Oscars 2011: Natalie Portman triumphs as best actress but the night belongs to best film, The King's Speech, with honours to Colin Firth, director

Martha Temmuz 14, 2021

By LIZZIE SMITH and BAZ BAMIGBOYE

I did it! Natalie Portman wipes away a tear as she accepts her award for best actress for her role in Black Swan at the OScars

The King's Speech wins best film and best director

Christian Bale named best supporting actor for The Fighter

Melissa Leo apologises after using F-word as she accepts best supporting actress for The Fighter

Wiping tears from her eyes, pregnant Natalie Portman dedicated her best actress Oscar for Black Swan to her family, and fiancé, last night.

But while her delight was obvious the night belonged to another small budget, independent movie that was a labour of love.

The King’s Speech and its star Colin Firth were the toast of Hollywood, winning best film, best actor, best director and best original screenplay.

Few in the UK wanted to back the film, but a band of producers and film-makers slashed their usual rates to get it made.

Congratulations: Dancer Benjamin Millepied embraces his fiancé Natalie as her win is announced

With Film 4 and BBC Films both refusing funding, the UK Film Council put up a large part of the money, along with London-based Momentum Pictures and Harvey Weinstein's Weinstein film company.

As Academy Awards host James Franco noted ‘The King’s Speech has now become part of Oscar history’.

Black Swan star Portman had showed off her bump in her flowing Rodarte gown as she walked to the stage to give her acceptance speech.

Now for her next role: With her first child on the way, Natalie said she wasn't sure whether she would ever work on another movie like Black Swan

'I want to thank my parents,' she said. 'First and foremost for giving me my life. And for the opportunity to work at such a young age.'

The pregnant actress wiped away a tear as she also thanked her fiancé, who she met while filming Black Swan, and with whom she is now expecting her first child.

'My beautiful love Benjamin Millepied who choreographed the film and has now given me my most important role of my life.'

Portman said backstage that she was ‘still in a dream-like state’.

'My career has peaked': Colin Firth had the audience laughing as he picked up his Oscar for best actor

A kiss for the wife: Firth is congratulated by Livia Giuggioli

She joked that the baby she is carrying started kicking during the show when the nominated songs were being sung.

Someone asked her if she would be naming her baby Oscar and she replied that most certainly would not be happening.

Asked how her pregnancy would affect her future movie choices, she said: ’It’s one of the most exciting things of being pregnant. I’m just accepting that I have no idea, it’s accepting what people go through every day.'

The Oscar winners: Best supporting actor Christian Bale, best actress Portman, best supporting actress Leo and best actor Firth
It was a big night for British film as Firth took the best actor award for his role in The King's Speech.

Firth was nominated last year for Tom Ford’s film A Single Man but lost to Jeff Bridges.

But now it was Firth’s turn to triumph over his once-again nominated rival.
'I’ve a feeling my career’s just peaked,' he joked.

Firth thanked, 'all the people who have been routing for me back home,' and his wife, 'Livia, for putting up with my fleeting delusions of royalty.'

The cast and crew of The King's Speech, (Iain Canning, Emile Sherman and Gareth Unwin, Producers), celebrates their trophy for Best Picture

The crowd of Oscar nominees and winners watch as Firth gives his thank you speech

Although it was pretty much a given that Firth was going to collect an Oscar for his powerful portrait of King George VI, and that David Seidler would win for best original screenplay, the wins for best director and best film weren’t as assured as people believed.

Seidler dedicated his award to 'all the stutterers around the world,' and thanked 'Her Majesty The Queen for not putting me in the Tower for using the F word.'

Halfway through the ceremony when The Social Network won for best editing, one of the King’s Speech team exclaimed, ’well that’s it, we’ve lost it’.

Group effort: Geoffrey Rush congratulates Tom Hooper as he accepts the Oscar for best achievement in directing

Tom Hooper accepts his Oscar for best director as David Seidler accepts best original screenplay; both for The King's Speech

That’s because the best editing win is often, but clearly, not always, seen as a signal to which film will win best film.

But as the evening wore on Tom Hooper The King’s Speech’s 38-year-old director beat rival David Fincher for best director. He dedicated the prestigious gong to his mother.

It was she, he revealed, who first suggested he make the movie, after watching a script read through of the stage version.

Your honour: Melissa bows to Kirk Douglas as she joins the 94-year-old screen icon onstage

The win surprised many, who had predicted that David Fincher would win for The Social Network.

Later Gareth Unwin, one of the three producers with Iain Canning and Emile Sherman, joked that it was his good luck charm, a Union Jack pocket square, that helped them win.

He admitted he ‘borrowed’ the silk square from a table centre piece at the BAFTA awards in London two weeks ago.

