70th Academy Awards

70th Academy Awards
The 70th Academy Awards ceremony, organized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), took place on March 23, 1998, at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles beginning at 6:00 p.m. PST / 9:00 p.m. EST. During the show, AMPAS presented Academy Awards (commonly referred to as Oscars) in 24 categories honoring films released in 1997. The ceremony, which was televised in the United States by ABC, was produced by Gil Cates and directed by Louis J. Horvitz. Actor Billy Crystal hosted the show for the sixth time. He had first hosted the 62nd ceremony held in 1990, and most recently the previous year's awards. Nearly a month earlier in an event held at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, California on February 28, the Academy Awards for Technical Achievement were presented by host Ashley Judd.
Titanic won eleven awards, including Best Picture, a number that is tied with Ben-Hur and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Other winners included As Good as It Gets, Good Will Hunting, and L.A. Confidential with two awards, and Character, The Full Monty, Geri's Game, The Long Way Home, Men in Black, A Story of Healing, and Visas and Virtue with one. The telecast garnered more than 57 million viewers in the United States, making it the most watched Oscars broadcast in history.
Winners and nominees
The nominees for the 70th Academy Awards were announced on February 10, 1998, at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, California, by Robert Rehme, president of the academy, and actress Geena Davis. Titanic received the most nominations with a record-tying fourteen (1950's All About Eve, and later 2016's La La Land, also achieved this distinction); Good Will Hunting and L.A. Confidential came in second with nine apiece.
The winners were announced during the awards ceremony on March 23, 1998. With eleven awards, Titanic tied with Ben-Hur for the most Academy Awards in Oscar history. It also became the first film to win Best Picture without a screenwriting nomination since 1965's The Sound of Music. Jack Nicholson became the fourth performer to win at least three acting Oscars. Both Nicholson and Helen Hunt won for their roles in As Good as It Gets, making it the seventh film to win both lead acting awards. Nominated for their performances as Rose DeWitt Bukater in Titanic, Best Actress nominee Kate Winslet and Best Supporting Actress nominee Gloria Stuart became the first pair of actresses nominated for portraying the same character in the same film. At age 87, Stuart also became the oldest performer nominated for a competitive Oscar.
Awards
Winners are listed first, highlighted in boldface, and indicated with a double dagger.
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Titanic – James Cameron and Jon Landau, producers As Good as It Gets – James L. Brooks, Bridgit Johnson and Kristi Zea, producers
The Full Monty – Uberto Pasolini, producer
Good Will Hunting – Lawrence Bender, producer
L.A. Confidential – Arnon Milchan, Curtis Hanson and Michael Nathanson, producers
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James Cameron – Titanic
Peter Cattaneo – The Full Monty
Gus Van Sant – Good Will Hunting
Curtis Hanson – L.A. Confidential
Atom Egoyan – The Sweet Hereafter
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Jack Nicholson – As Good as It Gets as Melvin Udall
Matt Damon – Good Will Hunting as Will Hunting
Robert Duvall – The Apostle as Euliss "Sonny" Dewey, a.k.a. "The Apostle E.F."
Peter Fonda – Ulee's Gold as Ulysses "Ulee" Jackson
Dustin Hoffman – Wag the Dog as Stanley Motss
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Helen Hunt – As Good as It Gets as Carol Connelly
Helena Bonham Carter – The Wings of the Dove as Kate Croy
Julie Christie – Afterglow as Phyllis Mann
Judi Dench – Mrs Brown as Queen Victoria
Kate Winslet – Titanic as Rose DeWitt Bukater
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Robin Williams – Good Will Hunting as Dr. Sean Maguire
Robert Forster – Jackie Brown as Max Cherry
Anthony Hopkins – Amistad as John Quincy Adams
Greg Kinnear – As Good as It Gets as Simon Bishop
Burt Reynolds – Boogie Nights as Jack Horner
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Kim Basinger – L.A. Confidential as Lynn Bracken
Joan Cusack – In & Out as Emily Montgomery
Minnie Driver – Good Will Hunting as Skylar Satenstein
Julianne Moore – Boogie Nights as Amber Waves/Maggie
Gloria Stuart – Titanic as Rose Dawson Calvert
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Good Will Hunting – Matt Damon and Ben Affleck
As Good as It Gets – Mark Andrus and James L. Brooks
