MONTE
www.montepictures.com
From the founder
From the founder
I hope that one day I will attend the Academy Awards
ceremony as a nominee, hopefully, to win. But, dreams are
just dreams, but in my case it’s my pursuit for the possibilities
which I know it can be accomplished. March issue will be
simple, but will maintain the concept of my newsletter: Oscar
glory. I hope you will engage this year by enjoying the
movies. I wish best of wishes and great health to you and
your family.
Javier Serrano
javier.serrano@montepictures.com
Pursue the possibilities… March 2008
Oscar Makes History
This is the first time in eighty years of the Academy Awards when four
of the acting categories are won by non-Americans. Daniel Day – Lewis,
by far the Best Actor last year in his performance in There Will Be Blood.
Marion Cotillard became the first French actor to win an Oscar for Best
Actress for her performance spoken in French in La Vie En Rose. Tilda
Swinton was flabbergasted when she heard her name called by last
year Oscar winner Alan Arkin. Swinton won Best Supporting Actress for
her performance in Michael Clayton; she dedicated her Oscar statute to
her American agent and George Clooney. Javier Bardem became the
first Spanish actor, male or female, to win the prestigious Academy
Award for Best Supporting Actor for his brilliant and haunting
performance in No Country for Old Men.

Oscar ratings disappointing
The Academy Awards celebrated their eighties years on
February 24, 2008. The Coen Brothers’ No Country for Old Men
walked away with four Oscars including, the coveted Best
Picture and Best Directing statutes. Mostly all the categories
were predictable, excluding the unknown categories like Best
Short Documentary or Best Short Live. Overall, the ceremony
went smoothly, no political expression speeches. Although,
there were a lot of interruption speeches from the orchestra. I
do believe the Academy board should take it to some sort of
consideration in allowing more time for Oscar speeches. How
does one only get forty seconds to thank everyone? Less than
thirty-five millions tuned in to watch the Academy Awards
marking this ceremony the lowest-ever Oscar rating to date.
Coen Brothers strike gold; three times
The Coen Brothers are without a doubt one of the most
influential filmmakers. Joel and Ethan Coen have been avid
filmmakers from an early age. Although, they are using a
two men team, Ethan (left, above) is the writer- producer,
while the Joel (right) is writer – director. In 1996 when
Fargo was released in theaters and eventually went on to
receive seven Academy Award nominations, this marked the
beginning of a new generation of filmmakers. Fargo won the
Oscars for Best Original Screenplay for Joel and Ethan
Coen; while Frances McDormand married to Joel Coen, won
the coveted Best Actress Oscar. No Country for Old Men
won four Oscars, Joel and Ethan Coen scored three Oscars
each in the respectively categories of Best Producing;
Directing, making this the second time two co-winner Best
director since Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins won in
1962 for Westside Story; and writing.

Daniel Day – Lewis won his first Academy Award in
1989 for his mesmerizing performance in My Left Foot.
Nearly two decades later, and still well-crafted in all his
performances. His biggest prize was capturing his
second Oscar for his performance in Paul Thomas
Anderson’s There Will Be Blood. The year 2007 had
many strong performances from Tommy Lee Jones and
Viggo Mortensen, but, no other actor were able to
captivate the struggle and intensity through one’s
performance, only Daniel Day –Lewis was able to
achieve that goal and won the votes from the Academy
members for Best Actor.
Best Actress
Marion Cotillard became the first actor to win an
Academy Award in a role spoken in French. Although,
she is the third actor to win an Oscar in a foreign
Language film, previous winners were Sophia Loren in
1961 for Two Women and Roberto Benigni in 1998 for
Life is Beautiful. Marion Cotillard’s performance was
inspiring. This was the only performance which
received a standing ovation from me. This was an
absolute powerful performance as the French legendary
singer Edith Piaf whose life was lived through tragedies.
Actor in a Supporting Role
Javier Bardem became the first Spanish actor to win
an Academy Award. Bardem rose to fame in 2000
for his powerful performance in Before Night Falls
as a Cuban- exiled writer. His performance was
superb enough to receive an Academy Award
nomination, but lost to Russell Crowe in Gladiator.
This is Javier Bardem’s first Hollywood role; luckily,
he was directed by the Coen Brothers in No Country
for Old Men, which he went on to garner dozens
awards including the film industry’s biggest award:
the Oscar.
Actress in a Supporting Role
Tilda Swinton will join the list of incredible British
Oscar- winning actors. Usually, the Best Supporting
Actress category is a tough one because it is very
unpredictable. My vote was for Swinton as the
ruthless lawyer in Michael Clayton. Many believed
the Oscar would have been won by Cate Blanchett
for her performance in Todd Hayes’ I’m Not There.
Luckily, I was right in choosing the Oscar winner in
this category.
Oscar Moments
Roberto Bengini became
the second actor to direct
himself in an Oscar –
Anna Paquin became the winning performance for
second youngest actor to win an the 1998, Life is
Oscar at the age of eleven in Beautiful.
1994 for her performance in The
Piano. Laurence Olivier became
the first in 1948 for his
Tatum O'Neal holds the record performance in Hamlet.
at age ten for the youngest actor
to win an Academy Award in
1974 for her performance in
Paper Moon.

