Mirren and Whitaker reign supreme

Feb 12 2007 By Sherna Noah And Anita Singh, The Journal

Dame Helen Mirren was queen of the Baftas last night - winning best actress for her role as the monarch - while her movie was crowned best film.

While The Queen won two awards, it was almost a case of mission unaccomplished for James Bond movie Casino Royale, despite being nominated for nine film awards at last night's glittering ceremony in London.

A "king" also reigned last night - the best actor prize went to US star Forest Whitaker, 45, for his powerful role as the brutal Ugandan leader Idi Amin in The Last King of Scotland.

Whitaker beat 007 star Daniel Craig, who had hoped to become the first Bond to win a Bafta.

The Last King of Scotland, based on the book by Giles Foden and shot in Uganda, won a total of three Baftas, including Outstanding British Film of the Year and Adapted Screenplay.

Dame Helen, 61, had always been favourite to land the prestigious best actress prize following a string of awards, including a Golden Globe, for her acclaimed role as the monarch in The Queen.

The story of the Royal Family in the aftermath of the death of Diana, the Princess of Wales, beat ensemble piece Babel, organised crime thriller The Departed, The Last King of Scotland and black comedy Little Miss Sunshine to best film.

Dame Helen had faced fierce competition for best actress from another Dame - Dame Judi Dench, 72, for her role as a lonely but twisted history teacher in Notes on a Scandal. But the much-garlanded Dame Judi - who also plays M in the James Bond franchise - was bested this time by her old friend.

The gong is Dame Helen's first film Bafta - the Prime Suspect star already has three TV Baftas - and she is up for the best actress Oscar.

She and Whitaker greeted each other backstage with a hug. "Don't we make a good king and queen?" joked Dame Helen.

"It just happens that I had a year of very challenging work and three good roles - The Queen, Elizabeth I and Prime Suspect. I worked my butt off for a year, and now I'm getting the reaction to those three pieces of work."

She also paid tribute to fellow Dame Judi. The two women have been cast in a "battle of the Dames" for the Baftas and the Oscars, but Dame Helen said: "It's irrelevant that we have both got these gongs from whoever it is that gives them out. We have both been very hard-working actresses and I have certainly followed Dame Judi all of my life and taken my inspiration from her in terms of the kind of work she has chosen and her dedication to theatre. She showed that you don't become a great actress without doing the work."

Whitaker said: "This award is really special to me. The movie has been very important to my career and everyone who created it was from Britain, so I'm so happy that it won outstanding British film. It's an amazing night for the film."

Casino Royale, the 21st film in the Bond franchise, only landed one gong, for best sound.

But there was some good news for Bond - French beauty Eva Green, 26, who smouldered as Casino Royale's Vesper Lynd, won the Orange Rising Star award. The award, for the film world's next big star, is the only one which is voted for by the British public.

And on a night when the best actress nominees were all dressed to kill, Craig's girlfriend Satsuki Mitchell dazzled in a gold strapless dress from Escada.

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Last night's winners in full

Film: The Queen

Alexander Korda Award for the Outstanding British film of the Year: The Last King of Scotland

Carl Foreman Award for Special Achievement by a British director, writer or producer in their first feature film: Andrea Arnold - Red Road

David Lean Award for Achievement in Direction: Paul Greengrass for United 93

Original Screenplay: Michael Arndt for Little Miss Sunshine

Adapted Screenplay: The Last King of Scotland

Film not in the English Language: Pan's Labyrinth

Animated Feature Film: Happy Feet

Actor in a Leading Role: Forest Whitaker for The Last King of Scotland

Actress in a Leading Role: Helen Mirren for The Queen

Actor in a Supporting Role: Alan Arkin for Little Miss Sunshine

Actress in a Supporting Role: Jennifer Hudson for Dreamgirls

Anthony Asquith Award for Achievement in Film Music: Babel

Cinematography: Children of Men

Editing: United 93

Production Design: Children of Men

Costume Design: Pan's Labyrinth

Sound: Casino Royale

Special Visual Effects: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

Make up and Hair: Pan's Labyrinth

Short Animation Film: Guy 101 - Ian Gouldstone

Short Film: Do Not Erase - Asitha Ameresekere

Orange Rising Star Award - voted for by the public: Eva Green

Academy Fellowship: Anne V Coates

Michel Balcon Award for Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema: Nick Daubeny