January 17, 2011
Significant Jewish Presence in Globes’ Winners Circle
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Jewish talent won some and lost some at the Golden Globe Award ceremonies, Jan. 16 in Beverly Hills, auguring a mixed outlook for the upcoming Oscar nominations.
The best news is that Israeli-born Natalie Portman waltzed off as best actress in the drama category for her impressive turn as a tortured ballerina in “The Black Swan.”
“The Social Network,” the gripping, if somewhat skewed, story of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, won for best drama, but its star, Jesse Eisenberg, lost out to best actor winner Colin Firth, who portrayed England’s stuttering George VI in “The King’s Speech.”
“Social Network” won additional honors for screenwriter Aaron Sorkin for best screenplay. Sorkin beat out, among others, Britain’s David Seidler, who provided the inspiration and script for “The King’s Speech.”
Seidler’s paternal grandparents perished in the Holocaust.
In the comedy or musical category, Paul Giamatti, who is not Jewish, emerged as best actor for his spot-on portrayal of the very Jewish producer Barney Panofsky in “Barney’s Version.”
The movie is based on the novel of the same title by Canadian Jewish author Mordecai Richler.
Denmark’s “In a Better World” won the prize for best foreign-language film. Israel’s Oscar entry, “The Human Resources Manager,” did not place among the five Globe finalists.
For the first time since the end of World War II, no movie or documentary dealing with the Holocaust or the Nazi era was submitted for either Golden Globe or Academy Award consideration.
