Coens `Country' Wins Best Picture Oscar

LOS ANGELES — The Coen brothers have completed their journey from the fringes to Hollywood's mainstream, winning four Academy Awards for "No Country for Old Men," including best picture.

Javier Bardem won for supporting actor in "No Country," which earned Joel and Ethan Coen the best-picture honor as producers, best director and adapted screenplay.

Accepting the directing honor alongside his brother, Joel Coen recalled how they were making films since childhood, including one at the Minneapolis airport called "Henry Kissinger: Man on the Go."

"What we do now doesn't feel that much different from what we were doing then," Joel Coen said. "We're very thankful to all of you out there for continuing to let us play in our corner of the sandbox."

Daniel Day-Lewis won his second best-actor Academy Award on Sunday for the oil-boom epic "There Will Be Blood," while "La Vie En Rose" star Marion Cotillard was a surprise winner for best actress, riding the spirit of Edith Piaf to Oscar triumph over Julie Christie, who had been expected to win for "Away From Her."

While the quirky American Coens led the night, the Oscars had a strong international flavor, with all four acting prizes went to Europeans: Frenchwoman Cotillard, Spaniard Bardem, and Brits Day-Lewis and Tilda Swinton, the supporting-actress winner for "Michael Clayton."

Comments

[KevinMast]

02:07 AM on 02/27/2008

Julie Christie is such a total class act. I'd pay to watch her read the phone book. Still so beautiful at 66. I really wanted to see her win, but she truly seemed happy that Marione Cottillard won. What genorostiy of spirit.

[sagopalm]

10:25 PM on 02/25/2008

There is great art to be found in beauty. There is also great art to be found in aggression. It may not always be beautiful, it might not look pretty over your couch, but it can transform the way you think. It can expand your mind if you let it. No Country For Old Men is not just about violence. Is our perception of the world really this narrow? Jesus.
This is the same mentality that thinks Paul Simon wrote Graceland about Elvis' mansion.

[sagopalm]

10:17 PM on 02/25/2008

Anyone who says that 2007 was a bad year for film doesn't know what he or she is talking about. 2007 was an amazing year for movies. The big blockbusters were so so but the independent and smaller films were great. There were probably 12 to 15 films that could have laid legitimate claim to best picture nominations in any ordinary year. Film historians will be reflecting on 2007 fondly. No Country For Old Men as a masterpiece. So is Juno. So is Atonement. So is The Bourne Ultimatum. So is 3:10 to Yuma. So is American Gangster. So is Ratatouille...the list goes on.

[cufford]

06:32 PM on 02/25/2008

"and Brits Day-Lewis and Tilda Swinton, the supporting-actress winner for "Michael Clayton."

Brits? I'm sorry, but calling these two "Brits" is like calling a New Zealander an Aussie, and I'm sure neither would appreciate such ignorant reporting.

Day-Lewis is Irish and Swinton is Scotish.

[askmeificare]

05:58 PM on 02/25/2008

All of the Coen brother's films are outstanding. A little twisted, but outstanding.

[Ruprect44]

06:15 PM on 02/25/2008

The Ladykillers was a bit of a low point. Tom Hanks was fine in an eccentric performance but I found that the Wayans brother (forget which one off the top of my head) totally killed the film. It was like a character from the wrong movie just dropped in.

[askmeificare]

08:52 PM on 02/26/2008

That was the only weak but necessary character in the movie. However, he and Mr. Pancake played well off each other.

[echopark]

04:41 PM on 02/25/2008

Hey, what did everyone think of Jon Stewart as host? Who has been your favorite host over the years?

http://sodahead.com/poll/50838/?link=chrf

[johnnyjust]

04:10 PM on 02/25/2008

Far and away the highlight of the night was when Michael Moore when Best Documentary for Sick...Oh, that's right.

Shut down.

So some people did see his movie. Kudos.

[provgrays]

03:11 PM on 02/25/2008

Juno should have gotten best picture or best actress for Ellen Page. The Academy still equates violence with excellence. On the whole, it was a bad year for films.

[kellygrrrl]

04:04 PM on 02/25/2008

at least the writer got the Gold. That made me happy!

