# 71st Academy Awards

The 71st Academy Awards ceremony, organized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best of 1998 in film and took place on March 21, 1999, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles beginning at 5:30 p.m. PST / 8:30 p.m. EST. During the ceremony, AMPAS presented Academy Awards (commonly referred to as Oscars) in 24 categories. The ceremony, televised in the United States by ABC, was produced by Gil Cates and directed by Louis J. Horvitz. Actress Whoopi Goldberg hosted the show for the third time. She first hosted the 66th ceremony held in 1994 and had last hosted the 68th ceremony in 1996. Nearly a month earlier in a ceremony held at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, California on February 27, the Academy Awards for Technical Achievement were presented by host Anne Heche.
Shakespeare in Love won 7 awards, including Best Picture. Other winners included Saving Private Ryan with 5 awards, Life Is Beautiful with 3, and Affliction, Bunny, Election Night, Elizabeth, Gods and Monsters, The Last Days, The Personals: Improvisations on Romance in the Golden Years, The Prince of Egypt, and What Dreams May Come with 1. The telecast garnered nearly 46 million viewers in the United States.

## Winners and nominees

The nominees for the 71st Academy Awards were announced on February 9, 1999, at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, California, by Robert Rehme, president of the Academy, and the actor Kevin Spacey. Shakespeare in Love earned the most nominations with 13; Saving Private Ryan came in second place with 11.
The winners were announced during the awards ceremony on March 21, 1999. Life Is Beautiful was the second film nominated simultaneously for Best Picture and Best Foreign Language Film in the same year (the first being Z in 1969). Best Actor winner Roberto Benigni was the second person to direct himself to an acting Oscar win. Laurence Olivier first achieved this feat for his performance in 1948's Hamlet. He also became the fourth individual to earn acting, directing, screenwriting nominations for the same film. In addition, Benigni was the third performer to win an Oscar for a non-English speaking role. By virtue of their nominations for portraying Queen Elizabeth I of England, Best Actress nominee Cate Blanchett and Best Supporting Actress winner Judi Dench became the first pair of actresses to earn acting nominations in the same year for portraying the same character in different films. Fernanda Montenegro became the first Brazilian person to be nominated for Best Actress category.

