Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster biopic Oppenheimer, swept seven awards at the Oscars including best picture, best actor and best director, reports the Guardian. Irish-born Cillian Murphy won the best actor award, his first ever and as he confessed,”I’m a little overwhelmed.”
Murphy is an old collaborator of Nolan, having starred in five of his films. Best Supporting Actor was won by Robert Downey who starred opposite Murphy as his scientist rival Lewis Strauss.
“I’d like to thank my terrible childhood,” he said in his acceptance speech, “and the academy — in that order.” He also had a word for his wife Susan saying, “You loved me back to life and that’s why I’m back here.”
A first for Nolan too who was nominated for best director for Dunkirk but lost out. This time he was spot on. The Guardian report quoted him as saying “We don’t know where this incredible journey is going from here but to know that you think I’m a meaningful part of it means the world to me.”
Nolan is acclaimed for some other films The Dark Knight (Batman trilogy), Inception, Memento and others.
The film also won awards for editing, cinematography and score. Made on a $100 million budget, Oppenheimer spared no expense and bucked the trend of smaller, indie movies winning the most prestigious Oscar. The three-hour long film about the man behind the atom bomb grossed over $900 million.
The Verge.com also reports that this year’s Academy Awards ran longer than most viewers would consider reasonable. But it was marked by enough surprises “to make it one hell of a watch”.
The show was hosted by Jimmy Kimmel who took quite a few jabs at the filmmakers up for various awards.
