BEVERLY HILLS (CNS) - The World War I drama “1917” and writer- director Quentin Tarantino's period piece “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” scored top honors Sunday at the 77th Golden Globe Awards, spoiling the party for the streaming service Netflix, which had entered the night with the longest list of nominees.
Sam Mendes' “1917” won the Globe for best drama film, and earned a best-directing honor for Mendes. “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” was named best comedy-musical film, while also earning screenwriting honors for Tarantino and a supporting-actor prize for Brad Pitt.
“This is a huge, huge thing for this movie,” Mendes said as he accepted the best drama-film prize during the Globes ceremony at the Beverly Hilton. “It's difficult to make movies without big movie stars in the leads. ... I really hope this means people will turn out and see it on the big screen as it was intended.”
The directing award for Mendes was the second of his career, following his 2000 win for “American Beauty,” for which he also won an Oscar. He said the film “1917” was inspired by his grandfather.
“He signed up for the first world war at age 17,” he said. “... And I fervently hope it never ever happens again.”
The wins for “1917” spoiled the night for Netflix and its film “Marriage Story,” which entered the night as the top nominee with six. But in the end, it collected only one -- a supporting-actress prize for Laura Dern. Netflix's other drama-film nominees, “The Irishman” and “The Two Popes,” were shut out on the night, as was its comedy/drama hopeful, “Dolemite is My Name.”
Accepting his screenwriting prize, Tarantino hailed his stellar “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” cast -- including Leonardo DiCaprio, Pitt and Margot Robbie -- for helping to elevate the script. He said his “fantastic cast ... took it from the page ... to add a slightly different layer than what was on the page.”
Joaquin Phoenix picked up his second career Golden Globe, winning for best actor in a drama film for his haunting title role in “Joker.” He previously won in 2006 for best actor in a comedy/musical film for portraying Johnny Cash in “Walk the Line.”
He gave thanks to “Joker” director Todd Phillips.
“You were such an amazing friend and collaborator, and you convinced me to do this movie and you encouraged me to give everything and be sincere,” he said. “I am such a pain in the ass, I can't believe you put up with me.”
Renee Zellweger was named best actress in a drama for her portrayal of Judy Garland in “Judy.” It was her fourth career win, after “Cold Mountain,” “Chicago” and “Nurse Betty.”
Taron Egerton and Awkwafina both collected their first career Golden Globes, winning for best actor and actress in a comedy/musical film. For Egerton, it was for his portrayal of Elton John in the biopic “Rocketman,” while Awkafina won for playing an emotionally tortured granddaughter in “The Farewell.”
“This role has changed my life,” Egerton said. “It's been the best experience of my life.”
While praising the cast and crew, he paid special tribute to Elton John.
“Thank you for the music. Thank you for living a life less ordinary and thank you for being my friend,” he said.
Awkwafina joked as she accepted her award that “if I fall upon hard times, we can sell this, so that's good.” She gave thanks to the film's writer- director, Lulu Wang, saying she “gave me this chance, the chance of a lifetime and you taught me so much.”
She also dedicated the award to her father, quipping, “I told you I'd get a job, dad.”
Dern's win for her supporting role in “Marriage Story” was the fifth of her career, and she noted in her acceptance speech that she first attended the ceremony as Miss Golden Globe when she was 14 years old.
“It's a great honor to be here again tonight,” she joked.
She praised what she called a “dream cast” that included Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson, and her love of acting.
“We long to be of service, to give voice to the voiceless,” she said. “... I got to do just that, give voice, pay tribute -- to the divorce lawyer. Long, long overdue.”
Pitt's win as supporting actor in “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” was the second of his career. He also won in 1996 for “Twelve Monkeys.”
Pitt thanked DiCaprio, saying he watched for years as DiCaprio's co- stars won awards and thanked him from the stage.
“He's an all-star, he's a gent and I wouldn't be here without you,” Pitt told DiCaprio. But he jokingly added, “I would have shared the raft,” a quip at DiCaprio's death scene in “Titanic.”
