by Stefania Ulivi
Success for “The Fablemans” and for “The Spirits of the Island” by Martin McDonagh at the 80th edition of the Hfpa Awards in the Name of Fairness
Steven Spielberg is the winner, also morally, of the 80th edition of the Golden Globes, the award of the Hfpa (Hollywood Foreign Press Association), after the controversies and scandals of the past back on live TV on NBC. His autobiographical film The Fablemans is Best Drama and also wins Best Director. Best Comedy is The Banshees of Inisherin, directed by Martin McDonagh, who led the nominations and also won an award for the screenplay. Set on a fictional Irish island, the film chronicles the abrupt end of a friendship between two local pub-goers, played by Colin Farrell and Best Comedy winner Brendan Gleeson. Best Dramatic Actor is Austin Butler for Elvis, as expected Cate Blanchett for Tár wins among the women. As expected, the other award for Best Female Performance in Comedy went to Michelle Yeoh for Everything Everywhere All at Once. Among the television series, House of the Dragon, Abbott Elementary and The White Lotus, filmed in Sicily, stand out. The two Lifetime Achievement Awards went to Eddie Murphy, the Cecil B. DeMille Award, and Ryan Murphy, the Carol Burnett Award. Here is the full list of award winners.
A much-forgivable issue of political correctness and servile attention to difference on the part of the Hfpa, and honored by comedian Jerrod Carmichael, it is not sparing with sarcasm. “I’m going to explain why I’m here: I’m here because I’m black,” he begins. The Golden Globes were not televised last year. I wouldn’t say they were a racist organization, but they didn’t have a single black member until George Floyd died, so make your own decisions.” He joked about his role as the ceremony’s first black host. “I could say anything or do and they wouldn’t fire me. Hadn’t had a black guy in my role in 79 years and kicked out the first one? I can’t get fired,” Carmichael joked, but not too much, appreciating the stan-up comedian. Also jokes about Tom Cruise (“Guys, I found the three Golden Globes backstage that Cruise returned. We could give them as bargaining chips for the return of Shelly Miscavige”, referring to the wife of David Miscavige, leader of Scientology, from which Cruise is a follower) and Will Smith’s slap in the face to Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars (“During the commercial, we presented Will Smith with the Rock Hudson Award for Best Actor development of masculinity on television»).
There was no lack of more intense moments, such as the connection from Kyiv presented by Sean Penn with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who also sent video conference messages to the Cannes and Venice Film Festivals: “We are in 2023, the war is on.” not over yet, but it’s clear who will win,” he said to applause.
An edition experienced as a restart. About the difficulties of the Hfpa, about its ability to be like it used to be, a springboard for the Oscars, about the still unsurpassed consequences of the pandemic. And of many personal stories. Small and large redemption opportunities. Careers that start anew, like that of Colin Farrell, who thanked director Martin McDonagh for the chance of an irresistible role (for which the actor, like Cate Blanchett, had won the Volpi Cup in Venice). Or that of Michelle Yeoh and her co-star Ke Huy Quan, created by Spielberg as Short Round in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. “I felt very lucky to have been selected, I wondered if it was just luck. For many years I was afraid of not having anything left to offer. And that as a child you didn’t excel at what you did. Thankfully, more than 30 years later, two people thought of me and gave me the opportunity to try again.” His first director, Spielberg, clapped louder than most. And the photo of the hug between the two is one of the images that will remain from this issue.
January 11, 2023 (change January 11, 2023 | 08:04)
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