BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. – The Golden Globes were truly global Thursday, with the international drama “Babel” leading contenders with seven nominations and such foreign-themed films as “Letters From Iwo Jima,” “Apocalypto” and “Borat” among key nominees.
“Babel,” a tale of families on three continents linked by tragic events in the North African desert, was nominated for best dramatic film, along with the Robert Kennedy ensemble tale “Bobby,” the cops-and-mobsters thriller “The Departed,” the suburban comic drama “Little Children” and the British royalty saga “The Queen.”
Brad Pitt earned a supporting-actor nomination for “Babel,” while two of the film’s co-stars, Rinko Kikuchi and Adriana Barraza, received supporting actress nominations.
“It was a huge challenge, one year of three continents and more than 1,000 people,” said Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, nominated for best director for “Babel.” “It’s a recognition for Muslims, for Catholics, for Jewish, for Germans, Italians, Mexicans, Americans. So many people were involved that it’s a United Nations celebration.”
Clint Eastwood’s “Letters From Iwo Jima,” the Japanese-language companion piece to his earlier 2006 World War II epic “Flags of Our Fathers,” was nominated for best foreign-language film, along with Mel Gibson’s violent Mayan-language tale “Apocalypto.”
Eastwood also had two directing nominations for “Letters From Iwo Jima” and “Flags of Our Fathers,” which tell the story of the Pacific island battle from the Japanese and American points of view, respectively.
Sacha Baron Cohen’s unexpected $100 million hit “Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan” was nominated for best film comedy or musical. Cohen also was nominated for best musical or comedy actor for his role as the clueless and crass Kazakh journalist Borat.
“I have been trying to let Borat know this great news, but for the last four hours both of Kazakhstan’s telephones have been engaged,” Cohen said in a statement. “Eventually, Premier (Nursultan) Nazarbayev answered and said he would pass on the message as soon as Borat returned from Iran, where (he) is guest of honor at the Holocaust Denial Conference.”
The musical “Dreamgirls,” adapted from the stage hit about a Motown singing group that rises to stardom in the 1960s, joined “Borat” among contenders for best film comedy or musical. The other nominees: the fashion-world comedy “The Devil Wears Prada,” the road-trip romp “Little Miss Sunshine” and the tobacco-industry satire “Thank You for Smoking.”
Hollywood’s second-biggest film honors, the Globes help position nominees for the big prizes, the Academy Awards. The Oscar nominations come out Jan. 23, eight days after Globe winners are announced.
Thursday’s nominations solidified prospects for such Oscar front-runners as Helen Mirren, nominated for best dramatic actress as Queen Elizabeth II in “The Queen,” and Forest Whitaker, who was among best dramatic actor contenders as Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in “The Last King of Scotland.”
Ben Affleck, who played a comic-book superhero in “Daredevil,” was nominated as supporting film actor in “Hollywoodland” for playing George Reeves, star of the 1950s TV show “Adventures of Superman.”
Jennifer Hudson scored a supporting-actress nomination for the musical “Dreamgirls,” going from finalist on “American Idol” to one of Hollywood’s elite in just two years.
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