Director Martin Scorsese finally took home a Best Feature Directing award from the Directors Guild of America for The Departed. And as Dave McNary of Variety explains that's a good omen for his chances to win that elusive OSCAR as well:
After six tries, Martin Scorsese has arrived in the winner's circle with "The Departed" as the mob thriller took the DGA feature directing award.
The award underlines Scorsese status as the front-runner for the Best Director Oscar, to be presented Feb. 25. He won the Golden Globe three weeks ago and the DGA winner, based on voting by 13,400 Guild members, has matched the Oscar winner in 52 of its 58 awards, including last year when Ang Lee won both for "Brokeback Mountain."
Saturday night's win, presented by Steven Spielberg at the Century Plaza before a crowd of about 1,000, came more than three decades after Scorsese's first nomination for another gritty drama "Taxi Driver."
"It's the first time I've been given this recognition," an elated Scorsese noted at the top of his acceptance speech. The 64-year-old helmer was the only repeat DGA nominee, topping Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu for "Babel," Bill Condon for "Dreamgirls," Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris for "Little Miss Sunshine" and Stephen Frears for "The Queen."
"I just wanted to make a good film and people would go see it and enjoy the film and that's it God willing I'd get another picture," Scorsese said in his usual rapid-fire delivery. "I did not think I'd be standing here tonight, I'll tell you that."
Prior to the award, Scorsese received by far the warmest reception during presentations of nominee plaques. Leonardo DiCaprio, who's toplined Scorsese's last three films, told the audience in his presentation speech that the director never stops teaching, adding, "Every time you're with him, whether on set or at dinner, you learn something."
And Scorsese noted kiddingly that the grosses for "The Departed," an adaptation of Hong Kong hit "Infernal Affairs," were especially strong in such organized crime centers as Las Vegas. "It was the first picture I'd ever done with a plot," he added.
Scorsese also paid tribute to genre film directors such as Don Siegel, Samuel Fuller, Bud Boetticher, Anthony Mann and Robert Aldrich. "So I thank them and I thank you tonight," he concluded. "I am greatly honored."... It's his sixth Oscar directing nomination along with "Raging Bull," "The Last Temptation of Christ," "Goodfellas" "Gangs of New York" and "The Aviator."
"The Departed" has taken in the highest gross among the nominated films with $127 million domestically and nearly $270 million worldwide. Scorsese's previous DGA nominations were for "The Aviator," "Gangs of New York," "The Age of Innocence," "Goodfellas," "Raging Bull" and "Taxi Driver." He won the DGA's Lifetime Achievement Award in 2003...
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Click here for the complete list of winners at the 59th Annual DGA Awards
...As great as Scorsese's DGA win is though, nothing will truly compare to a Super Bowl XLI win for the Chicago Bears versus the Indianapolis Colts...I hate to say this, but a Bears victory really depends on how well QB Rex Grossman preforms this evening... After all, we already know that the team has a consistent defense. Unfortunately, the same can't always be said of Grossman's play... If one more person tells me that it would so great to see the Colts QB Peyton Manning finally get that Championship Ring--I THINK I'M GONNA SPIT!!
I'm Rootin' For Rex To Play Well...
...Inside Dolphin Stadium In South Florida
FINGERS FIRMLY CROSSED...Enjoy The Game Folks!
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