‘It felt lucky so I took it’, Unwin joked.

No hard feelings: Amy Adams congratulates Melissa Leo after The Fighter star won the Oscar for best actress

Shock: Melissa holds her face in horror after realising she has sworn onstage as Kirk Douglas holds her Oscar

The King’s Speech didn’t achieve the sweep that some had hoped, it was up for twelve Oscars, but best picture is a pretty nice trophy to take home.

Helena Bonham Carter missed out on the best supporting actress Oscar as Melissa Leo won for her work on The Fighter.

The actress kept her disappointment in check as she applauded Leo, alongside fellow nominee, 14-year-old Hailee Steinfeld.

Leo's gong was presented to her by 94-year-old screen legend Kirk Douglas, who happily eked out his moment in the spotlight, having never won himself.

'You pinch me?' Leo asked him, not sure if she was dreaming.

Leo, nominated for a second time, had shook as she took to the stage, before accidentally blurting out a swear word, which was removed by editors.

'Oh wow, really truly wow,' she gasped. 'I know there's a lot of real lovely people who've said a lot of nice things to me for several months but I'm just shaking in my boots right now.'

The show: Hosts James Franco and Anne Hathaway speak onstage at the Kodak Theatre

Cross dressers: Anne Hathaway and James Franco swap outfits; Franco joked that he had received a text from Charlie Sheen

Also winning for The Fighter was Christian Bale, named best supporting actor.

Bale thanked Dicky Eklund, who he played in the movie, asking the retired fighter to take a bow in the audience.

He also referred to his co-star's slip up, saying: 'I'm not going to drop the F-bomb like she did. I've done that plenty before.'

British singer Florence Welch performs If I Rise from the motion picture 127 Hours, a nominee for best original song

Nominees: Mandy Moore and Gwyneth Paltrow perform tracks nominated for best original song

The Social Network took its first Oscar for best adapted screenplay - handed to Aaron Sorkin for his adaptation of the book The Accidental Billionaire by Ben Mezrich.

The film also picked up an award for best original score, presented to Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross by Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman.

Inception's Gary A Rizzo & Ed Novick won an Oscar for best sound mixing and the film also won for best sound editing for the work of Richard King. The film took a third for best cinematography, going to Wally Pfister.

The Oscar for best foreign film went to the movie In a Better World, from Denmark, while the Oscar for makeup went to The Wolfman.

Winner for best foreign language Film, Susan Bier accepts her award for her Danish movie In A Better World

The first award, for art direction, was presented by Tom Hanks to Robert Stromberg (production design) and Karen O'Hara (set decoration) for their work on the 3D movie Alice in Wonderland.

Hanks, a double winner himself, also presented the Oscar for costume design to Colleen Atwood, for her work on the Tim Burton directed movie.

The winner for best animated short film was The Lost Thing, while the animated film Oscar was awarded to the considerably bigger budget Toy Story 3.

'I'm a married man': Presenters Russell Brand and Helen Mirren joke around onstage, with Brand implying that Mirren has a crush on him

Presenter Josh Brolin dances with fellow presenter Javier Bardem as they make their way onto stage

Toy Story also won original song for We Belong Together, Music and Lyric by Randy Newman.

Missing out an an award was British graffiti artist Banksy, for his film Exit Through The Gift Shop. Instead the Oscar for best documentary feature went to Inside Job.

The show opened with co-hosts Anne Hathaway and James Franco inserted into a montage scenes from best-picture nominees, built as a series of dream sequences a la Oscar contender Inception.

Hathaway and Franco joked about the criticism over their appointment as hosts.

'You look so lovely and so hip,' Anne told James. 'You look very appealing to a younger demographic as well, ' he replied.

Presenter Steven Speilberg, Iain Canning, Emile Sherman and Gareth Unwin, producers of The King's Speech

There was also some comic relief from the audience as Franco's grandmother shouted out: 'I just saw Marky Mark.'

She was of course referring to Mark Wahlberg, nominated for an Oscar for his role in The Fighter.

The actor has made every effort to distance himself from his cheesy past as an 80s pop star.

At one stage Franco appeared on stage dressed as Marilyn Monroe.

'I just got a text message from Charlie Sheen,' he remarked, referring to the troubled actor.

One to treasure: Rick Baker, left, and Dave Elsey pose with presenter Cate Blanchett after receiving the Oscar for achievement in makeup for The Wolfman

We've got Oscars! Lora Hirschberg, Ed Novick, Gary A Rizzo and presenters Matthew McConaughey and Scarlett Johansson pose backstage after Hirschberg, Novick and Rizzo win the Oscar for achievement in sound mixing for Inception