SIXTIES RACISM DRAMA ‘The Help’ has emerged as the big winner at the Screen Actors Guild awards in Los Angeles, taking three major awards.

The film – depicting the racial discrimination experienced by black housemaids in 1960s America – took gongs including the prized award for an outstanding performance by a cast in a motion picture.

Viola Davis pipped the hot favourite Meryl Streep to be named best actress in a leading role, while Octavia Spencer took the award for supporting actress.

The victory meant that ‘The Artist’, which is tipped for major success at the Academy Awards in a month’s time, had to make do with one solitary prize – with Jean Dujardin named the best male actor in a leading role as George Valentin.

Christopher Plummer was named best supporting actor for his role in Mike Mills’ comedy-drama ‘Beginners’.

If ‘The Help’ was to repeat its success at the Oscars in four weeks, it would pull off a rare feat: the last time that a film won the Best Picture award, without being nominated in the writing or directing categories, was ‘Grand Hotel’ (starring Greta Garbo and John Barrymore( in 1932.

In fact, ‘Grand Hotel’ is so far the only film to have won the Best Picture award without having been nominated for any other Oscars – and is one of only two (along with 1989′s Driving Miss Daisy) to have won without being nominated for a director’s award.