The longtime Hollywood heartthrob also joked that he wanted to bring his mother to the ceremony, but “any woman I stand next to they say I'm dating.”
The Korean horror-thriller “Parasite” was named best foreign- language film. Speaking through a translator, director Bong Joon-Ho touted the magic of international cinema, saying, “Once you overcome the one-inch-tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films.”
Elton John and Bernie Taupin won the Globe for best original song for “(I'm Gonna) Love Me Again,” from “Rocketman.” In accepting the award, John noted that the film was “one of the most emotional moments of my life,” and added that winning the Globe was the first award he and Taupin have ever received together, despite their half-century of collaboration.
Taupin said the song wasn't simply a song written for a movie.
“This is a song we wrote for a movie that deals with our relationship,” he said. “It's a relationship that doesn't happen that much in this town. It's a 52-year-old marriage.”
Hildur Gudnadottir won her first career Globe -- on her first nomination -- for composing the score of “Joker.”
Whether the Golden Globes have any impact on the upcoming Oscar nominations is a matter of debate, although Sunday's ceremony came amid Academy Award voting.
Since the Hollywood Foreign Press Association divided the film category into two formats for the Golden Globes in 1963, 64.2 percent of the films that ended up with best picture Academy Awards had first received a Golden Globe.
The Golden Globe drama winner has gone on to win a best picture Oscar 28 of 56 times. The musical/comedy winner has won eight times at the Oscars, including last year, when “Green Book” won the Academy Award for best picture.
Unlike the Academy Awards, which are voted upon by thousands of Academy members, the Golden Globes are selected by roughly 90 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.
On the small screen, HBO's “Succession,” the story of a dysfunctionally rich family struggling over control of a media empire, was named best drama series, while Brian Cox was named best drama series actor for his role as the family patriarch.
“This kind of event does your head in,” Cox said. “... I never expected this. And I've been in -- next year I'll have been in this business for 60 years. I mean, when I started I was 2.”
Cox said he was a “wee bit shocked” to receive the honor, but he thanked the cast and crew of the show, calling them the most “extraordinary bunch of people ever.”
Olivia Colman took home her third career Golden Globe by winning the prize for best actress in a drama series for Netflix's “The Crown.” She won a Globe -- and an Oscar -- last year for her lead role in the film “The Favourite.”
Amazon's “Fleabag” followed up its Emmy win by scoring the Golden Globe for best comedy series, and winning the best comedy actress honor for the show's creator/star, Phoebe Waller-Bridge.
“Thank you to everyone for supporting us so much,” Waller-Bridge said as she accepted the best comedy series prize, hailing the ensemble cast that gathered on stage behind her.
“It's a bit gross but we all became best friends, which is ironic because the show is about such a lowly lady,” she said.
Ramy Youssef won the Globe for best actor in a TV comedy or musical for Hulu's “Ramy,” a show even he admitted was fairly obscure.
“Look, I know you guys haven't seen my show,” he said as he accepted his award. “Everyone is like, `Is this an editor?”'
Youssef, accepting his first Globe on his first career nominations, said the show is “about an Arab Muslim family living in New Jersey, so this means a lot to be recognized on this level.”
HBO's “Chernobyl” was named best limited series or TV movie, while the show's Stellan Skarsgard won his first career Globe, being named best supporting actor for his work in the series.
Russell Crowe won the Globe for best actor in a limited series or TV movie for his portrayal of Fox News founder Roger Ailes in Showtime's “The Loudest Voice.” For best actress, the prize went to Michelle Williams for FX's “Fosse/Verdon,” and Patricia Arquette was named best supporting actress for Hulu's “The Act” -- her third career Globes win.
Tom Hanks received the Cecil B. DeMille Award during the ceremony, while Ellen DeGeneres was presented with the second Carol Burnett Award, which is the television equivalent of the DeMille Award for film. Burnett received the inaugural award last year.
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