Director Tom Hooper with the film's Helena Bonham Carter and Colin Firth
“I have a voice,” proclaims Colin Firth as King George VI in the film, and it was heard loudly and clearly by members of the Directors Guild and the Screen Actors Guild as they awarded top honors to the drama in ceremonies over the weekend.
Director Tom Hooper won the DGA’s Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film Saturday night, topping the field that included Darren Aronofsky for “Black Swan,” David Fincher for “The Social Network,” Christopher Nolan for “Inception” and David O. Russell for directing “The Fighter.”
Hooper had previously been nominated by the DGA for directing the television miniseries “John Adams” in 2008. He thanked the Guild for incorporating England as the 51st state. His period film tells the little-known story of the King’s speech therapy to correct a severe stutter in the wake of his brother’s abdication of the throne– and it appears that nothing short of a revolution will stop the juggernaut, which also includes the PGA Award, on the way to the Oscars.
The DGA has its own king, Carl Reiner, who has hosted the kudo-fest for more than one-third of its 63 years. The 88-year-old director said he bought a new tuxedo for the occasion. He took control of the Grand Ballroom at Hollywood and Highland right away, asking people to turn on their cell phones– but nary a buzz interrupted the lengthy proceedings, which spent much time honoring the 75th anniversary of the guild.
Some of its most prominent members, icons of American film, although not up for awards this year, needed no introduction– and Reiner didn’t give them one as they took the stage. We’re talking about Steven Spielberg, Clint Eastwood and Francis Ford Coppola.
Each presented films that looked back on the DGA’s storied history, which began in King Vidor’s living room with a dozen directors standing up for their rights in the motion picture industry.
The five feature film nominees were each lauded by stars of their respective productions, with appearances by Natalie Portman, Andrew Garfield and Armie Hammer (Jesse Eisenberg was tied up hosting Saturday Night Live), Helena Bonham Carter and Colin Firth, Leonardo DiCaprio, Melissa Leo, Jack McGee and Mark Wahlberg.
Another legendary director, Martin Scorsese, had to miss the ceremonies after flying out from New York. He was stuck in his Los Angeles hotel room with the flu, and presenter Jennifer Lawrence read his acceptance speech for winning best director of a dramatic television series for “Boardwalk Empire.”
Other television winners included Mick Jackson for “Temple Grandin,” Michael Spiller for “Modern Family,” Glenn Weiss for the “64th Annual Tony Awards,”Eytan Keller for “The Next Iron Chef,” Larry Carpenter for “One Life to Live,” and Eric Bross for “The Boy Who Cried Werewolf.” Charles Ferguson took home the prize for his documentary “Inside Job.”
It’s never a good idea to count your chickens before they’re hatched, but for Hooper, it’s looking like an Oscar will most likely be sitting on his mantle. Only six times since the DGA Awards were instituted in 1948 has the winner not gone on to win an Academy Award for directing a feature film.
The last time was in 2003, when the DGA chose Rob Marshall for directing “Chicago” and Roman Polanski went on to nab the Oscar for directing “The Pianist.”
Click here to view images from the DGA Awards.
