The gay cowboy romance Brokeback Mountain and the story of country singing legend Johnny Cash, Walk the Line, have earned top honors at Hollywood's Golden Globe Awards. That gives both films a boost in the competition leading up to the Oscars.
Brokeback Mountain, a story of hidden love between two rugged cowboys, received four Golden Globes, including one as best film drama.
The gay themed film breaks new ground for a large-scale Hollywood production. Ang Lee, named best director for the film, said this has been an amazing year for American movies.
"So I just want to give my first thanks to my fellow filmmakers for strengthening my faith in movies, in the power of movies to change the way we are thinking. Thank you," he said.
Felicity Huffman won the Golden Globe for best actress in a drama for her role in Transamerica, playing a transsexual man on the eve of a sex-change operation.
Philip Seymour Hoffman was named best actor in a drama for portraying writer Truman Capote in the film Capote. The movie also deals in part with the issue of sexuality, in this case, of a gay writer.
Walk the Line, a film about country music greats Johnny Cash and June Carter, was named best musical or comedy.
Joaquin Phoenix, who played Cash, and Reese Witherspoon, who played Carter, were honored as best actor and actress in a musical or comedy.
Witherspoon, a southerner from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, said the movie about the romance between the country singers had a special meaning for her.
"It's about where I grew up. It's about the music I grew up listening to," she said. "So it's very meaningful, and I just wanted to thank the people who created this opportunity for me."
The Palestinian film Paradise Now was named best foreign language film. It tells the story of two Arab friends in the hours before they attempt on a suicide bombing.
Anthony Hopkins, star of such classic films as The Silence of the Lambs, was honored with the Cecil B. DeMille award for lifetime achievement.
The Golden Globes are presented by the 80-member Hollywood Foreign Press Association, and are watched closely because they sometimes suggest winners at the more prestigious Oscars. Those awards, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, will be given out in Hollywood on March 5.
