LOTR Cleans Up At The Oscars
'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' won a record number of Oscars at last night's ceremony, equalling the 11 awards won by the epic 'Ben Hur' and 'Titanic'.
Amongst others, the adaptation of Tolkein's classic bagged the coveted award for Best Picture and Best Director. Peter Jackson was overwhelmed by the win, saying, "I am so honoured and touched and relieved that the Academy has seen past the trolls and the wizards and the hobbits in recognising fantasy this year".
The other main categories at the 76th Academy Awards held few surprises. As predicted, Charlize Theron won Best Actress for her role as real-life serial killer Aileen Wuornos in 'Monster', while Sean Penn won Best Actor for his role in 'Mystic River'.
Penn's co-star Tim Robbins was named Best Supporting Actor, and hot favourite Renee Zellweger took home Best Supporting Actress for her role as farmhand Ruby in 'Cold Mountain'.
Annie Lennox was one of the few British winners on the night, winning an award for her song 'Into The West' on the soundtrack to 'Return of the King'.
The huge success of LOTR, however, left more than a few films in its wake. Though she missed out on Best Director " and had she won, she would have been the first woman director to do so " Sofia Coppola won Best Original Screenplay for 'Lost In Translation'.
The full list of winners is as follows:
Best Picture
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Best Director
Peter Jackson for 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King'
Best Actor
Sean Penn
Best Actress
Charlize Theron
Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Tim Robbins
Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Renee Zellweger
Best Animated Feature Film
Finding Nemo
Best Original Screenplay
Lost In Translation
Best Adapted Screenplay
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Best Music (score)
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Best Music (song)
'Into the West' - The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Best Visual Effects
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Best Cinematography
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
Best Art Direction
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Best Costume Design
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Best Make-up
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Best Sound
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Sound Editing
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
Film Editing
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Lifetime Achievement Award
Blake Edwards