Smash hit

In the first upset of the night, Alan Arkin won the award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as a foul-mouthed, heroin-addicted grandfather in Little Miss Sunshine, dashing front-runner Eddie’s Murphy’s hopes of an Oscar for Dreamgirls. The veteran actor, who has been nominated twice previously – Best Actor for The Russians Are Coming in 1967 and for The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter in 1969 – broke down as he gave a heartfelt acceptance speech thanking his family.

“More than anything, I'm deeply moved by the open-hearted appreciation our small film has received, which in these fragmented times speaks so openly of the possibility of innocence,” he said.

As expected, Jennifer Hudson scooped the Best Supporting Actress prize for her widely-acclaimed performance in Dreamgirls, also claiming the unofficial honour for most tearful speech of the night. “Oh my God. I have to just take this moment in. I can't believe it. I didn't think I was going to win. Look what God can do!

"If my grandmother could see me now... She was my biggest inspiration for everything because she was a singer and she had the passion for it but she never had the chance."

Hudson’s showstopping singing and sympathetic character had made her the odds-on favorite to win the award. It was the 25-year-old's first movie role for which she also picked up Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild awards.

Pan’s Labyrinth scooped three prizes - for Best Art Direction, Cinematography and Make-up. Little Miss Sunshine, a tale of a dysfunctional family desperate for their daughter to win a beauty pageant, won the best original screenplay award.

Al Gore took prize for Best Documentary Feature for An Inconvenient Truth, his presentation on global warming. Picking up his award, the former US Vice-President continued his plea: "People all over the world - we need to solve the climate crisis. It's not a political issue, it's a moral issue.”

In the Best Animated Film category, Happy Feet took the award, while German production Das Leben der Anderen (The Lives of Others) was named Best Foreign-Language Film.

The show’s presenter, comedian and talk show host Ellen DeGeneres, added an air of informal joviality to this year’s event, mingling with nominees in the audience, including Scorsese and Clint Eastwood.

Stepping on stage with a maroon velvet trouser suit with white shoes, DeGeneres’s first quip of the night was directed at the sizeable number of British contenders in this year’s event. "There are a lot of British nominees. Would I say too many? Not here. At home in my pyjamas with half a box of Chardonnay and me, who knows..."

Another target for her jokes was Dame Judi Dench, who missed the ceremony because she is having knee surgery - but DeGeneres joked that she was really undergoing plastic surgery.

"She's having knee surgery - on her eyes," the comic said. Later she told the audience: "I apologise. I said Dame Judi was getting her eyes done. It's her boobs."

The jokes also touched briefly on the political, with DeGeneres quipping: "Jennifer Hudson was on American Idol, America didn't vote for her, and she's here with an Oscar nomination. That's amazing. And then, Al Gore is here, America did vote for him, and then ... very complicated."

Mr Gore kept up the spirit – when questioned by Leonardo DiCaprio whether he had a “major, major announcement” to make, the former Vice-President made a mock attempt to announce his bid for the US presidency, which was halted by music signaling the time limit of his speech.

Editor's choice

• The 100 Best Films of the Decade
• 70 facts you didn't know about Marvel
• The 50 Biggest Movies Of 2010