Ben Affleck won a surprise double at last night�s Golden Globes, securing the Best Film (Drama) and Best Director prizes for his Iran hostage drama,�Argo.


The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which awards the Globes, preferred Affleck�s optimistic depiction of the CIA to the agency�s darker, more ambivalent portrayal in�Zero Dark Thirty. Kathryn Bigelow�s controversial film about the hunt for Osama bin Laden took home just one award: Best Actress (Drama), for Jessica Chastain.

Affleck was left out of the Best Director category in last week�s Oscar nominations, but the 40-year-old star is having a successful awards season nonetheless; on Thursday, he also accepted the Best Director and Best Picture prizes from the Critics� Choice Movie Awards. This is his first victory at the Golden Globes since he and Matt Damon became the youngest winners of the Best Screenplay prize for�Good Will Hunting, 15 years ago.

On a night where no single film swept the board, the British-made�Les Mis�rables�came away with the heaviest armful, winning three Globes for Best Picture (Musical or Comedy); Best Actor (Musical or Comedy) for Hugh Jackman; and Best Supporting Actress for Anne Hathaway. Its director Tom Hooper, like Affleck and Bigelow, was denied a place in the Oscars� Best Director race.

Hollywood�s favourite living president, Bill Clinton, received a standing ovation as he appeared to introduce Steven Spielberg�s biopic of America�s favourite dead president,�Lincoln. Daniel Day-Lewis was named Best Actor (Drama) for his performance in the title role; he remains hotly-tipped to win a record third Academy Award next month. But Spielberg and co will go away less confident about their Oscar chances, despite�Lincoln�s 12 nominations.

Quentin Tarantino�s blood-soaked slavery revenge yarn,�Django Unchained, was rewarded with a brace of Globes: Best Supporting Actor, for Christoph Waltz, and Best Screenplay, which Tarantino called �a damn surprise�. Jennifer Lawrence won in the last of the major categories, Best Actress (Musical or Comedy), for her work in David O. Russell�s�Silver Linings Playbook. Acknowledging producer and seasoned awards campaigner Harvey Weinstein in her acceptance speech, she said, �Harvey, thank you for killing whoever you had to kill to get me up here today.�

In the television categories, it proved to be another good year for America�s premium cable channels, which triumphed once again over their network rivals. HBO garnered three Globes for its TV movie�Game Change, about the 2008 presidential election; and two for hipster dramedy�Girls, including Best Actress in a Television Comedy for its 26-year-old creator and star, Lena Dunham. Showtime managed a hat-trick with�Homeland, which won Best Television Drama, as well as acting honours for its two leads, Claire Danes and Damian Lewis.

Lewis was among a handful of British winners. Dame Maggie Smith was nominated in a film category for her role in�Quartet, but won in a television category, as Best Supporting Actress in a Miniseries, for her perpetually scene-stealing turn as the Dowager Countess of�Downton Abbey. Meanwhile Adele added to her nine Grammys with a Golden Globe for Best Original Song � her Bond theme, �Skyfall�.

By The Independent

 

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