Only thrice has one person taken two slots for Best Director. Clarence Brown did it at the 3rd Academy Awards, Michael Curtiz did it at the 11th Academy Awards, and Steven Soderbergh did it at the 73rd Academy Awards.
One of the big stories of the season was Soderbergh's double whammy of Erin Brockovich, proving to be more than "just" a Julia Roberts vehicle, and Traffic, the all-star drug trade epic proving to be just as entertaining as it was Important. But despite being the critics' pick, it was believed he would split his own vote and go home empty-handed. Besides, there were two other more likely would-be winners. One was Ridley Scott, who helmed the movie that, after all, many believed would win, Gladiator. The other was Ang Lee, Taiwanese director of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, who was winning the battle against foreign language bias: the Golden Globes, the British Academy, and even the Directors Guild of America named him the Best of the Year. He had the momentum, the industry vote. Rounding out the five was Billy Elliot's Stephen Daldry, this year's representative of Audience-Friendly British Entertainment.
In the end was the beginning. That is to say, the critics awards got it right:
Had I a ballot, here's how I would rank them:
5. Steven Soderbergh for Traffic
one of two nominations for Director; LAFCA Awards winner, National Board of Review's Best Director of 2000, NYFCC Awards winner; BAFTA Awards nominee, DGA Awards nominee, Golden Globes nominee
Not to be contrarian, but frankly, this is my least favorite of the movies here and Soderbergh's directorial choices are part of the reason. The color filters distinguishing each of the narrative threads are almost comical, though at least the severity of the hues - the blue Michael Douglas, the bleached Benicio del Toro, and the...normal?...Don Cheadle/Catherine Zeta-Jones - at least prepares me to be excited or irritated, depending on the vignette. The moments he ends the film on feel so false, so forced.
4. Ridley Scott for Gladiator
second of three Directing nominations; BAFTA Awards nominee, DGA Awards nominee, Golden Globes nominee
Ah, an epic that knows how to be blowhardy, Shakespearian, exciting, romantic, violent, and entertaining. Scott's vision never feels too much, his scope always in service of the emotional core of Maximus's journey. That's what impresses most: many were the swords-and-sandals epics that couldn't build a foundation of truth on which to hang the Visual Splendor; Scott learns the lesson and keeps the performances layered and immersive. Few can make every element of an historical epic work, but here he is!
3. Steven Soderbergh for Erin Brockovich
one of two nominations for Director; LAFCA Awards winner, National Board of Review's Best Director of 2000, NYFCC Awards winner; BAFTA Awards nominee, DGA Awards nominee, Golden Globes nominee
That tinting is better executed here, where we get an increasing sense of how bone-dry PG&E has made Hinkley: it feels like they citizens are trapped out in the middle of nowhere, even the grass, what little there is, is dead. Into this desert blows Julia Roberts' ultimate movie star performance, and Soderbergh makes sure that while his star is appropriately highlighted, she is surrounded by an a-game ensemble. The only thing that rings false is Aaron Eckhart's wig!
2. Stephen Daldry for Billy Elliot
first of three nominations; BAFTA Awards nominee
A deceptively light touch. He found Jamie Bell and got that performance, that alone is reason for praise. But I also think he captures Billy's POV visually: I feel like we're sailing through the air when he goes through his lessons with Ms. Wilkinson, I can feel both his openness and isolation when he dances on the wall or down the street or, of course, bound within the lavatory. It's a visual motif that plays throughout, like when Gary Lewis, at his lowest, attempts to break the strike and finds himself suddenly alone among the piles and piles of coal, brought to his knees, surrounded by his life's work. And just the overall positive feeling Daldry manages to convey...inspiring!
1. Ang Lee for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
first of three Directing nominations; BAFTA Awards winner, DGA Awards winner, Golden Globes winner; LAFCA Awards runner-up, NYFCC Awards runner-up
This, to me, seems the most obvious pick. Lee keeps us engaged with poetic visuals, thrilling action, sensual romance, and great performances. It is funny that the action - all the flying through the air, impressive swordplay, etc. - funny that while it's all superbly choreographed and captured, what I remember most and what Lee emphasizes is the yearning of love that cannot be. Whether it's the decades-long tension between Chow Yun-Fat and Michelle Yeoh or the forbidden rich girl-bandit romance of Zhang Ziyi and Chang Chen, every fight, every intriguing twist, becomes either foreplay, climax, or avoiding feelings. That final scene, oh my word...
Tomorrow, the nominees for Best Picture: Chocolat, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Erin Brockovich, Gladiator, and Traffic.
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