### Awards

Winners are listed first, highlighted in boldface, and indicated with a double dagger (‡).
| Best Picture Shakespeare in Love – David Parfitt, Donna Gigliotti, Harvey Weinstein, Edward Zwick and Marc Norman, producers‡ Elizabeth – Alison Owen, Eric Fellner and Tim Bevan, producers Life Is Beautiful – Elda Ferri and Gianluigi Braschi, producers Saving Private Ryan – Steven Spielberg, Ian Bryce, Mark Gordon and Gary Levinsohn, producers The Thin Red Line – Robert Michael Geisler, Grant Hill and John Roberdeau, producers | Best Directing Steven Spielberg – Saving Private Ryan‡ Roberto Benigni – Life Is Beautiful John Madden – Shakespeare in Love Terrence Malick – The Thin Red Line Peter Weir – The Truman Show |
| Best Actor in a Leading Role Roberto Benigni – Life Is Beautiful as Guido Orefice‡ Tom Hanks – Saving Private Ryan as Captain John Miller Ian McKellen – Gods and Monsters as James Whale Nick Nolte – Affliction as Wade Whitehouse Edward Norton – American History X as Derek Vinyard | Best Actress in a Leading Role Gwyneth Paltrow – Shakespeare in Love as Viola de Lesseps‡ Cate Blanchett – Elizabeth as Queen Elizabeth I of England Fernanda Montenegro – Central Station as Isadora "Dora" Teixeira Meryl Streep – One True Thing as Kate Gulden Emily Watson – Hilary and Jackie as Jacqueline du Pré |
| Best Actor in a Supporting Role James Coburn – Affliction as Glen Whitehouse‡ Robert Duvall – A Civil Action as Jerome Facher Ed Harris – The Truman Show as Christof Geoffrey Rush – Shakespeare in Love as Philip Henslowe Billy Bob Thornton – A Simple Plan as Jacob Mitchell | Best Actress in a Supporting Role Judi Dench – Shakespeare in Love as Queen Elizabeth I of England‡ Kathy Bates – Primary Colors as Libby Holden Brenda Blethyn – Little Voice as Mari Hoff Rachel Griffiths – Hilary and Jackie as Hilary du Pré Lynn Redgrave – Gods and Monsters as Hanna |
| Best Writing (Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen) Shakespeare in Love – Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard‡ Bulworth – Warren Beatty and Jeremy Pikser Life Is Beautiful – Vincenzo Cerami and Roberto Benigni Saving Private Ryan – Robert Rodat The Truman Show – Andrew Niccol | Best Writing (Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published) Gods and Monsters – Bill Condon based on the novel Father of Frankenstein by Christopher Bram‡ Out of Sight – Scott Frank from the novel by Elmore Leonard Primary Colors – Elaine May adapted from the novel by Joe Klein A Simple Plan – Scott B. Smith based on his novel The Thin Red Line – Terrence Malick adapted from the novel by James Jones |
| Best Foreign Language Film Life Is Beautiful (Italy) in Italian – Roberto Benigni‡ Central Station (Brazil) in Portuguese – Walter Salles Children of Heaven (Iran) in Persian – Majid Majidi The Grandfather (Spain) in Spanish – José Luis Garci Tango (Argentina) in Spanish – Carlos Saura | Best Documentary (Feature) The Last Days – James Moll and Ken Lipper‡ Dancemaker – Matthew Diamond and Jerry Kupfer The Farm: Angola, USA – Jonathan Stack and Liz Garbus Lenny Bruce: Swear to Tell the Truth – Robert B. Weide Regret to Inform – Barbara Sonneborn and Janet Cole |
| Best Documentary (Short Subject) The Personals: Improvisations on Romance in the Golden Years – Keiko Ibi‡ A Place in the Land – Charles Guggenheim Sunrise Over Tiananmen Square – Shui-Bo Wang and Donald McWilliams | Best Short Film (Live Action) Election Night – Kim Magnusson and Anders Thomas Jensen‡ Culture – Will Speck and Josh Gordon Holiday Romance – Alexander Jovy and JJ Keith La Carte Postale – Vivian Goffette Victor – Simon Sandquist and Joel Bergvall |
