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By Liza Holtmeier
Senior staff writer
Move over, James Cameron. This year's
king of the world is Shakespeare.
During last night’s Oscar ceremony,
“Shakespeare in Love,” the witty, Elizabethan
comedy, reaped seven Academy Awards,
while Steven Spielberg’s war epic “Saving
Private Ryan’’ garnered five.
Surprisingly, “Shakespeare in Love” w;on
the Oscar for Best Picture. In a category dom
inated by dramas, the romantic lark seemed
destined for runner-up status, but apparently
the Academy appreciated the movie’s humor
and intelligencejust as much as everyone who
saw it.
“Saving Private Ryan” received just
praise, though. Unsurprisingly, Steven
Spielberg won Best Director for his gritty,
bleak portrayal of a World War II squad sent
on a mission to find the last surviving son of
an American farm family
Gwyneth Paltrow won Best Actress for her
role in “Shakespeare in Love.” Paltrow’s win
seemed guaranteed, thanks to her effervescent
portrayal, off-screen sweetness and Golden
Globe win.
“Shakespeare In Love” also won best
screenplay written directly for the screen. This
probably was one of the most deserved awards
of the entire evening, for Tom Stoppard and
Marc Norman brought the world of
Shakespeare to life in a brilliant, modem way.
But the belle of the ball was the bouncy
Roberto Benigni. Benigni’s surprise win for
Best Actor in “Life is Beautiful" was the first
best performance Oscar for I
a foreign film in 40 years. |
Benigni’s comic portrayal |
of Guido beat out Nick 1
Nolte's meaty, dramatic 1
role in “Affliction” and Ian §
McKellan's daring, com- §
plex role in “Gods and |
Monsters.” “Life is |
Beautiful” also won Best "•
Foreign Film. |
Best Supporting 1
Actress went to the classy 1
yet adorable Judi Dench I
for her role as Elizabeth in %
“Shakespeare in Love.” I
After being nominated but
not winning, for her role in
“Mrs. Brown,” this award seemed well
deserved.
In a slight upset, “Shakespeare in Love”
also won the Oscar for art direction. While a
beautiful film, some considered
“Shakespeare In Love's” Elizabethan fare a
bit mundane next to the inventive, graphically
rich and surreal sets of “What Dreams May
Come.”
Best Supporting Actor went to James
Coburn for his role as the vicious, alcoholic
father in “Affliction.” With the award, Cobum
achieves temporary comeback statyj, espe
cially after winning in a category brimming
with show-stealing performances by notewor
thy actors such as Geoffrey Rush, Robert
Duvall and Billy Bob Thornton.
“Gods and Monsters,” the story of the last
days of Frankenstein movie director James
Whale, won best screenplay based on previ
ously published or produced material.
The evening’s surprises were not confined
to the awards.
Without Billy Crystal’s annual Oscar song
to look forward to, everyone wondered what
opening gimmick new host Whoopi Goldberg
would find. Capitalizing on this year’s preoc
cupation with Queen Elizabeth, Goldberg
came out bedecked as the virgin queen. She
then continued the show by appearing in vari
ous costumes from other academy nominated
films.
Both Goldberg and Chris Rock spoke the
unspeakable, joking about Elia Kazan’s con
troversial Honorary Oscar.
Kazan, the director of such movies as
“Streetcar Named Desire” and “East of
Eden,” testified in 1952 against eight friends
in front of the House Committee on Un
American Activities. His nomination for the
honorary award was protested by survivors of
Courtesy Photos
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP RIGHT: WOODY HAR
RELSON cameos in “The Thin Red Line,”
which was nominated for Best Director, Best
Cinematography and Best Picture. Terrence
Malick’s first picture in 20 years won no
Oscars.
GWYNETH PALTROW was the true queen of
the Elizabethan evening. She carried home
an Oscar for Best Actress in the Best
Picture-winning film “Shakespeare in
Love.”
WINNER OF FIVE Academy Awards, “Saving
Private Ryan” won for Best Cinematography
and Best Director.
CATE BLANCHETT as the Virgin Queen in
“Elizabeth.”
the blacklist era.
As Kazan came onto the stage to accept
the award, the crowd greeted him with a mix
ture of standing ovations and cold, arms
crossed stares. Kazan then thanked the
Academy for having the courage to give him
the award. His last words: “I’ll just slip away.”
Much ado was also made about this being
the last Academy Awards of the century.
Given the surprise attention to a romantic
comedy, a foreign film and a former “infor
mant” director, the night was certainly a mark
of changing times.
