75th Golden Globe Awards – Photo Room – Beverly Hills, California, U.S., 07/01/2018 – (L-R) Laura Dern, Nicole Kidman, Zoe Kravitz, Reese Witherspoon and Shailene Woodley pose backstage after winning the award for Best Television Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television for "Big Little Lies." REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson
LOS ANGELES, January 8 (Reuters) - Dark drama "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri" was the big winner with four Golden Globes awards on Sunday on a night marked by scathing jokes about sexual harassment and passionate odes to those breaking their silence.
Mother-daughter comedy "Lady Bird" was named best comedy film and the indie A24 movie's star Saoirse Ronan won for comedy actress.
Gary Oldman was named best drama movie actor for his role as British wartime leader Winston Churchill in Focus Features' "Darkest Hour" and Frances McDormand took home the award for drama actress for her role as an angry mother seeking vengeance in Fox Searchlight's "Three Billboards."
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75th Golden Globe Awards – Photo Room – Beverly Hills, California, U.S., 07/01/2018 – Greta Gerwig (2nd from R) and the cast of "Lady Bird" pose backstage with their award for Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson[/caption]
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75th Golden Globe Awards – Photo Room – Beverly Hills, California, U.S., 07/01/2018 – Sam Rockwell embraces his wife Leslie Bibb as he poses with the award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture for his role in "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri". REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson[/caption]
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75th Golden Globe Awards – Photo Room – Beverly Hills, California, U.S., 07/01/2018 – Martin McDonagh (L) poses backstage with cast and producers of "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri" after winning for Best Motion Picture - Drama. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson[/caption]
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75th Golden Globe Awards – Photo Room – Beverly Hills, California, U.S., 07/01/2018 – Guillermo del Toro poses backstage with the award for Best Director - Motion Picture for "The Shape of Water". REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson[/caption]
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Reese Witherspoon holds the award for Best Television Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television for "Big Little Lies", HBO, at the 75th Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, California, U.S. January 7, 2018. Paul Drinkwater/Courtesy of NBC/Handout via REUTERS[/caption]
James Franco won the comedy actor award for his cult movie homage "The Disaster Artist," also from A24. Mexican director Guillermo del Toro won best director for magical fantasy "The Shape of Water."
However, the night was dominated not by who took home prizes but by jokes and speeches about the sexual misconduct scandal that has rocked Hollywood.
"Happy New Year Hollywood! It's 2018. Marijuana is finally allowed and sexual harassment finally isn't," quipped Globes host Seth Meyers in his opening remarks, bringing wild applause from the A-list audience in Beverly Hills.
Multiple allegations against actors, filmmakers and Hollywood agents since October 2017 have led to many of the accused being fired, forced to step down, or dropped from creative projects.
Referring to the male nominees gathered in Beverly Hills for the top television and movie awards, Meyers said: "This is the first time in three months it won't be terrifying to hear your name read out loud."
The evening began with the normally colorful red carpet transformed into a sea of black gowns as every actress showed solidarity with victims of sexual harassment inside and outside the entertainment industry. Many have given their own harrowing accounts.
Women kept up the theme inside the Beverly Hilton ballroom.
"This year, we became the story," Oprah Winfrey said in a rousing speech while accepting the annual lifetime achievement award.
McDormand said she was proud to be a woman in the industry. "It's great to be here and be part of the tectonic shift in our industry's power structure," she said.
Laura Dern, a supporting actress winner for "Big Little Lies," said: "May we teach our children that speaking out without retribution is our culture's new north star."
The HBO TV series was one of several female-driven winners on Sunday.
The Golden Globes ceremony, the first of the major awards shows in the run-up to the Oscars in March, marked the first big test for how Hollywood would handle the scandal.
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Mandy Moore, star of This Is US, wowed in her black gown, which featured a bold belt; the actress added ruby earrings and equally bright lipstick[/caption]
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Tommy Wiseau attends the 75th annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Sunday, Jan. 7, 2018, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)[/caption]
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The cast and crew of The Handmaids Tale pose in the press room with the award for best television series - drama at the 75th annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Sunday, Jan. 7, 2018, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)[/caption]
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Justin Timberlake, left, and Jessica Biel arrive at the 75th annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Sunday, Jan. 7, 2018, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)[/caption]
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Meryl Streep, left, and Ai-jen Poo arrive at the 75th annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Sunday, Jan. 7, 2018, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)[/caption]
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Oprah Winfrey poses in the press room with the Cecil B. DeMille Award at the 75th annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Sunday, Jan. 7, 2018, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)[/caption]
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Laura Dern, from left, Nicole Kidman, Zoe Kravitz, Reese Witherspoon and Shailene Woodley pose in the press room with the award for best television limited series or motion picture made for television for Big Little Lies at the 75th annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Sunday, Jan. 7, 2018, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)[/caption]
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Rachel Brosnahan poses in the press room with the award for best performance by an actress in a television series - musical or comedy for The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel at the 75th annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Sunday, Jan. 7, 2018, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)[/caption]
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Elisabeth Moss, left, winner of the award for best performance by an actress in a television series - drama for The Handmaids Tale poses in the press room with Bruce Miller and the award for best television series - drama for The Handmaids Tale at the 75th annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Sunday, Jan. 7, 2018, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)[/caption]
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This image released by NBC shows Nicole Kidman accepting the award for best performance by an actress in a limited series or motion picture made for TV for her role in Big Little Lies, at the 75th Annual Golden Globe Awards in beverly Hills, Calif., on Sunday, Jan. 7, 2018. (Paul Drinkwater/NBC via AP)[/caption]
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Oprah Winfrey speaks after accepting the Cecil B. Demille Award at the 75th Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, California, U.S. January 7, 2018. Paul Drinkwater/Courtesy of NBC/Handout via REUTERS[/caption]
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Diane Kruger, left, and Fatih Akin poses in the press room with the award for best motion picture - foreign language for In The Fade at the 75th annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Sunday, Jan. 7, 2018, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)[/caption]
Meyers joked that, as the first of the hosts, he felt like "the first dog they shot into outer space."
He appeared to have found the right balance, getting cheers in the room and warm early reviews. Industry website Deadline.com said Meyers "deftly executed a seemingly impossible task," while E! News said he "made lemonade out of lemons."
Dystopian tale "The Handmaid's Tale" won best TV drama series and "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel," Amazon's new series about a 1950s housewife who become a stand-up comedian, took best TV comedy or musical series.
Fox Searchlight and parent company Twentieth Century Fox were the big winners in terms of studios, with their films winning seven awards. Indie movie studio A24 had three.
