Will the Brits have a date with Oscar?

After its victory at the Golden Globes – and its strong showing in the Bafta nominations – I suspected that the British film Atonement would be a shoo-in for the Best Picture Oscar in February.  Now the Oscar nominations have actually been announced, I’m not too sure. 

Not only are the American films No Country for Old Men (recommended by the Spectator on, count ‘em, one – two – three occasions) and There Will Be Blood leading the pack with eight nominations each, but the director of Atonement, Joe Wright, hasn’t been nominated for Best Director.  Academy voters like to link the Best Picture and Best Director in their minds, and the absence of a Wright’s name next to a checkbox will detrimentally influence their opinion of Atonement more generally.  If so, Brits will have to pin their hopes elsewhere – with Daniel Day-Lewis (Best Actor, There Will Be Blood) and Julie Christie (Best Actress, Away From Her) being the folks most likely to bring Oscar to these shores.