| Best Short Film (Animated) Bunny – Chris Wedge‡ The Canterbury Tales – Christopher Grace and Jonathan Myerson Jolly Roger – Mark Baker More – Mark Osborne and Steve Kalafer When Life Departs – Karsten Kiilerich and Stefan Fjeldmark | Best Music (Original Dramatic Score) Life Is Beautiful – Nicola Piovani‡ Elizabeth – David Hirschfelder Pleasantville – Randy Newman Saving Private Ryan – John Williams The Thin Red Line – Hans Zimmer |
| Best Music (Original Musical or Comedy Score) Shakespeare in Love – Stephen Warbeck‡ A Bug's Life – Randy Newman Mulan – Music by Matthew Wilder; Lyrics by David Zippel; Orchestral Score by Jerry Goldsmith Patch Adams – Marc Shaiman The Prince of Egypt – Music and Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz; Orchestral Score by Hans Zimmer | Best Music (Original Song) "When You Believe" from The Prince of Egypt – Music and Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz‡ "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" from Armageddon – Music and Lyrics by Diane Warren "That'll Do" from Babe: Pig in the City – Music and Lyrics by Randy Newman "A Soft Place to Fall" from The Horse Whisperer – Music and Lyrics by Allison Moorer and Gwil Owen "The Prayer" from Quest for Camelot – Music by Carole Bayer Sager and David Foster; Lyrics by Carole Bayer Sager, David Foster, Tony Renis and Alberto Testa |
| Best Sound Effects Editing Saving Private Ryan – Gary Rydstrom and Richard Hymns‡ Armageddon – George Watters II The Mask of Zorro – David McMoyler | Best Sound Saving Private Ryan – Gary Rydstrom, Gary Summers, Andy Nelson and Ron Judkins‡ Armageddon – Kevin O'Connell, Greg P. Russell and Keith A. Wester The Mask of Zorro – Kevin O'Connell, Greg P. Russell and Pud Cusack Shakespeare in Love – Robin O'Donoghue, Dominic Lester and Peter Glossop The Thin Red Line – Andy Nelson, Anna Behlmer and Paul Brincat |
| Best Art Direction Shakespeare in Love – Art Direction: Martin Childs; Set Decoration: Jill Quertier‡ Elizabeth – Art Direction: John Myhre; Set Decoration: Peter Howitt Pleasantville – Art Direction: Jeannine Oppewall; Set Decoration: Jay Hart Saving Private Ryan – Art Direction: Tom Sanders; Set Decoration: Lisa Dean Kavanaugh What Dreams May Come – Art Direction: Eugenio Zanetti; Set Decoration: Cindy Carr | Best Cinematography Saving Private Ryan – Janusz Kamiński‡ A Civil Action – Conrad Hall Elizabeth – Remi Adefarasin Shakespeare in Love – Richard Greatrex The Thin Red Line – John Toll |
| Best Makeup Elizabeth – Jenny Shircore‡ Saving Private Ryan – Lois Burwell, Conor O'Sullivan and Daniel C. Striepeke Shakespeare in Love – Lisa Westcott and Veronica Brebner | Best Costume Design Shakespeare in Love – Sandy Powell‡ Beloved – Colleen Atwood Elizabeth – Alexandra Byrne Pleasantville – Judianna Makovsky Velvet Goldmine – Sandy Powell |
| Best Film Editing Saving Private Ryan – Michael Kahn‡ Life Is Beautiful – Simona Paggi Out of Sight – Anne V. Coates Shakespeare in Love – David Gamble The Thin Red Line – Billy Weber, Leslie Jones and Saar Klein | Best Visual Effects What Dreams May Come – Joel Hynek, Nicholas Brooks, Stuart Robertson and Kevin Mack‡ Armageddon – Richard R. Hoover, Pat McClung and John Frazier Mighty Joe Young – Rick Baker, Hoyt Yeatman, Allen Hall and Jim Mitchell |