[raaaph]

03:05 PM on 02/25/2008

This Oscar show was the definitive bomb and boring award event. Jon Stewart might be good in his tv show but hosting an award show is something he should be kept from doing forever. You need charisma and some electricity for an event like this. He provided neither. He should study some old tapes of Johnny Carson or Bob Hope: masters of comedic timing. Jon stewart will, however, make a credible version of Larry King when that time comes.

[Forest]

05:25 PM on 02/25/2008

Don't blame it all on Jon. US films have been reduced to formula, a sign of the standardization of our times.

[Marlyn]

02:26 PM on 02/25/2008

If "No Country for Old Men" was the best picture of the year, then I'm glad I didn't bother seeing any other films this year, because "No Country for Old Men" is just another horrible film about VIOLENCE, horrible violence. And I really think it is SICK to think that this is entertaining.

[msmaggie]

03:17 PM on 02/25/2008

Let's see: Hamlet, Macbeth, Julius Caesar, Othello, King Lear--ok just about all Will S's tragedies and don't even get started on the Greeks. Tolstoi, Hugo, Melville, Steinbeck, Styron--well if you take away violence, the ranks thin dramatically.

[alsm9]

04:15 PM on 02/25/2008

It really gets on my nerves when people complain about violence in film. Human beings are violent!!! It's as if you think you are somehow above the rest of us. Please. Bugger off!

msmaggie - excellent references to violence in literature!

[LegalCat]

01:10 PM on 02/25/2008

Best moment, hands down: when Jon Stewart brought Marketa Irglova back on stage to do her thank-you speech. That was an extremely classy thing to do. I don't know how much credit goes to Stewart, but whoever made that decision deserves major points. Hansard and Irglova's win was a really, seriously come-from-behind, rags-to-riches, Horatio Alger moment -- especially up against THREE nominees from the monumentally popular "Enchanted," one of which ("That's How You Know") was actually a pretty decent song. It was just fabulous that they let Irglova do her speech after the orchestra cut her off the first time around. And it was the best thank-you speech of the evening by a huge margin. Thank YOU, Hansard and Irglova, for the best romantic movie made in the last 20 years.

[Ruprect44]

03:13 PM on 02/25/2008

I thought that was an excellent moment also. Nice to see that rather than another bullshit montage or stiff comedy bit.
I also loved Jon's "That guy is SOOOO arrogant" line. Funny stuff.

[Oldtimer]

12:06 PM on 02/25/2008

The only Oscar un-earned was Daniel Day Lewis.
The minute he opens his mouth it's clear he is
impersonating John Huston in China Town. He fooled everybody but me. Day Lewis gets one Jonny Depp should have got one for his Keth Richards impersonation.
I think Seah Penn deserved best director and
Hal Holbrook should have won for Into The Wild

[blastocyst]

12:51 PM on 02/25/2008

He Drank Your Milkshake!
Agree with your Hal pick. Now that was sad.

[RogerHWerner]

12:59 PM on 02/25/2008

I agree that Holbrook should have won. Holbrook is always brilliant and the man's never won an Oscar. Too bad.

[Ruprect44]

03:17 PM on 02/25/2008

I'm in agreement that Mr Holbrook was great in the film and has had an outstanding career. I don't, however, agree with the whole "he's never won one so he should get it now" thing. No one is ENTITLED to an award.

[lovesit]

11:49 AM on 02/25/2008

here is a hot mess recap of the oscars
http://digitalfuntown.squarespace.com/dft-blog/2008/2/19/offbeat-oscars-mash-up.html

[lovesit]

11:49 AM on 02/25/2008

here is a hot mess recap of the oscars
http://digitalfuntown.squarespace.com/dft-blog/2008/2/19/offbeat-oscars-mash-up.html

[fulano]

11:42 AM on 02/25/2008

Con mucho orgullo y felicidades! Winner of the best supporting actor Oscar (could have been best actor in my book!) Javier Bardem in his chilling role as the killer in the Coen Bros classic "No Country for Old Men" also winner of best picture and best director Oscar's.
In my humble opinion by far the best movie of the year and destined to be a classic for the ages.

[jones]

12:12 PM on 02/25/2008

That movie sure was scary! I was scared to go home after I left the movies.

[blastocyst]

12:53 PM on 02/25/2008

Why Best Picture? What compels you to say that?
Ambiguity the unifying theme of the Universe?