Oscars get misty-eyed in nostalgia

THE films with the most nominations are those that honour the art form's heritage.

The Artist

THIS is the year that Hollywood shows off its nostalgic side. As the field for the 84th Academy Awards was revealed in Los Angeles yesterday, it was two tributes to the art of film itself that emerged on top.

Hugo, a lavish, 3-D spectacle set in 1930s Paris, directed by Martin Scorsese and described by critics "as a heartfelt love letter to filmmaking", garnered the most Oscar nominations -- 11 -- among them Best Picture, Best Director and Best Screenplay. The Artist, a black-and-white, mostly silent film set in Hollywood during the age of flappers and fedoras, won 10 nominations.

Announced at the Academy's headquarters in Beverly Hills, the nominations confirmed what had long been suspected: this will not be a vintage year for British or Australian film.

Canberra-born Mia Wasikowska was overlooked for a best actress nomination for her role in Jane Eyre, as was Naomi Watts for J. Edgar, while Joel Edgerton (Warrior) missed out on a nod in the best-supporting role category. If the Australians are going to take home a statuette, it's going to have to be someone from behind the scenes.

Australian film editor Kirk Baxter, who won last year for The Social Network, was nominated for his work on David Fincher's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Australian sound mixer Andy Nelson was nominated for Steven Spielberg's War Horse, making it the 15th Academy Award nomination of his career. Producer Grant Hill is also in line for a nomination after The Tree of Life was given the nod in the best picture category. The Academy is yet to decide on which of the film's producers would be entitled to accept the award, should it win.

Gary Oldman was the only Briton nominated for Best Actor, for his role as George Smiley in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. The film, however, was not among the nine nominated as Best Picture: The Artist, The Descendants, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, Hugo, The Help, Midnight in Paris, Moneyball, The Tree of Life and War Horse.

Meryl Streep earned a record 17th nomination, for Best Actress, for her depiction of Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady. She is the favourite in a very strong field, her rivals including Michelle Williams, who plays Marilyn Monroe in My Week with Marilyn, and Viola Davis in The Help.

The success of Hugo, a film that pays tribute to the silent-film director Georges Melies, will cement Scorsese's standing. His nomination for Best Director is his seventh, his first dating to 1980 for Raging Bull. He won his first Oscar five years ago for the gangster movie The Departed. Nominations, however, do not always translate into an armful of statuettes: last year True Grit had 10 nominations but won nothing.

The Artist is the bookies' favourite to win the Best Picture award, but has yet to storm the box office, taking in a relatively paltry $US30 million ($28.5m) worldwide so far. It has already won the Golden Globe for Best Comedy; however, a better barometer of Oscar potential may be its victory in the recent Producers Guild Awards: for the past four years, the PGA and the Academy have agreed on Best Picture.

The Best Actor category pits George Clooney and Brad Pitt, two longstanding friends and collaborators, against each other, for their roles in The Descendants and Moneyball. Pitt was preparing breakfast for his and Angelina Jolie's six children when he learned of his third nomination. He was making pancakes -- and anything else the children demanded. "Whatever they want," he said. "I don't care how sugared up they get for school."

The award for Best Supporting Actor matches two 82-year-olds: Christopher Plummer for Beginners and Max von Sydow for Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close. Kenneth Branagh is nominated in the same category, for his role as Laurence Olivier in My Week with Marilyn.

Scriptwriter Peter Straughan's Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy was shortlisted for Best Adapted Screenplay. Straughan co-wrote the film with his wife, Bridget O'Connor, who died in 2010.

He said: "I wish more than anything in the world that my wife -- who did the lion's share of the adaptation -- could be here to enjoy this moment. She would be so happy and so proud."

The winners will be announced on February 26.

THE TIMES