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'Gladiator' leads Oscars nominations
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A CLASH of cultures erupted in Hollywood on Tuesday, pitting ``Gladiator'' Romans against Qing Dynasty warriors from ``Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon'' and a scrappy activist named ``Erin Brockovich'' for the movies' highest honours, the Oscars.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences named its Oscar nominees and early favourite ``Gladiator,'' about an outcast Roman general seeking vengeance for his family's death, claimed the most nods with 12, including best picture, best actor for Russell Crowe and best director for Ridley Scott.
Ang Lee's Mandarin-language drama ``Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,'' which has wowed audiences and critics with its blend of martial arts and a stirring love story, surprised industry experts with 10 nominations, the most a foreign language film has ever received.
``Crouching Tiger'' also earned nominations for best picture and best foreign language film, marking only the third time a film has been nominated in both categories in the Oscars' 73-year history. Lee was also nominated for best director.
``I feel relieved because it was such hard work for a year and one-half,'' Lee told Reuters. ``After 10 months (since its debut at the Cannes film festival) I feel I've done everything I can to help the film. I feel at peace.''
Lee said he doesn't look upon the Oscars as a competition, but he noted their importance to the film industry and to helping a film gain attention. ``This is the biggest movie event in the world,'' he said.
``Erin Brockovich,'' in which best actress nominee Julia Roberts portrays an environmental activist who brings a mighty utility to its knees, and the drug war drama ``Traffic,'' earned best picture nods for director Steven Soderbergh.
Rounding out the best picture nominees was ``Chocolat,'' which proved to be a surprise for many industry watchers because the movie, though well-liked by audiences, had been left out of many of the early awards.
(SD-Agencies)
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