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 "Parasite," about the gap between rich and poor in modern Seoul,
won a total of four Oscars, including best director and original
screenplay for Bong Joon Ho and best international feature film.
No film had ever won both international feature film and best
picture at the Oscars.
It was a remarkable outcome for a film that played with
subtitles in the United States, beating movies by major studios
and Hollywood veterans such as Martin Scorsese and Quentin
Tarantino. The win also came at the end of an awards season that
had been criticized for lack of diversity.
Instead, the Oscars stage was crowded with South Korean actors
and filmmakers, who mostly spoke to the audience through an
interpreter.
"I am speechless," said Kwak Sin Ae, one of "Parasite"'s
co-producers. "We never imagined this would ever happen. We are
so happy. I feel like a very opportune moment in history is
happening right now."
When Bong got his first Oscar of the night - for best original
screenplay - he gazed at the golden statuette in amazement.
He later paid tribute to his four fellow director nominees,
saying, "I would like to get a Texas chainsaw and split the
Oscar into five and share it with all of you."
The ceremony, held without an official host, was peppered with
jokes and sarcastic commentary about the exclusion of women from
the directing category and the list of 20 acting nominees that
included just one person of color.
"I thought there was something missing this year," quipped
comedian Steve Martin, opening the show with Chris Rock.
"Vaginas?" quipped Rock, to loud applause.
PHOENIX GIVES THANKS FOR SECOND CHANCE
The acting Oscars went as expected. Joaquin Phoenix won best
actor for playing a failing clown who finds fame through
violence in the dark comic-book tale "Joker," and Renee
Zellweger was named best actress for her performance as an
ageing Judy Garland in the musical biopic "Judy."
Phoenix, a strict vegan, gave a long, impassioned acceptance
speech about climate change and animal rights but concluded on a
personal note.
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"I've been a scoundrel in my life. I've been selfish, cruel at times
and hard to work with, and I'm grateful that so many people in this
room have given me a second chance," he said.
World War One movie "1917," from Universal Pictures, had been seen
as the film to beat but won just three of its 10 nominations. They
came for its stunning "one-shot" feel cinematography, for visual
effects and for sound mixing.
Tarantino's sentimental ode to Tinseltown, "Once Upon a Time in
Hollywood," brought the first acting Oscar for Brad Pitt, who played
a supporting role as a laid-back stunt man.
Laura Dern took the supporting actress Oscar, her first Academy
Award, for playing a ruthless divorce lawyer in "Marriage Story."
But Netflix movie "The Irishman" - a costly Mafia saga directed by
Scorsese that had 10 Oscar nominations and starred Hollywood
veterans Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci - came away
empty-handed.
Music played a large part in the ceremony, with a surprise
performance by rapper Eminem of his 2003 Oscar-winning song "Lose
Yourself" from the movie "8 Mile."
Elton John won best original song for "(I'm Gonna) Love Me Again"
from his biopic "Rocketman," which he performed at Sunday night's
ceremony. And American teen Billie Eilish, who won five Grammys last
month, sang the Beatles hit ballad "Yesterday" for the in memoriam
segment.
"American Factory," about the decline of manufacturing jobs in the
industrial Midwest from former U.S. President Barack and first lady
Michelle Obama's new production company, won the Oscar for best
documentary.
(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Additional reporting by Maria Caspani,
Lisa Richwine and Nichola Groom; editing by Jonathan Oatis and
Sandra Maler)
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