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Helena triumphs on her Todd
Louise Jury, Chief Arts Correspondent4 Feb 2008
Helena Bonham Carter and Daniel Day-Lewis led the ranks of movie talent honoured at the Evening Standard British Film Awards.
Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead, who wrote the score to Day-Lewis's performance in There Will Be Blood, the teams behind the Ian Curtis biopic Control and the Ian McEwan adaptation Atonement were among the other winners.
Bonham Carter, 41, accompanied by her partner - and director - Tim Burton, was named best actress for her performance as a Fleet Street piemaker in his stunning version of the Stephen Sondheim murder musical Sweeney Todd. The judges also cited her performance in Conversations With Other Women.
The north London star said she was "chuffed" to have been honoured for both. "I'm pleased about Conversations because that was made in 13 days and cost about $400,000 [£200,000] and it was a beautifully written part but I thought about four people had seen it," she said. "It vindicates your choice in things. There are very few well-written parts for over-40-year-olds."
Mrs Lovett in Sweeney was also a fantastic part but it had been risky, relationship-wise, working with Burton - with whom she became pregnant with their second child while filming.
"But it's great because people who have never heard of Sondheim keep on saying they love it. I had two great parts - I had a great year."
Stephen Frears, who directed 50-year-old Day-Lewis in his early role in My Beautiful Laundrette, accepted the best actor prize on his behalf. "He's just very, very good and a nice chap," he said.
Jonny Greenwood, 36, guitarist with Radiohead, was accompanied by band member Thom Yorke to the winners' dinner as his wife Sharona is expecting their third child within days.
He admitted There Will Be Blood director Paul Thomas Anderson - a massive music fan - had to talk him into writing the score to the intense drama about an American oil prospector.
Greenwood missed out on an Oscar nomination because some of the music included work with the BBC Concert Orchestra not written specifically for the movie. That did not matter, he said. "The kick is about having an empty room and mics and musicians. That's when it's exciting. And then seeing it transformed into being put to images." He was proud to have won an Evening Standard award because of the awards' long tradition, he said.
Control, the story of Joy Division singer Ian Curtis who killed himself at 23, was the other double winner. Anton Corbijn, the director who was formerly a rock photographer, said: "I'm very chuffed that my first film found a place in people's hearts."
Matt Greenhalgh, Control's 35-year-old screen-writer, took the best screenplay prize against competition from veterans Ronald Harwood and Harold Pinter for what was his first movie script. He said: "I lucked out twice for this. One, I wrote the Ian Curtis story and second, Anton filmed it."
Paul Webster, one of the producers on Atonement, accepted the prize for technical achievement on behalf of Jacqueline Durran, its costume designer, Sarah Greenwood, production designer, and Seams McGarvey, cinematographer.
He said: "It's really satisfying they were all honoured. When you work with Joe [Wright, the director] he creates a team."
John Carney, the writer/director of the quirky Dublin-set movie Once about a songwriter and an immigrant, was most promising newcomer.
The special award named in honour of the late Evening Standard critic Alexander Walker went to Julie Christie. Derek Malcolm, Walker's successor, said of her: "Not many screen actresses even aspire to as long a career as Julie Christie."
The winners were chosen by film critics in December. They were Derek Malcolm and Charlotte O'Sullivan of the Standard, Tim Robey of the Daily Telegraph, James Christopher of The Times and Catherine Shoard of the Sunday Telegraph. Their choices have been followed by a string of awards and nominations.
Evening Standard editor Veronica Wadley, who hosted last night's ceremony at The Ivy, said: "They were on to the winners very early on."
EVENING STANDARD BRITISH FILM AWARDS
Best film Control
Best actor Daniel Day-Lewis - There Will Be Blood
Best actress Helena Bonham-Carter - Sweeney Todd/Conversations With Other Women
Best screenplay Matt Greenhalgh - Control
Technical achievement Atonement (cinematographer Seamus McGarvey, production designer Sarah Greenwood, costume designer Jacqueline Durran)
Best film score Jonny Greenwood - There Will Be Blood
Most promising newcomer John Carney - writer/director of Once
Alexander Walker Special Award Julie Christie