Marlee Matlin holds the

record as the youngest
individual to win a lead acting
Oscar at age twenty- one for
Jodie Foster’s her performance in 1986,
performance as FBI Children in a Lesser God.
trainee Clarice Also, she is the first Oscar
Starling in The winner who is deaf.
Silence of the
Lambs, not only won Jessica Tandy holds the
the 1991, Academy record as the oldest Oscar
Award for Best winner at age eighty- one for
Actress. But her her performance in 1989,
performance is Driving Miss Daisy.
ranked by critics and
her peers as the
greatest woman
heroine in cinema.
 William Wyler’s
Ben-Hur is tied with
James Cameron’s
Titanic and Peter
Jackson’s The Lord
of the Rings: The
Return of the Kings
with the most
Anthony Hopkins won his first and only Oscar
Oscar with eleven
for his performance as Dr. Hannibal Lector in
each.
1991, The Silence of the Lambs. He holds the
record as the shortest lead performance,
nearly seventeen minutes, to win an Oscar.

Harshest moment in Oscar history. Marketa Irglova shared

her Oscar win with Glen Hansard for Best Original Song,
when it came her time to deliver her acceptance speech
she was pre-empted by the orchestra music’s cue. Jon
Stewart brought her out after the commercial break and
had given her the moment to shine to deliver her inspiring
speech.
Ang Lee became the first Asian to win the
coveted Best Director for 2005, Brokeback
Mountain. No Hispanic nor African –
American film director has yet to win in this
category.
80th Academy Award Winners

Best Picture: No Country for Old Men

Best Director: Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, No

Best Adapted Screenplay: No Country for Old Men
Country for Old Men
Best Supporting Actress: Tilda Swinton, Michael Clayton
Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood
Best Animated Short Film: Peter and the Wolf
Best Original Screenplay: Diablo Cody, Juno
Best Live Action Short Film: Le Mozart de Pickpockets
Best Documentary Feature: Taxi to the Dark Side
Best Supporting Actor: Javier Bardem, No Country for
Best Documentary Short Subject: Freeheld
Old Men
Best Original Score: Atonement
Best Art Direction: Sweeney Todd: The Barber of Fleet
Street
Best Cinematography in Film: There Will Be Blood
Best Visual Effects: The Golden Compass
Best Original Song: “Falling Slowly“, Once
Achievement in Makeup: La Vie en Rose
Best Foreign Language Film: The Counterfeiters
Best Animated Feature: Ratatouille
Best Film Editing: The Bourne Ultimatum
Best Costume Design: Elizabeth: The Age
Best Song: “Falling Slowly“, Once

Best Actress: Marion Cotillard, La Vie en Rose

Best Sound Mixing: The Bourne Ultimatum

 Anthony Minghella
(1954 – 2008)

All photographs
are copyrighted
by

Anthony Minghella was a respective filmmaker and won the

1996 Academy Award for Best Director for his brilliant work
for The English Patient. He first came to the public eye
Newsletter is with his 1990 sleeper-hit Truly, Madly, Deeply. But it was
not until 1996 where he wrote and directed The English
copyrighted by Monte Patient by the best-selling novel by Michael Ondaatje that
won the critics and audiences all over the world. The
English Patient walked away with nine Academy Awards
including, the coveted Best Picture. Afterwards, he wrote
and directed the 1999 film The Talented Mr. Ripley starring
Matt Damon which garnered Minghella two Oscar
nomination for Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay,
as well, an Oscar nomination for Matt Damon in a leading
role. He has produced many well-known films like 2001,
Iris and wrote, produced and directed the 2003, Cold
Mountain, which garnered seven Academy Awards
nomination. On March 18, 2008 he died from
a hemorrhage in a London hospital.