Jane Austen Movie Wins Golden Globe ‘Sense And Sensibility,’ Cage, Stone Awarded Top Honors

“Sense and Sensibility,” Emma Thompson’s adaptation of the 19th-century Jane Austen novel, won best dramatic picture honors at Sunday night’s Golden Globes.

Nicolas Cage, the deathwish alcoholic of “Leaving Las Vegas,” and Sharon Stone, the treacherous wife in “Casino,” won best dramatic acting awards.

“And no one is more surprised than me. OK!” Stone said. “OK, it’s a miracle.”

Cage won his Golden Globe for another story about love and loss in Las Vegas.

“For me, it’s a storybook dream come true,” Cage said.

A movie about a talking pig called “Babe” won best picture honors for comedy or musical. Its producer, George Miller, accepted the honor for his animal cast and 400 crew members, declaring, “A lot of people helped bring this little pig to life, including Universal, who said, ‘A talking pig? Sure, why not?”’

Mel Gibson won best director honors for his Scottish independence epic “Braveheart” and John Travolta and Nicole Kidman won Globes for acting in a comedy or musical.

In his acceptance speech, Gibson said: “I didn’t expect to get this.”

Many in the audience were also surprised because of an expected swell of support for Ron Howard of “Apollo 13” and Ang Lee of “Sense and Sensibility,” who were considered favorites.

Howard’s film as well as Rob Reiner’s “The American President,” which garnered five nominations, were shut out.

Travolta commented, “I don’t know exactly what I’ve done to deserve the good will,” and he acknowledged L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology.

Kidman won for her role in the dark farce “To Die For” about being famous and murderous. She thanked “everyone who has ever been nice to me” and paid tribute to her husband Tom Cruise “for such tenderness, love and happiness, and this would be nothing without him.”

Thompson won a screenwriting Globe for her adaptation of Austen’s “Sense and Sensibility.” She framed her speech as it might have been written by Austen herself, and the results were hilarious. She noted that the author would have understood that she was owed a lot of money.

Mira Sorvino, the ditzy hooker in “Mighty Aphrodite,” and Brad Pitt, the insane asylum inmate of “12 Monkeys,” won the best supporting performer awards.

“Wow, I didn’t expect this!” Sorvino said as her tearful father, actor Paul Sorvino, proudly looked on from the black-tie audience. She then thanked Woody Allen for giving her the role.

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association began its award spree, naming Cybill Shepherd of “Cybill” and Kelsey Grammer of “Frasier” as the best actress and actor, respectively, in a musical or television comedy series.