BEVERLY HILLS - World War II drama "Atonement" emerged as the front-runner from a gory field of Golden Globes contenders here Thursday, scooping seven nominations for the Hollywood awards show traditionally regarded as a key indicator for the Oscars.

The critically acclaimed adaptation of author Ian McEwan's best-selling novel earned nominations for best drama, best director and won nods for British stars James McAvoy and Keira Knightley in the acting categories.

In an unusual step, Golden Globes organisers named seven films instead of the usual five in the best motion picture drama category, and movies with dark and violent themes dominated.

As well as "Atonement," there were nods for Ridley Scott's gritty crime drama "American Gangster," David Cronenberg's Russian mafia thriller "Eastern Promises," Joel and Ethan Coen's murderous "No Country for Old Men" and Paul Thomas Anderson's brooding oil industry epic "There Will be Blood."

Other best picture nominees included Denzel Washington's "The Great Debaters," and legal thriller "Michael Clayton."

Tim Burton's gruesome adaptation of the musical "Sweeney Todd," featuring Johnny Depp as the cut-throat demon barber of Fleet Street, also fared well, picking up four nominations.

"It's a very gory field, no question," said Tom O'Neil, a columnist with the Los Angeles Times' theenvelope.com. "Voters have shown they are increasingly willing to honor good films regardless of the violence quotient."

Lew Harris, the editorial director of the movies.com website, agreed.

"What's striking is the number of movies in contention that have a lot of violence in them. Even a romantic film like 'Atonement' has some war scenes in it which are very difficult to watch," Harris said.

The Golden Globes, the second biggest awards show in Hollywood after the Academy Awards, take place on January 13 next year, nine days before the nominations for the Oscars are announced.

"Atonement's" British director Joe Wright was bowled over by the reaction to his film, a tragic romance about two lovers torn apart by a false allegation of rape. "I couldn't really believe it," Wright told Daily Variety.

"It's a nice sense of calm. I think it's a great novel and, to be honest, I was incredibly lucky to work on the material. It's a story that speaks to us on a personal level."

Behind "Atonement" with five nominations, came director Mike Nichols's "Charlie Wilson's War," which also earned nods for Tom Hanks as best comedy actor and Julia Roberts in the best supporting actress category.

"No Country for Old Men," which has scooped several critics awards already this year and is regarded as one of the favorites for the best picture prize at the Oscars, earned four nominations.

The film's directors, the Coen brothers, earned nominations for best director and for best screenplay, as well as best motion picture.

Unlike the Oscars, the Golden Globes splits its contenders into drama and comedy-musical categories.

"Sweeney Todd's" stars, Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham-Carter, both earned nominations in the musical acting categories.

Bonham-Carter's rivals for the musical acting honor include France's Marion Cotillard, who is regarded as the overwhelming favorite to take the prize for her portrayal of tragic chanteuse Edith Piaf in "La Vie En Rose."

"I'm very happy because it's recognition not only for me but everyone involved in the film," Cotillard told AFP.

Another French film, "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly," also fared well picking up three nominations, including best director (Julian Schnabel) and best foreign-language film.

Other nominees in the foreign-language category included Romania's Cannes winner "4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days," "The Kite Runner," Ang Lee's "Lust Caution" and French epic "Persepolis."

There were some notable omissions from the nominees however, including Jack Nicholson, who had been tipped for a nod for his performance in upcoming comedy "The Bucket List."

Sean Penn's acclaimed drama "Into the Wild" also failed to garner any nods, despite dominating nominations for the Critics Choice awards earlier this week.

Although the Globes are viewed as a form guide for the Oscars, with 24 of 44 drama picture winners going on to scoop the best picture, in recent years the awards have thrown up false leads.

For the past three years, none of the Golden Globes' best movie drama winners have gone on to win the best picture Oscar. - AFP/fa


Golden Globe Nominations
Best Motion Picture - Drama
- "American Gangster"
- "Atonement"
- "Eastern Promises"
- "The Great Debaters"
- "Michael Clayton"
- "No Country for Old Men"
- "There Will Be Blood"

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama
- George Clooney, "Michael Clayton"
- Daniel Day-Lewis, "There Will Be Blood"
- James McAvoy, "Atonement"
- Viggo Mortensen, "Eastern Promises"
- Denzel Washington, "American Gangster"

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama
- Cate Blanchett, "Elizabeth: The Golden Age"
- Julie Christie, "Away From Her"
- Jodie Foster, "The Brave One"
- Angelina Jolie, "A Mighty Heart"
- Keira Knightley, "Atonement"

Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy
- "Across The Universe"
- "Charlie Wilson's War"
- "Hairspray"
- "Juno"
- "Sweeney Todd"

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy
- Amy Adams, "Enchanted"
- Nikki Blonsky, "Hairspray"
- Helena Bonham-Carter, "Sweeney Todd"
- Marion Cotillard, "La Vie En Rose"
- Ellen Page, "Juno"

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy
- Johnny Depp, "Sweeney Todd"
- Ryan Gosling, "Lars and the Real Girl"
- Tom Hanks, "Charlie Wilson's War"
- Philip Seymour Hoffman, "The Savages"
- John C. Reilly, "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story"

Best Director - Motion Picture
- Tim Burton, "Sweeney Todd"
- Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, "No Country for Old Men"
- Julian Schnabel, "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly"
- Ridley Scott, "American Gangster"
- Joe Wright, "Atonement"

Best Screenplay - Motion Picture
- Diablo Cody, "Juno"
- Ethan Coen/Joel Coen, "No Country for Old Men"
- Christopher Hampton, "Atonement"
- Ronald Harwood, "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly"
- Aaron Sorkin, "Charlie Wilson's War"