### Honorary Award

* To Elia Kazan in recognition of his indelible contributions to the art of motion picture direction.

### Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award

* Norman Jewison

### Films with multiple nominations and awards

| Nominations | Film |
| 13 | Shakespeare in Love |
| 11 | Saving Private Ryan |
| 7 | Elizabeth |
| 7 | Life Is Beautiful |
| 7 | The Thin Red Line |
| 4 | Armageddon |
| 3 | Gods and Monsters |
| 3 | Pleasantville |
| 3 | The Truman Show |
| 2 | Affliction |
| 2 | Central Station |
| 2 | A Civil Action |
| 2 | Hilary and Jackie |
| 2 | The Mask of Zorro |
| 2 | Out of Sight |
| 2 | Primary Colors |
| 2 | The Prince of Egypt |
| 2 | A Simple Plan |
| 2 | What Dreams May Come |
| Awards | Film |
| 7 | Shakespeare in Love |
| 5 | Saving Private Ryan |
| 3 | Life Is Beautiful |

## Presenters and performers

The following individuals presented awards or performed musical numbers.

### Presenters

| Name(s) | Role |
| Randi Thomas | Announcer for the 71st annual Academy Awards |
| Robert Rehme (AMPAS President) | Gave opening remarks welcoming guests to the awards ceremony |
| Kim Basinger | Presenter of the award for Best Supporting Actor |
| Gwyneth Paltrow | Presenter of the award for Best Art Direction |
| Patrick Stewart | Presenter of the films Elizabeth and Shakespeare in Love on the Best Picture segment |
| Mike Myers | Presenter of the award for Best Makeup |
| Christina Ricci | Introducer of the performance of Best Song nominee "When You Believe" |
| Brendan Fraser | Presenter of the award for Best Live Action Short Film |
| Flik Heimlich | Presenters of the award for Best Animated Short Film |
| Robin Williams | Presenter of the award for Best Supporting Actress |
| Chris Rock | Presenter of the award for Best Sound Effects Editing |
| Liv Tyler | Introducer of the performance of Best Song nominee "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" |
| Anjelica Huston | Presenter of the award for Best Sound |
| Tom Hanks | Introducer of presenter John Glenn |
| John Glenn | Presenter of the "Historical Figures in Cinema" montage |
| Sophia Loren | Presenter of the film Life Is Beautiful on the Best Picture segment and the award for Best Foreign Language Film |
| Andy García Andie MacDowell | Presenters of the award for Best Original Musical or Comedy Score |
| Geena Davis | Introducer of the special dance number to the tune of the Best Original Dramatic Score nominees and presenter of the award for Best Original Dramatic Score |
| John Travolta | Presenter of the Frank Sinatra tribute montage |
| Anne Heche | Presenter of the segment of the Academy Awards for Technical Achievement and the Gordon E. Sawyer Award |
| Jim Carrey | Presenter of the award for Best Film Editing |
| Renée Zellweger | Introducer of the performance of the Best Song nominee "A Soft Place to Fall" |
| Nicolas Cage | Presenter of the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award to Norman Jewison |
| Liam Neeson | Presenter of the award for Best Visual Effects |
| Val Kilmer | Presenter of the Gene Autry and Roy Rogers tribute montage |
| Helen Hunt | Presenter of the award for Best Actor |
| Lisa Kudrow | Introducer of the performance of Best Song nominee "That'll Do" |
| Ben Affleck Matt Damon | Presenters of the awards for Best Documentary Short Subject and Best Documentary Feature |
| Robert De Niro Martin Scorsese | Presenters of the Honorary Academy Award to Elia Kazan |
| Whoopi Goldberg | Presenter of the award for Best Costume Design |
| Catherine Zeta-Jones | Introducer of the performance of Best Song nominee "The Prayer" |
| Jennifer Lopez | Presenter of the award for Best Original Song |
| Annette Bening | Presenter of the In Memoriam tribute |
| Jack Valenti | Introducer of presenter Colin Powell |
| Colin Powell | Presenter of the films Saving Private Ryan and The Thin Red Line on the Best Picture segment |
| Uma Thurman | Presenter of the award for Best Cinematography |
| Jack Nicholson | Presenter of the award for Best Actress |
| Steven Spielberg | Presenter of the Stanley Kubrick tribute montage |
| Goldie Hawn Steve Martin | Presenters of the awards for Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen and Best Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published |
| Kevin Costner | Presenter of the award for Best Director |
| Harrison Ford | Presenter of the award for Best Picture |

### Performers

| Name(s) | Role | Performed |
| Bill Conti | Musical arranger | Orchestral |
| Mariah Carey Whitney Houston | Performers | "When You Believe" from The Prince of Egypt |
| Aerosmith | Performers | "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" from Armageddon |
| Joaquín Cortés Savion Glover Tai Jiminez Desmond Richardson Rasta Thomas | Performers | Performed dance number synchronized with selections from Best Original Dramatic Score nominees |
| Allison Moorer | Performer | "A Soft Place to Fall" from The Horse Whisperer |
| Peter Gabriel Randy Newman | Performers | "That'll Do" from Babe: Pig in the City |
| Celine Dion Andrea Bocelli | Performers | "The Prayer" from Quest for Camelot |

## Ceremony information

Riding on the success of the previous year's ceremony which garnered record-high viewership figures and several Emmys, AMPAS sought changes to the festivities that would help build upon this recent success. In June 1998, Academy president Robert Rehme announced that the show would be held on a Sunday for the first time in history. AMPAS and network ABC hoped to capitalize on the high television ratings and viewership that benefit programs airing on that particular day of the week. The Academy also stated that the move to Sunday would ease concerns about traffic gridlock and transportation that are significantly lower on weekends.
The following January, Gil Cates was selected as a producer of the telecast. He immediately selected Oscar-winning actress Whoopi Goldberg as host of the 1999 ceremony. Cates explained his decision to bring back Goldberg as host saying, "The audience adores Whoopi and that affection, plus Whoopi's extraordinary talent makes her a terrific host for the show." In a statement, Goldberg expressed that she was honored and excited to be selected to emcee the telecast commenting, "I am thrilled to escort Oscar into the new millennium. Who would have thought that I would be hosting the last Oscar telecast of the century? It's a huge deal."
Several other people participated in the production of the ceremony and its related events. Bill Conti served as musical director for the festivities. In addition to supervising the Best Song nominee performances, choreographer Debbie Allen produced a dance number featuring five dancers from around the world showcasing the nominees for Best Original Dramatic Score. For the first time, the Academy produced its own pre-show that preceded the main telecast. Produced by Dennis Doty, the half-hour program was hosted by actress Geena Davis and CNN reporter Jim Moret. Similar to coverage of red carpet arrivals on networks such as E!, the pre-show featured interviews with nominees and other guests, recaps of nominations and segments highlighting behind-the-scenes preparations for the telecast.

