Los Angeles (AFP)
The very caustic comedian Ricky Gervais opened Sunday evening the evening of the Golden Globes, which launch the race for cinematographic prizes in Hollywood, with in sight the Oscars.
Racism, sexual harassment, competence of the jury, Ricky Gervais actually fired all fire, taking a malicious pleasure in pinning the audience of celebrities gathered at the Hilton hotel in Beverly Hills.
The comedian also mocked the undeniable supremacy of Netflix on this ceremony.
With 34 nominations in total between cinema and television, the Netflix video-on-demand platform is in pole position to win the bet, with an armada of stars in the cast.
First of them to be rewarded, Laura Dern was awarded "best supporting actress" for her performance in "Marriage Story". This drama, which follows the tumultuous divorce between an actress played by Scarlett Johansson and her husband director, played by Adam Driver, came first in the nominations, with six selections.
Netflix, which started producing original content only six years ago, aligns another heavyweight in the flagship category of best drama: "The Irishman", political-mafia thriller of the legendary Martin Scorsese, with five nominations, including Al Pacino and Joe Pesci.
"Netflix has pulled out all the stops in this dramatic film category and has a good chance" of winning, said Pete Hammond, price specialist for Deadline magazine.
Netflix is still in charge with "Les Deux Papes", an imaginary encounter between Benedict XVI (Anthony Hopkins) and his successor François (Jonathan Pryce) produced by the Brazilian Fernando Meirelles, in the running in four categories.
The Warner Bros. "Joker", with the impressive Joaquin Phoenix in the title role, and "1917" from Universal Studios, complete the list in this hotly contested category.
Side comedy - unlike the Oscars, the Golden Globes distinguish the two categories -, Netflix succeeds in the feat of bringing back to the screen Eddie Murphy, always so whimsical in "Dolemite Is My Name".
However, he will find on his way the last Quentin Tarantino, "Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood", with Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt.
With five nominations in all, Tarantino's film, an ode to Hollywood and the cinema of his childhood in Los Angeles, has clearly won over the jury of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which awards the prizes.
Last year, its 90 or so members had a hollow nose: all the Golden Globe award winners in the cinema category won an Oscar, with the exception of that of film music.
- Listening to the Oscars? -
The Golden Globes are among the most coveted awards in American cinema: they are a major indicator of films and actors with a good chance of obtaining the famous golden statuette of the Oscars.
Votes for the Oscar nominations are open until Tuesday, which could prompt members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to wait to see the Golden Globes before filling out their ballots.
In total, Netflix snatched 17 nominations for cinema. The platform also dominated television nominations with 17 selections, compared to 15 for its historic rival HBO.
However, it was an Amazon production, the crazy series "Fleabag", which won the Golden Globe for best comic series. Its creator, Briton Phoebe Waller-Bridge, was also awarded for her interpretation of the title role.
"The Crown", a series about the British royal family, defended the colors of Netflix in four categories.
But "The Morning Show", on harassment in the media and produced by Apple for the launch of its new streaming service, could give him a hard time.
The Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film was awarded to "Parasite" by South Korean Bong Joon-ho.
He preceded two French works, "Portrait of the young girl on fire" by Céline Sciamma, and "Les Misérables" by Ladj Ly.
Already a Palme d'Or at the Cannes Festival in 2019, "Parasite" is considered one of the favorites for the Oscars, but the statutes of the Golden Globes do not allow a film in a foreign language to compete in the category of best dramas or comedies.
© 2020 AFP