Oscars flashback 25 years ago to 1999: ‘Shakespeare in Love’ battles ‘Saving Private Ryan’
It was one of the most memorable Oscars of all time — a stunning upset that resonates to this day, one of the most exuberant winners ever and a historical queen who was well-represented. On March 21, 1999, in honor of a couple of nominees, host Whoopi Goldberg entered the Academy Awards stage decked out as Queen Elizabeth I, calling herself the “African Queen.” Read on for Gold Derby’s Oscars flashback 25 years ago to 1999.
The Best Picture ballot was filled with the types of films academy voters usually relish: the epic war film “The Thin Red Line,” the historical biopic “Elizabeth” and the Holocaust-centered “Life Is Beautiful.” The frontrunner was Steven Spielberg‘s WWII epic “Saving Private Ryan,” which had received numerous accolades. Its fate seemed certain when Spielberg won Best Director. However, Best Picture presenter Harrison Ford opened the envelope and, much to the astonishment of many a viewer, named the romantic comedy “Shakespeare in Love” the champ.
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Actually, looking back at the wins leading up to that final announcement, perhaps it wasn’t quite the shocker. “Saving Private Ryan” had picked up some crucial victories throughout the evening; besides Best Director, it won for cinematography, editing and sound. However, it lost Best Original Screenplay … to “Shakespeare in Love.” “Saving Private Ryan” also only garnered one acting nomination for its ensemble cast — and Tom Hanks lost his Best Actor bid. However, “Shakespeare” captured two of three acting trophies, with Gwyneth Paltrow winning Best Actress and Judi Dench winning Best Supporting Actress. In the end, “Shakespeare” won seven, including costume, art direction and scoring for a comedy, versus the five won by “Ryan.” Producers for “Shakespeare” campaigned heavily for the win, and many feel that swayed the vote not only for Best Picture, but also for Best Actress.
Cate Blanchett‘s performance in “Elizabeth” is considered one of her finest, and she easily earned her first Oscar nomination for Best Actress. Although Paltrow prevailed for her role as Shakespeare’s muse, this has been her only nomination, whereas Blanchett has gone on to earn seven more, and to win twice, once in each female acting category. Ironically, Paltrow’s costar Dench won her supporting award for playing the same queen, Elizabeth I, as Blanchett, making this the only year in Academy history in which two actresses have been nominated for playing the same person in two different films. Dench’s onscreen time in “Shakespeare” is only about eight minutes — but she steals the scene in every one of those few moments.
Regardless of those controversial wins, a couple of victorious moments by one man led to some of the most feel-good moments of any Oscar telecast. The Italian comedy-drama “Life Is Beautiful” captured seven nominations, and won three big categories, including dramatic score — the only other film besides “Shakespeare” and “Ryan” to win multiple awards. Besides its Best Picture nom, Roberto Benigni received nominations for Best Director, Original Screenplay (shared) and Best Actor. When the film won Best Foreign Language Film, Benigni stood on the back of chairs and then climbed over them, full of joy that his labor of love was recognized. Fittingly, the presenter was fellow Italian Sophia Loren, who at that time was one of only two performers to win an acting Oscar for a role mainly spoken in another language. Benigni would become the third person to accomplish this, winning Best Actor, and is also only the second person (after Laurence Olivier 50 years prior) to direct himself to a Best Actor Oscar. And he gave one of the most exuberant speeches ever, declaring, “This is a terrible mistake because I used up all my English. I don’t know! I am not able to express all my gratitude, because now, my body is in tumult because it is a colossal moment of joy so everything is really in a way that I cannot express.”
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Benigni beat out some of Hollywood’s finest actors in some of their best performances: Hanks, Ian McKellen (“Gods and Monsters”), Edward Norton (“American History X”) and Nick Nolte, who had won a few critics’ awards for his role as a policeman who becomes unhinged in “Affliction.” However, his costar James Coburn did triumph in supporting for his role as Nolte’s alcoholic and abusive father.
Another bit of controversy at this ceremony was the presentation of an honorary Oscar to director Elia Kazan, who had “named names” before the House Committee on Un-American Activities nearly 50 years prior. It was an auditorium divided, as several clapped and stood for him, while others remained seated and refused to applaud.
It is one of those years in which people look back in amazement that a certain film or person failed to win. Perhaps voters were looking for lighter fare with which to end the millennium and usher in a new era. “Saving Private Ryan” earned its place in cinema history without the win, proving that the awards don’t necessarily make the legacy.
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