Ringing endorsement

Everyone in Hollywood knew that it was going to be “Return of the King” night, but no one could have guessed to what an extent that was going to be true.

In an Oscar night that was more a coronation than an awards evening, “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” went an unprecedented 11 for 11 -- “a clean sweep,” in the words of Steven Spielberg -- including best picture. When the producer of Canada’s foreign language Oscar winner, “The Barbarian Invasions,” said, “We’re so thankful that ‘Lord of the Rings’ did not qualify in this category,” she was only half kidding.

To win all those Oscars, “The Return of the King” beat formidable competition in several categories. The film’s nominees bested the legendary Walter Murch in editing, and outpolled both Elvis Costello and Sting for best song -- all of whom were nominated from “Cold Mountain.” When “Return of the King” triumphed over “Mystic River” and “American Splendor” in the highly competitive adapted screenplay category -- its ninth consecutive win -- its succeeding victories for best director and best picture were inevitable.

“The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” defied several Oscar traditions on its way to all those triumphs. Though the motion picture academy usually doesn’t like to give Oscars to the same person too close to a previous win, composer Howard Shore won his second Oscar in three years for these films. It’s also unusual for films without any acting nominations to do as well as “The Return of the King” did. In fact, no actor won an Oscar for any of the trilogy’s parts.

So why, aside from the film’s indisputable quality, did it do so well?

* As the movie’s competitors soon realized, Oscar voters were rewarding a trilogy, not just one film, and that is a tough hurdle for competitors to overcome. “We’ve done a great thing here,” one of the film’s sound mixing winners said, probably referring to the entire three-film project. And the academy agreed.

* Though the first two parts of this trilogy won a total of six Oscars, they didn’t win any of the most prestigious ones, and Oscar voters suddenly realized that this was their last chance to prevent future generations from complaining, “What were they thinking when they gave those awards to other films?”

* Voters were mindful that despite the enormous amounts of money the trilogy has earned, no one except New Line Cinema, which financed the films, was willing to make this movie, especially in three parts. “This was the most risky thing anyone had ever done in this industry,” director Peter Jackson said at one point. And Hollywood is a business that admires risk -- even if it’s not willing to take it.

* When so much of today’s film output is so puny, so lacking in vision and scope, when a sequel to “Agent Cody Banks” is Hollywood’s idea of what needs to be made, “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy stood out even more than it otherwise would have.

Having expended its adventurousness quotient during the nomination process, the academy stuck closely to predictable choices in handing out its awards. Best actor Sean Penn, best supporting actor Tim Robbins, best actress Charlize Theron, best original screenwriter Sofia Coppola and best animated feature “Finding Nemo” were all winners that everyone anticipated.

So relentless was “The Return of the King’s” string of triumphs, the evening’s most suspenseful category turned out to be documentary feature and Errol Morris turned out to be especially exuberant when his “The Fog of War” came out on top. “I’d like to thank the academy for finally recognizing my films,” the veteran said with boyish glee. “I thought it would never happen.”

This year’s Oscar show, produced by first-timer Joe Roth, was notable for being relaxed and not taking itself too seriously. Blake Edwards went through a wall in a wheelchair in accepting his honorary Oscar, Will Ferrell and Jack Black sang a delightful “You’re Boring” to the Oscar exit music, and the show’s annual necrology cast an especially wide net, recognizing writer John Gregory Dunne, trailer virtuoso Andy Kuehn and experimental filmmaker Stan Brakhage.

The winners’ speeches were, as usual, a mixed bag. Too many people reciting too many names too fast is not a recipe for an enchanted evening. Still, there were some emotional moments and heartfelt thank you’s to spouses. Costume design winner Richard Taylor recalled the two live rats he gave his wife when they were both 13, and Andrew Stanton, director of “Finding Nemo,” gave the following tribute to his wife, June: “I wrote it to you in a note in the eighth grade; now I can say it in front of 1 billion people. I love you.”