"1917" / Photo by Francois Duhamel/Universal Pictures
An Ancestry.com probe found an interesting familial connection for “1917” star George MacKay: His three-times great uncle, Albert Victor Baulk, was a signaler for the 196th Siege Battery in Sailly-au-Bois, France. He worked just a few miles from the German front lines where Operation Alberich took place and where, weirdly enough, the film is set.
As a signaler and telephonist, Baulk would have helped relay crucial communications to his unit just like MacKay’s character does in the movie.
When he learned about MacKay’s familial connection to the real-life events of his much-praised movie, director Sam Mendes said in a statement, ‘‘The story of ‘1917’ was inspired not only by my own family history, but also by many others. I hope very much that the stories of those that came before us and fought on our behalf live on in our movie.”
World War I stories from Mendes’ grandfather, Alfred H. Mendes, served as the inspiration for the movie. His British Army records were also among the artifacts dug up in the Ancestry probe.
Russell James, who serves as Ancestry’s DNA and family history expert, said,‘‘Historical dramas provide entertainment but also the inspiration to delve a little deeper into stories from our own family history. From George MacKay’s character who mirrors his real-life ancestor to Sam Mendes’ grandfather who inspired the film, so many of us have a connection to the events in 1917 which should be explored as much as possible.”
Golden Globes 2020: 12 Biggest Snubs and Surprises, From Jennifer Lopez to '1917' (Photos)
The 2020 Golden Globe Awards were held on Sunday night, with a list of winners ranging from the woefully expected to the pleasantly surprising. Click through for TheWrap's list of biggest surprises and see the full rundown of winners here.
Surprise:Ramy Youssef took home the award for best actor in a comedy series for his self-titled Hulu series, besting “Living With Yourself” star Paul Rudd, front-runner Bill Hader, last year’s winner Michael Douglas and “The Politician” himself, Ben Platt.
Surprise:Sam Mendes' WWI drama "1917" pulled off an upset with Best Picture - Drama and Best Director. Mendes even acknowledged front-runner Martin Scorsese as one of the industry's giants, “Joker” director Todd Philipps, and two of the night’s previous winners, Bong Joon-Ho and Quentin Tarantino.
Universal Pictures
Snub: Netflix campaigned heavily for Scorsese's epic "The Irishman" but it came up short in all five categories in which it was nominated, including Best Picture - Drama and Best Director.
Netflix
Snub:“Toy Story 4” capped off a beloved Pixar franchise, following on the Golden Globes’ best animated feature of 2010, “Toy Story 3.” But despite Pixar and the “Toy Story” franchise’s excellent awards track record, the HFPA opted to award Laika’s gentleman bigfoot movie “Missing Link” instead.
Pixar
Surprise:“Missing Link” was the only non-sequel in a category full of animated heavyweights, but the stop-motion adventure still came out on top over Jon Favreau’s “Lion King” remake and three sequels to past winners, “Frozen II,” “How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World” and “Toy Story 4.”
LAIKA/Annapurna
Snub: “Hustlers” star Jennifer Lopez gave one of the year’s buzziest performances in Lorene Scafaria’s crime drama — she learned to pole dance! — but it still wasn’t enough to best perennial Globes darling Laura Dern and her role as a fearsome divorce attorney in Noah Baumbach’s “Marriage Story.”
STX
Snub: Ryan Murphy's "The Politician," his first series for Netflix, was nominated in two categories at this year's Globes: Best Television Series - Musical or Comedy and Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy, a nod for star Ben Platt. But the political satire didn't get enough HFPA votes to win either race.
Netflix
Surprise: This year's Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television category included Meryl Streep for her performance in Season 2 of "Big Little Lies." So there was no shot in hell anyone was winning but HFPA darling Meryl Streep. And then Patricia Arquette got the statue for her part in Hulu's "The Act" -- proving you should never underestimate the unpredictable nature of the HFPA.
Hulu
Snub: The final season of "Game of Thrones" had just one shot at winning a statue at the 2020 Golden Globes: Kit Harington. The Jon Snow actor was the only "GoT" cast member nominated for an award -- and the show didn't snag a nod in any other category -- so when he lost Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Drama to "Succession" lead Brian Cox, the eighth and final season of "Game of Thrones" lost, too. Welp, either way it was a win for HBO. Cue "Succession" theme song.
HBO
Snub: Apple's recently launched streaming service Apple TV+ got its first-ever Golden Globe nods thanks to "The Morning Show." But the honor of just being nominated will have to be enough for the drama and its stars Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston, as the show was completely shut out from a win.
Apple TV+
Surprise: Olivia Colman herself seemed shocked that her lead performance in "The Crown" beat out such Hollywood heavyweights as Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman.
Snub: Eddie Murphy won a Globe for his supporting role in 2006's "Dreamgirls," but he lost out this year for his performance in "Dolemite Is My Name" -- as Taron Egerton surprised for playing Elton John in "Rocketman."
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Plus: Sam Mendes, “Missing Link” and Patricia Arquette
The 2020 Golden Globe Awards were held on Sunday night, with a list of winners ranging from the woefully expected to the pleasantly surprising. Click through for TheWrap's list of biggest surprises and see the full rundown of winners here.
Getty Images
Hulu
