I watched a bit of the European Film Awards live streaming earlier today and the first sight that greeted me was Anke Engelke looking like she'd stepped out of the Capitol to announce the next Hunger Games. The only thing she got wrong was that her hair and makeup were too demure. Tim said she looked a "teensy bit too lindt bunny" which made me giggle.
While attempting to watch the show I was pulled into an endless twitter debate about misogyny and glorification/condemnation thereof in The Wolf of Wall Street - a conversation which I expect will rage throughout awards season unless the veritable army of Scorsese stans succeeds in stamping out open discussion about the movie's merits; they're weirdly adamant that one should only do adrenaline fueled wolf howls at it which is, I don't mind saying, one of the worst things that can happen to a movie that merits any kind of considered conversation.
SOOOOOO, while I didn't make it all the way through the EFAs and am ashamed to note that I missed Catherine Deneuve's tribute altogether (argh) here are 5 thoughts from the ceremony...
1. Pedro Almodovar Tribute! A smattering of his regular actors came out (sans the biggies: Carmen & Cruz) to praise him and began singing the Pointer Sisters number "I'm So Excited" at him. Ending with the....
I know I know I know I know I know I want you I want you! ♫
....complete with dance floor finger pointing! I couldn't tell if he was horrified that I'm So Excited was marking his legacy (I seem to be the only person who enjoyed the movie) or bemused that his darling faces were there and I totally lost the thread of his speech... but that clip reel. Damn, is that a man a genius or what?
2. Noomi Rapace was there, too, introducing him for some reason. Pedro quipped "My English is not as good as your Swedish"
3. Veerle Baetens won Best Actress for Broken Circle Breakdown, Belgium's Oscar hopeful. You probably shouldn't bet against it in the Oscar race. I'd say it's too risque (the sex scenes are rather remarkable) and experimental for the Academy but the foreign branch, for all the online quibbles about them, has shown a tolerance for things people are always claiming this branch can't handle. As a movie it continues to grow on me possibly because its strengths are hard to forget and its faults are easy to ignore when you're NOT watching it (i.e. it's repetitions... given that it's a half hour too long and its undisciplined aesthetics). Veerle seemed to be wearing braces which you just don't see that often at awards shows. I should note that she is very sexy and beautiful in the film (and heavily believably tatted in her movie so props to the makeup team) iwhich you would never guess from this screencap.
4. How is it possible that François Ozon is as sexy as he is? Easily the hottest movie director working. Oh, it's true. Don't even try to claim otherwise. He won screenplay for In the House, which I keep feeling terrible about missing since I like his movies and Kristin Scott Thomas.
5. Who knew that Carice van Houten was a musician in her off hours? The Dutch film (Black Book) and tv star (Game of Thrones) sang to the crowd. For some reason the camera was swooping and zooming all over the place making me nauseous. I can't recall the last time I saw camera work that bad on an awards show. I'm not exaggerating.
THE WINNERS LIST
Film The Great Beauty (Italy's Oscar Submission)
Comedy Love is All You Need (Denmark, Susanne Bier)
Discovery Oh Boy (Germany, which Guy Lodge memorably suggests is a Euromale version of Frances Ha. So it's a pity it wasn't Oscar submitted)
Documentary The Act of Killing (Denmark, Oscar Doc Finalist)
Animated Film Congress (not eligible for Oscar)
Short Film Death of a Shadow (Belgium, an Oscar nominee last year)
Director Paolo Sorrentino (The Great Beauty)
Actress Veerle Baetens (The Broken Circle Breakdown)
Actor Toni Servillo (The Great Beauty)
Screenwriter François Ozon (In the House)
Cinematographer Asaf Sudry (Fill the Void, Israel's Oscar submission last year)
Editor Cristiano Travagliolo (The Great Beauty)
Production Designer Sarah Greenwood (Anna Karenina)
Costume Designer Paco Delgado (Blancanieves, Spain's Oscar submission last year)
Composer Ennio Morricone (The Best Offer)
Sound Designer Matz Müller & Erik Mischijew (Paradise:Faith)
DENEUVE. one of the greats and a living legend
Lifetime Achievement Catherine Deneuve (France)
World Cinema Achievement Pedro Almodovar (Spain)
CoProduction Award Ada Solomon (Child's Pose, Romania)
People's Choice The Gilded Cage (France)