FILM NOTES Academy Award to British Pictures

Grey River Argus, 5 November 1949, Page 7

FILM NOTES Academy Award to British Pictures

Laurence Olivier has received the Academy award for the year’s best performance by an actor and “Hamlet” has been judged the best film of the year. It is the first British picture ever to win the leading American film award. “Hamlet” also received prizes for black and white art direction, for black and white set direction and for black and white costume design. Another J. Arthur Rank film, “The Red Shoes” won an Oscar in the class for the best art direction (colour) best set direction (colour) and a prize for the best musical score of any domestic or foreign pictures. Commenting on the awards, Olivier said: “It is incredibly generous of Hollywood to confer their highest honour upon the British Film Industry. I, personally, have not deserved this honour, but my associates have, and I am happy, proud and most grateful for their sakes and for my own.”