there will continue to be many great films snubbed by the Academy, and in the end, it doesn’t really matter.
The point though is that it is more fun to care. It is more interesting to let your emotions go and be really happy when the “right” films are awarded, and really angry when the “wrong” films are awarded. If it suits you better to be aloof about the whole thing, that’s understandable, but for people who really don’t care about the Academy’s opinion, the option of getting into the season and having fun with it makes just as much sense as not giving a damn.
Lesson learned this season: The critics do not decide for the guilds who wins.
Loyal: I love that comment. It totally captures what I’ve been thinking reading these comments. It’s great that people are so passionate about movies, but what I love about the Oscars is very different than what I love about movie-watching. Every year has a completely different narrative and flavor, and this year’s season has been an interesting one to watch. The King’s Speech is so very much not my kind of movie, it’s the only Best Picture nominee I haven’t seen, and it’s likely to stay that way. That means I can’t judge it, and I won’t resent its likely win either. It is what it is, and there’s plenty else for me to enjoy about this year’s race.
Where’s the evidence Hooper’s a hack and Fincher’s some genius? Fincher may be flashy and skilled, but that hardly makes him a great artist on a par with Scorsese or Polanski. Just because a lot of great directors have been snubbed or belatedly recognized doesn’t mean Fincher is in the same league.
Hooper’s big break happened when he directed an installment of Helen Mirren’s great crime series Prime Suspect. Hooper’s was called “The Last Witness” and he did a very good job. He benefitted from a great cast and script, but he still deserves credit for making a rivetting piece of television. This guy is no hack. On the basis of how well they clicked on Prime Suspect, Mirren apparently recommended Hooper to direct her in Elizabeth I, which means Mirren’s been instrumental in getting Hooper to where he is now – a go-to guy for historicals, period pieces, and glossy costume dramas.
Bizarrely, the last time Harvey W. managed an upset this big is with Shakespeare in Love over Saving Private Ryan. SiL was directed by John Madden… another journey director plugging away for years in British TV, whose most noteworthy and, in America at least, most widely viewed piece of work was an episode of…. Prime Suspect! (Madden’s chapter was titled ‘The Lost Child”.)
I walked out of the screening of TKS, because I found it to be bloodless and too stuffy for my taste ( and I like some of the PBS’ Masterpiece Theatre adaptations) . Maybe I need to see this movie again.
No anti-The King Speech rants and propaganda? I love this site already.
I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if it won in every category it is nominated in. Seriously, if Tom Hooper can win the DGA and become the frontrunner for Best Director, the sky is the limit for this film. Rush and Carter are seeming more likely by the minute.
Wow. Wow, okay. So, you wouldn’t be surprised by it surpassing Titanic, Ben-Hur and LOTR:ROTK. and becoming the biggest winner ever in AMPAS history with 12? Ever as in everever. Well, I would. DGA has 10,000 members skewering mainstream (not some exclusive auteurs-rendezvous.) We also don’t know whether it was a landslide victory or extremely close, with votes splitting fairly evenly.
Just because people love, luvvvvvvv, The King’s Speech doesn’t mean they love it exclusively and ignore every other movie in the progress. The scene-stealing, over-due Bale seems like prototype S-A winner and the most obvious spot to show love for the Fighter. HBC can now seriously benefit from her mixed-up field, but I highly doubt the film walking away with Cinematography, which looks like the apparently popular True Grit’s best bet. Also, editing? Yeah.
…not over till the fat lady sings and all that.
JMN wrote: “Fincher may be flashy and skilled, but that hardly makes him a great artist on a par with Scorsese or Polanski.” I’m not sure that’s an apt comparison this year: I just tried watching “Shutter Island” on DVD and turned it off after an excruciating hour.
TSN will win. Jewish factor, people. The characters may not be the most likable Jews (which is a matter of personal taste, I liked Zuckerberg&co) but it`s still Jewish themed enough to have the edge over Brit-themed or weird-themed.
“The point though is that it is more fun to care.”
For me, it’s more fun to like what I like and refrain from begrudging the success of a film that is clearly not a dog by disrespecting it in the wake of another film’s failure.
And FYI, The King’s Speech is not going to win 12 Oscars. Eight is the max (which includes a Carter surprise, but certainly not a Rush surprise). I’m thinking seven at the moment (including Hooper).
“TSN will win. Jewish factor, people. The characters may not be the most likable Jews (which is a matter of personal taste, I liked Zuckerberg&co) but it`s still Jewish themed enough to have the edge over Brit-themed or weird-themed.”
Patently absurd. And hopefully just a joke.