### Box office performance of nominees

At the time of the nominations announcement on February 9, the combined gross of the five Best Picture nominees was $302 million with an average of $60.4 million per film. Saving Private Ryan was the highest earner among the Best Picture nominees with $194.2 million in domestic box office receipts. The film was followed by Shakespeare in Love ($36.5 million), The Thin Red Line ($30.6 million), Elizabeth ($21.5 million), and finally Life is Beautiful ($18.4 million).
Of the top 50 grossing movies of the year, 36 nominations went to 13 films on the list. Only Saving Private Ryan (2nd), The Truman Show (11th), A Civil Action (40th) and Primary Colors (50th) were nominated for Best Picture, directing, acting or screenwriting. The other top 50 box office hits that earned nominations were Armageddon (1st), A Bug's Life (5th), Patch Adams (12th), Mulan (13th), The Mask of Zorro (17th), The Prince of Egypt (18th), The Horse Whisperer (24th), What Dreams May Come (37th) and Pleasantville (49th).

### Critical reviews

The show received a mixed reception from media publications. Columnist Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly quipped that "Whoopi bombed last night, she knew it—and yet, crassly, she took it as a sign of her own outrageousness." The Washington Post television critic Tom Shales bemoaned that Goldberg "spent a great deal of time laughing at her own jokes, many of which were dirty, a few dirty." He also lambasted the host's presentation of the five Best Costume Design nominees saying calling it time-consuming and tasteless. Film critic John Hartl of The Seattle Times lamented that the telecast "was the longest and possibly the dullest Oscar show of the century, clocking in at four hours."
Other media outlets received the broadcast more positively. Television columnist Robert Bianco of USA Today commended Goldberg's hosting performance writing that he liked "the sharper, more socially conscious edge Goldberg brings." The Boston Globe television critic Matthew Gilbert commented, "It was the perfect year with more than enough Hollywood intrigue and a battle for her to play off." Joanne Ostrow of The Denver Post raved that "Whoopi definitely was on, more so than in her two previous hosting stints." She added that "the show was exceptionally smooth."

### Ratings and reception

The American telecast on ABC drew an average of 45.51 million viewers over its length, which was an 18% decrease from the previous year's ceremony. An estimated 78.10 million total viewers watched all or part of the awards. The show also drew lower Nielsen ratings compared to the previous ceremony with 28.63% of households watching over a 47.79 share. It also drew a lower 18–49 demo rating with an 18.85 rating over a 37.31 share among viewers in that demographic.
In July 1999, the show received seven nominations at the 51st Primetime Emmy Awards. Two months later, the ceremony won two of those nominations for Outstanding Art Direction for a Variety or Music Program (Roy Christopher and Stephen Olson) and Outstanding Lighting Direction for a Drama Series, Variety Series, Miniseries, Movie, or Special (Robert Dickinson, Robert T. Barnhart, Andy O'Reilly, Matt Ford).

## "In Memoriam"

The annual "In Memoriam" tribute was presented by actress Annette Bening. The montage featured an excerpt of the main title from Ever After composed by George Fenton.
* Dane Clark – Character actor
* Linwood G. Dunn – Special Effects
* George W. Davis – Art Director
* Dick O'Neill – Actor
* Charles Lang – Cinematographer
* Norman Fell – Actor
* James Goldman – Screenwriter
* Vincent Winter – Child actor
* Freddie Young – Cinematographer
* John P. Veitch – Executive
* E. G. Marshall – Actor
* Jeanette Nolan – Actress
* Alan J. Pakula – Writer/Director/Producer
* Jerome Robbins – Director/Choreographer
* Susan Strasberg – Actress
* John Derek – Actor
* John Addison – Composer
* Jean Marais – Actor
* Richard Kiley – Actor
* Maureen O'Sullivan – Actress
* Phil Hartman – Actor/comedian
* Esther Rolle – Actress
* Gene Raymond – Actor
* Binnie Barnes – Actress
* Valerie Hobson – Actress
* Huntz Hall – Child actor
* Akira Kurosawa – Director
* Alice Faye – Actress/singer
* Robert Young – Actor
* Roddy McDowall – Actor
A separate tribute to actor, singer and former Oscar host Frank Sinatra was presented by John Travolta. Later, actor Val Kilmer presented one to actors Gene Autry and Roy Rogers. After the In Memoriam segment was shown, host Goldberg and director Steven Spielberg eulogized film critic Gene Siskel and director Stanley Kubrick respectively.