"The Queen" battles Bond at BAFTA

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LONDON (Reuters) - Stephen Frears’ "The Queen", portraying a confused monarch at the time of Princess Diana’s death in 1997, led the way with 10 nominations on Friday at the top film awards.

As expected, leading lady Helen Mirren, already a frontrunner for a best actress Oscar, was among the BAFTA nominees for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth.

The film leads James Bond thriller "Casino Royale" on nine nominations, including best actor for Daniel Craig, widely praised for bringing a touch of reality to the world’s most famous spy.

Craig will be up against Leonardo DiCaprio in "The Departed", Richard Griffiths in "The History Boys", Peter O’Toole in "Venus" and Forest Whitaker in "The Last King of Scotland", in which he portrays brutal Ugandan leader Idi Amin.

"The Queen" is joined by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s "Babel", "The Departed", directed by Martin Scorsese, "The Last King of Scotland" and low-budget beauty pageant comedy "Little Miss Sunshine" in the best film category.

In the best actress category, Mirren is up against fellow veteran Judi Dench for her role in school sex drama "Notes on a Scandal", Penelope Cruz for her widely praised performance in "Volver", Meryl Streep in fashion comedy "The Devil Wears Prada" .....continued below

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"Pan’s Labyrinth", a fantasy set in Spain during World War Two, garnered eight BAFTA nominations, "Babel", starring Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett, won seven, and "The Departed", "Little Miss Sunshine" and September 11 drama "United 93" each won six.

The awards, which are vying for a role as a barometer for the Oscars, will be handed out on February 11.