HOLLYWOOD, Calif. - Slumdog Millionaire, a joyous story of enduring love and unexpected riches among the lower castes of India, took home the Oscar for best picture at last night's 81st annual Academy Awards, capping an unlikely awards season for a movie that barely got released in this country.
The movie, which was picked up at the last minute by Fox Searchlight Pictures, dominated the awards, winning eight of the nine categories in which it was nominated (its only loss came in the sound editing category). In addition to best picture, the movie's awards included best director for Danny Boyle, best adapted screenplay, best original score and best original song for "Jai Ho."
On her sixth try, Kate Winslet finally won her Oscar, taking home the best actress prize for the Holocaust drama The Reader. And Sean Penn took home his second best actor Oscar, for playing gay-rights icon Harvey Milk in Milk. Although Mickey Rourke may have been the sentimental favorite, for his surprising comeback performance in The Wrestler, Penn's performance proved too strong and charismatic for Oscar voters to resist.
"You commie, homo-loving sons of guns," Penn said as he accepted the Oscar. He also paid tribute to his prime competitor, saying, "Mickey Rourke rises again, and he is my brother."
Earlier in the evening, Heath Ledger and Penelope Cruz made history in taking the awards for best supporting actor and actress.
Ledger, who was perhaps the evening's most prohibitive favorite, won only the second acting Oscar ever given posthumously. Cruz's win represented the first for a Spanish actress.
Although a leaner Oscar telecast had been promised, chances for that looked slim from the beginning. The evening's emotional high point came midway through with the best supporting actor win for Ledger, whose mesmerizing turn as The Joker in The Dark Knight became an unexpected epitaph after he died at age 28 of an accidental drug overdose 13 months ago. His parents, Sally Bell and Kim Ledger, and his sister Kate Ledger accepted his Oscar. Both father and sister were near tears as they spoke from the Kodak Theatre stage.
"We proudly accept this award on behalf of your beautiful Matilda," Kate Ledger said, referring to Ledger's 3-year-old daughter with actress Michelle Williams.
Peter Finch won the first posthumous acting Oscar 32 years ago, earning the best actor nod for 1976's Network.
