I'm sure all of you have heard of the BAFTA Awards, which are like the Oscars in Britain. Titanic was nominated for 10 awards. Well, I read on a Kate Winslet messageboard that Titanic did not win one single award! I was very surprised by this and I just wanted to let all of you know what happened.

-- Jennifer (sdebesa@worldbank.org), April 19, 1998

Answers

The British aren't exactly portrayed in a favorable light in this movie, now are they? That might have something to do with it?

-- Harold McMillan (foo@bar.com), April 20, 1998.

'Monty' tops 'Titanic' at BAFTA fete The big ship leaves empty By MATT WOLF, April 20, 1998

LONDON  The Full Monty won best film at the 50th annual British Academy Awards (BAFTA) in London Sunday night, while Oscar favorite Titanic sailed away with nothing.

Two of the films Sheffield strippers, Robert Carlyle and Tom Wilkinson, were named best actor and best supporting actor, respectively. The movie won a fourth award as the audience favorite  the first time BAFTA has given such a prize.

But the dinner ceremony at Grosvenor House ended on a solemn note. BAFTA vice president David Puttnam tearfully took to the podium to report the death  made public only while the show was in progress  of Linda McCartney, with whom Puttnam said he had first worked 30 years ago.

Praising her as a totally positive woman, Lord Puttnam prompted the audience to give the 55-year-old McCartney a short but warm standing ovation.

The evening featured two other heartfelt ovations, the first for Sean Connery, who received an Academy Fellowship from a cheerfully rambling Billy Connolly. (He has a bigness that Scotland has never known in a single person, said Connolly, himself a Scot.)

Connollys Mrs. Brown co-star, Judi Dench, had the black-tie crowd again on its feet as she took the best actress prize for her performance as Queen Victoria. Dench was an also-ran at last months Academy Awards.

The supporting actress prize went to Sigourney Weaver for The Ice Storm, a well-regarded performance that was omitted from this years Oscar consideration.

A surprisingly strong showing was made by William Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet, Australian director Baz Luhrmanns sometimes wild take on the Bards best-known tragedy. The film won four prizes, including best director for Luhrmann and best adapted screenplay for Luhrmann and co-writer Craig Pearce.

Actor-turned-writer/director Gary Oldman won the best original screenplay prize for Nil By Mouth and took the unusual step of citing by name four British film critics for their longstanding support of the film dating back to last years Cannes Festival.

Oldmans harrowing, semi-autobiographical account of a south London boyhood won the Alexander Korda Award for Outstanding British Film.

Another double-winner was Iain Softleys movie of The Wings of the Dove, which won for best cinematography and make-up/hair.

Presenters included Oscar-winners Juliette Binoche and Kevin Spacey, both of whom are appearing in separate London theater productions; Robert Duvall, in town to tubthump The Apostle; and Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts, who today begin filming the as-yet-untitled continuation of Four Weddings and a Funeral.

The host was British comedian and impersonator Rory Bremner, whose routine included film clips of him as President Clinton and as British prime minister Tony Blair.

For the first time, BAFTA will award its television awards at a later, separate ceremony.

A complete list of BAFTA winners follow:

FILM

The Full Monty

DIRECTOR

Baz Luhrmann, William Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet

ACTRESS

Judi Dench, Mrs. Brown

ACTOR

Robert Carlyle, The Full Monty

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Gary Oldman, Nil By Mouth

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Craig Pearce/Baz Luhrmann, William Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet

SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Sigourney Weaver, The Ice Storm

SUPPORTING ACTOR

Tom Wilkinson, The Full Monty

FOREIGN FILM

LAppartement

AUDIENCE AWARD

The Full Monty

CINEMATOGRAPHY

Eduardo Serra, The Wings of the Dove

COSTUME DESIGN

Deirdre Clancy, Mrs. Brown

EDITING

Peter Honess, L.A. Confidential

SOUND

L.A. Confidential

PRODUCTION DESIGN

Catherine Martin, William Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet

FILM MUSIC

Nellee Hooper, Marius De Vries, Craig Armstrong, William Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet

VISUAL EFFECTS

The Fifth Element

MAKE UP/HAIR

The Wings of the Dove

SHORT ANIMATED FILM

Helen Nabarro, Michael Rose, Steve Box, Stage Fright

SHORT FILM

Mandy Sprague, Phillipa Cousins, Stephen Volk, The Deadness of Dad

ALEXANDER KORDA AWARD

(for outstanding British film)

Nil By Mouth

MICHAEL BALCON AWARD

(for outstanding British contribution to cinema)

Michael Roberts

ACADEMY FELLOWSHIP

Sean Connery

-- Dan Draghici (ddraghic@sprint.ca), April 20, 1998.