It featured a cast just as easy to love, with new darling of the screen Hilary Swank leading the way, and the incomparable Morgan Freeman providing support. A veteran actor-turned-director, who had won the Oscar race once before, and is still knocking it out of the park at 74 years-old, is easy to admire. Perhaps it was the deep love in Hollywood for Clint Eastwood as both actor and director.

ItвЂ™s truly difficult to really nail down one defining explanation. In the case of Million Dollar Baby, thereвЂ™s nothing glaringly obvious, like, say Shakespeare in Love or Crash (more on that tomorrow). Shock wins often have a behind-the-scenes narrative which pushes it to the front. So why was Million Dollar Baby this yearвЂ™s chosen film? Sure, itвЂ™s a good film. Its victory still stands as one of the most surprising in recent times. It sailed to frontrunner status without a single pre-season Best Picture win to its name. In what would become the ultimate case of flying-under-the-radar, Million Dollar Baby avoided the usual exhaustive gauntlet of Oscar season, meaning no backlash or mud slinging came its way. It didnвЂ™t enter the Oscar race until late-December, which, at the time, was unheard of. The film wasnвЂ™t even shot until July, just five months before its release. This race was not meant to belong to Million Dollar Baby. Enter Clint Eastwood, and a film which came from absolutely nowhere to steal the Best Picture race. Every box was ticked to make The Aviator the ultimate Oscar-bait which the Academy surely couldnвЂ™t overlook.

The long-overdue narrative of its much-beleaguered director, who should have won an Oscar decades ago. A film about the film industry itself and one of its most infamous figures. An almost-three hour-long biopic, headlined by one of HollywoodвЂ™s most beloved and popular actors in Leonardo DiCaprio. With his latest contender The Aviator, a lavish and glamorous retelling of the life and times of business magnate, filmmaker and famed-recluse Howard Hughes, Scorsese appeared to have all the necessary ingredients for a Best Picture win. Once again, Martin ScorseseвЂ™s time looked to be upon us.

Eventually, he relents, and the two form a close bond that will irrevocably change them both. When Maggie Fitzgerald (Hilary Swank) arrives in FrankieвЂ™s gym seeking his expertise, he is reluctant to train the young woman, a transplant from working-class Missouri. The film took home four Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director for Eastwood, Best Actress for Hilary Swank, and Best Supporting Actor for Morgan Freeman.Д«ased on short story collection Rope Burns: Stories from the Corner byВ F.X.В Toole, Million Dollar Baby is the inspiring story of a down-and-out boxing trainer and the scrappy amateur boxer who gave him a chance at redemption.В Frankie Dunn (Clint Eastwood) is a veteran Los Angeles boxing trainer who keeps almost everyone at armвЂ™s length, except his old friend and associate Eddie вЂњScrap IronвЂќ Dupris (Morgan Freeman).

While the film took home the most awards for the evening with five, the night ultimately belonged to Clint EastwoodвЂ™s inspiring drama Million Dollar Baby. Leading the way this year with 11 nominations was Martin ScorseseвЂ™s sprawling biopic The Aviator. With her win for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as Katharine Hepburn in The Aviator, Cate Blanchett became the first performer to win an Academy Award for a performance portraying a previous Oscar winner. With his nominations for Best Actor for Ray and Best Supporting Actor for Collateral, Jamie Fox became the tenth performer and only the second male performer to receive two acting nominations in the same year. With his win for Best Director for Million Dollar Baby, at age 74, Clint Eastwood became the oldest person to win this category in Oscar history вЂ“ a record he still holds to this day. With his fifth unsuccessful nomination for Best Director, Martin Scorsese joinedВ Robert Altman, Clarence Brown, Alfred Hitchcock, and King Vidor as the most nominated individuals in this category without a single win. The ceremony was hosted by actor and stand-up comedian Chris Rock. Honouring the films released between January 1, 2004, and December 31, 2004, the awards were held on February 27. In 2005, the 77th Academy Awards ceremony was held at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles.

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