Shakespeare in Love doesn't even begin to compare

Rating: 10/10 (22 March 1999)

I was physically sickened when I witnessed the outcome of the Oscars this evening. When Steven Spielberg won Best Director honors, I was immensely pleased. I thought that Saving Private Ryan, the best film of 1998, and the best war film ever would surely take Best Picture honors. However, when Harrison Ford announced that Shakespeare in Love was Best Picture, I was on the verge of vomiting. While Shakespeare in Love may have been a decent film, it was resoundingly light, fluffy fare that didn't deserve to win Best Actress (that should have gone to Cate Blanchett), nor Best Picture.
Now that I've put Shakespeare in Love down enough (not entirely enough, but as much as possible right now), I want to write about the virtues of Saving Private Ryan. When I first saw this movie, I was amazed at every single element. Nothing was flawed in this film. The sound was amazing, as was the cinematography, the editing, the screenplay, the incredibly subdued performance of Tom Hanks, and the tremendous supporting cast. With the bookends of the two extraordinary battles, and the framing sequences that mean say so very much about the meaning and loss in war with so few words, Saving Private Ryan was obviously both the best film of 1998, and the best film about war ever filmed. Because of this, it will be remembered long after Shakespeare in Love goes the way of Tom Jones, The Life of Emile Zola, and all of those other forgettable Best Pictures that have come before. Steven Spielberg did a great service to WWII veterans, and the movie-going public with this film, and I hope that it's remembered for much longer than the light, meaningless Shakespeare in Love.