War epic "1917" shocked the Golden Globes on Sunday by claiming the top prize for best drama film, while Quentin Tarantino's "Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood" won comedy honors, boosting their prospects for next month's Oscars.

"Once Upon a Time..." – an homage to 1960s Tinseltown – won the most awards on the night with three prizes, while Martin Scorsese's much-vaunted Netflix crime saga "The Irishman" went home empty-handed.

The Globes are the first major awards gala of the year, in a packed season that ends with the Academy Awards in just over a month's time, so Sunday's winners will hope to capitalize on some much-needed momentum.

"1917" follows two British soldiers through the trenches in World War I, and is filmed to look like one continuous, two-hour-long shot.

"Goodness me, that is a big surprise," said stunned filmmaker Sam Mendes, who bested Scorsese and Tarantino in the crowded best director category.

The groundbreaking class satire "Parasite" won the Golden Globe Award for best foreign language film.

"Wow, amazing, unbelievable," gushed director Bong Joon-ho as he accepted the award. "Once you overcome the one-inch-tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films."

The film bested France's "Les Miserables," Pedro Almodovar's "Pain and Glory," Chinese-American family drama "The Farewell" and France's "Portrait of a Lady on Fire."

"Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood" began what was expected to be a good night for Quentin Tarantino's Los Angeles fable with a win for best screenplay.

Tarantino won the best screenplay award, and Brad Pitt took home best supporting actor honors for his role as a loyal stuntman to Leonardo DiCaprio's character in the film.

"I wouldn't be here without you, man... I would have shared the raft, though," he thanks to DiCaprio, and referring to the closing scene of "Titanic."

Joaquin Phoenix cemented his Oscar frontrunner status by winning the best drama actor prize for his radical turn in "Joker," a dark and controversial take on the comic book super-villain.

Phoenix, like several A-listers, used his speech to address climate change and the Australian wildfires, continuing until producers played him off with music. Also, he thanked director Todd Phillips.

Netflix, which has disrupted the film industry in recent years, began the night far ahead of the traditional Hollywood studios with 17 Globe movie nominations.

But the streaming giant, which has spent billions to lure the industry's top filmmaking talent, flopped to end with just one movie win.

Laura Dern, who plays a savvy divorce lawyer who represents Scarlett Johansson in director Noah Baumbach's "Marriage Story," won the Golden Globe for best supporting actress in a film for "Marriage Story."

Dern's victory on Sunday night gives her her fifth Golden Globe, but her first for her work in film — the previous four all came for roles in television.

Dern bested a crowded field: Kathy Bates ("Richard Jewell"), Annette Bening ("The Report"), Jennifer Lopez ("Hustlers") and Margot Robbie ("Bombshell").

"The Irishman," a favorite to win best picture that cost Netflix 160 million U.S. dollars to make, did not convert any of its five nominations.

Phoebe Waller-Bridge followed up her Emmy haul by winning best comedy series and best actress in a comedy series. She thanked former President Barack Obama for putting "Fleabag" on his best-of-2019 list. With a grin, she added: "As some of you may know, he's always been on mine."

HBO was also triumphant in best TV drama, where the second season of "Succession" bested Netflix's "The Crown" and Apple TV Plus' first Globe nominee, "The Morning Show." Brian Cox, the Rupert Murdoch-like patriarch of "Succession," also won best actor in a drama series.

The Golden Globes, Hollywood's most freewheeling televised award show, could be unusually influential this year. The roughly 90 voting members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) have traditionally had little in common with the nearly 9,000 industry professionals that make up the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The HFPA is known for calculatingly packing its show with as much star power as possible, occasionally rewarding even the likes of "The Tourist" and "Burlesque."

(Cover: Brad Pitt arrives to the 77th Annual Golden Globe Awards held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on January 5, 2020. /VCG Photo)

(With input from AFP)