Argo springs another surprise

Argo’s run of late awards form continued this weekend as Ben Affleck snatched the Directors’ Guild of America trophy.

The win adds extra spice to what was already looking like a tasty fight at the Oscars. Argo, which many commentators thought was flat out of the running for Oscar (me included), now looks like the outstanding favourite for Best Film.

The previous weekend the film won the PGA and the SAG award for best cast performance, giving it considerable momentum after its surprise victories at the Golden Globes.

So despite the fact that Affleck is not nominated for Best Director and that the last film to win the Best Film Oscar without its director being nominated was Driving Miss Daisy 23 years ago, Argo looks like it could pull off one of the big Oscar upsets.

In having won the Golden Globes for Best Film and Best Director, the PGA and the DGA, Argo/Affleck joins a select bunch since 2000: the only film/director combos to have won those four and then scoop Best Film at the Oscars are Slumdog Millionaire/Danny Boyle and The Return Of The King/Peter Jackson.

The last film to win those three awards and not grab the big one at Oscar was Brokeback Mountain/Ang Lee.

And loading the base further, the last Golden Globe Best Dramatic Film winner to do the double at Oscar was Slumdog, one of only four films in the previous 12 years to do so.

So, has Argo really got a chance? Wendy Mitchell at Screendaily certainly thinks so, noting on Friday that “maybe the Best Director snub is actually helping the film’s chances”.

Me? No clue! All I can guarantee is that Oscar will spring surprises this year.