“For me, it’s more fun to like what I like and refrain from begrudging the success of a film that is clearly not a dog by disrespecting it in the wake of another film’s failure”
EXACTLY!!!!!!! last month, when TSN was the front runner, everyone said TKS was an exceptional achievement. Now that TKS is gaining momentum, people on certain oscar blogs are calling it “made-for-TV movie.” This sheep mentality is laughably sad.
JMN said…Where’s the evidence Hooper’s a hack and Fincher’s some genius?
No sane person deals in these ridiculously bate-y illiterate hyperboles blasting us versus them rhetoric. GO TEAM!
Yes, directing is more than just visual pizzazz; yes, Hooper & TKS came out looking perfectly competent; yes, they might win big at Oscar night; no, that won’t signal the decline of western civilization… But gosh darn, I just thought Fincher was the bees-knees this year.
I’m still, perhaps foolishly, holding out for Fincher taking the director at Oscars (not in denial, just optimistic). Maybe Hooper just earned the front-runner status, but BD has got to be a much closer race than BP. Even if voters are lukewarm about TSN as a whole, surely Fincher stands a considerably better chance when his individual efforts are evaluated. No, the critics don’t make decisions for AMPAS, but you can’t fail to make a few friends with 95mil BO, months of favorable spotlight and Fincher’s back-catalogue.
Anyway, nice job on calling this and congrats to Hooper, whose career is sure to benefit from all this awards attention in a way that the already more high-profile fellow nominees’ mightn’t.
I wonder how much hate mail Harvey Weinstein must recieve?
A movie is only bad when it beats your favorite. We see the same trend every Oscar season.
TSN will win. Jewish factor, people. The characters may not be the most likable Jews (which is a matter of personal taste, I liked Zuckerberg&co) but it`s still Jewish themed enough to have the edge over Brit-themed or weird-themed.
Yes, which is clearly why “A Serious Man” swept the board last year. Mind how you tread with such comments, by the way.
#59 Derek 8-Track said…
“That is Fantastic News! I hope Speech is able to grab flick, director, actor, and cinematography at the Oscars, anything more will be a bonus for me”
¿Best…flick?
Although initially disgusted and appalled at the news, I’m now convinced that The King’s Speech will win Best Picture (as well as O. Screenplay, Actor, Costume and maybe Score), but Director will still go to Fincher (complete with A. Screenplay, Editing, and maybe Score).
“James Cameron for Titanic over, God, Curtin Hanson for LA Confidential or the non-nominated Atom Egoyan for The Sweet Hereafter?”
That’s bullshit. LA Confidential is my favorite movie of 1997, but James Cameron is a real director. That “Hand that Rocks the Cradle” guy only has Confidential to say he’s done something substantial.
Re: All TKS hate:
I know many have been a fan and champion of TSN and many of the other nominees all season, and I think it’s easy to become partisan or show sided criticism of TKS, especially when a film you truly love and think is deserving seems to be on the path to being rewarded. It’s as though, finally, a film one loves is going to be rewarded and Oscar is going to “get it right!” All to have the wind sucked out when it seems to come crashing down.
I like many of the nominees, and I think most are great films this year, The Social Network included. And so too do I include The King’s Speech. I honestly don’t care which one wins, both are deserving to me. Might “The King’s Speech” merely win because it’s more “likable.” Likely so. But, when a likable movie/story is also so well told and performed, as TKS is in my opinion, I have no qualms with that.
I think True Grit, Inception, The King’s Speech, or The Social Network would all be worthy winners.
That said, It’s just a group of voters who are picking what they like the best. They are not always influenced by the critics, and sometimes, I actually find that refreshing. Some years, one person’s film wins and another cries foul and makes the winner out to be a “villain” or a “terrible choice.” But, if we’re all able to step back and objectively say most of the nominees this year are actually really good movies for once, then voila… If you really like The King’s Speech, as do I (though my vote would go to Inception), then, luckily, this is your year when the deserving film looks to actually win.
And if The Social Network was your champion, then, well, it’s an unfortunate year, but perhaps one of your favorites will win next year while the person who adored The King’s Speech will end up hating next year’s winner, likely unjustly attacking it as “bad” or “un-deserving.”
To each their own, but I was actually glad to see a year of many fine films.
Hooper’s murky looking, off kilter direction on the film was a hindrance, not an inspired choice.
I dont even think that highly of TSN either but over Fincher?
I would have went with Nolan
Perhaps it’s useless to try and highlight Academy trends, especially in light of recent developments, but here’s something notable: if King’s Speech wins, it’ll make 5 out of the last 6 years that an independent film has won the big prize (Crash, No Country, Slumdog, Hurt Locker). Is the Academy trying to send a message?
I, too, am glad to have so many fine, fine films contending for the top prizes. At least, I much prefer 2010 to 2009.
I know 2002 and 2007 are viewed as 2 of the best of the 200o’s so far, but I think 2010 is in the top 5.