Boogie Nights – Paul Thomas Anderson
Deconstructing Harry – Woody Allen
The Full Monty – Simon Beaufoy
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L.A. Confidential – Brian Helgeland and Curtis Hanson; from the novel by James Ellroy Donnie Brasco – Paul Attanasio; based on the book Donnie Brasco: My Undercover Life in the Mafia by Joseph D. Pistone with Richard Woodley
The Sweet Hereafter – Atom Egoyan; adapted from the novel by Russell Banks
Wag the Dog – David Mamet and Hilary Henkin; from the novel American Hero by Larry Beinhart
The Wings of the Dove – Hossein Amini; adapted from the novel by Henry James
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Karakter (Netherlands) in Dutch – Mike van Diem Beyond Silence (Germany) in German – Caroline Link
Four Days in September (Brazil) in Portuguese – Bruno Barreto
Secrets of the Heart (Spain) in Spanish – Montxo Armendáriz
The Thief (Russia) in Russian – Pavel Chukhray
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The Long Way Home – Rabbi Marvin Hier and Richard Trank 4 Little Girls – Spike Lee and Sam Pollard
Ayn Rand: A Sense of Life – Michael Paxton
Colors Straight Up – Michèle Ohayon and Julia Schachter
Waco: The Rules of Engagement – Dan Gifford and William Gazecki
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A Story of Healing – Donna Dewey and Carol Pasternak Alaska: Spirit of the Wild – George Casey and Paul Novros
Amazon – Kieth Merrill and Jonathan Stern
Family Video Diaries: Daughter of the Bride – Terri Randall
Still Kicking: The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies – Mel Damski and Andrea Blaugrund
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Visas and Virtue – Chris Tashima and Chris Donahue Dance Lexie Dance – Pearse Moore and Tim Loane
It's Good to Talk – Roger Goldby and Barney Reisz
Sweethearts? – Birger Larsen and Thomas Lydholm
Wolfgang – Anders Thomas Jensen and Kim Magnusson
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Geri's Game – Jan Pinkava Famous Fred – Joanna Quinn
The Old Lady and the Pigeons – Sylvain Chomet
Redux Riding Hood – Steve Moore and Dan O'Shannon
Rusalka – Alexander Petrov
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Titanic – James Horner Amistad – John Williams
Good Will Hunting – Danny Elfman
Kundun – Philip Glass
L.A. Confidential – Jerry Goldsmith
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The Full Monty – Anne Dudley Anastasia – Music by Stephen Flaherty; lyrics by Lynn Ahrens; orchestral score by David Newman
As Good as It Gets – Hans Zimmer
Men in Black – Danny Elfman
My Best Friend's Wedding – James Newton Howard
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"My Heart Will Go On" from Titanic – Music by James Horner; lyrics by Will Jennings "Go the Distance" from Hercules – Music by Alan Menken; lyrics by David Zippel
"Journey to the Past" from Anastasia – Music by Stephen Flaherty; lyrics by Lynn Ahrens
"How Do I Live" from Con Air – Music and lyrics by Diane Warren
"Miss Misery" from Good Will Hunting – Music and lyrics by Elliott Smith
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Titanic – Tom Bellfort and Christopher Boyes Face/Off – Mark Stoeckinger and Per Hallberg
The Fifth Element – Mark Mangini
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Titanic – Gary Rydstrom, Tom Johnson, Gary Summers and Mark Ulano Air Force One – Paul Massey, Rick Kline, Doug Hemphill and Keith A. Wester
Con Air – Kevin O'Connell, Greg P. Russell and Art Rochester
Contact – Randy Thom, Tom Johnson, Dennis S. Sands and William B. Kaplan
L.A. Confidential – Andy Nelson, Anna Behlmer and Kirk Francis
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Titanic – Art Direction: Peter Lamont; Set Decoration: Michael D. Ford Gattaca – Art Direction: Jan Roelfs; Set Decoration: Nancy Nye
Kundun – Art Direction: Dante Ferretti; Set Decoration: Francesca Lo Schiavo
L.A. Confidential – Art Direction: Jeannine Oppewall; Set Decoration: Jay Hart
Men in Black – Art Direction: Bo Welch; Set Decoration: Cheryl Carasik
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Titanic – Russell Carpenter Amistad – Janusz Kamiński
Kundun – Roger Deakins
L.A. Confidential – Dante Spinotti
The Wings of the Dove – Eduardo Serra
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Men in Black – Rick Baker and David LeRoy Anderson Mrs Brown – Lisa Westcott, Veronica Brebner and Beverley Binda
Titanic – Tina Earnshaw, Greg Cannom and Simon Thompson
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Titanic – Deborah Lynn Scott Amistad – Ruth E. Carter
Kundun – Dante Ferretti
Oscar and Lucinda – Janet Patterson
The Wings of the Dove – Sandy Powell
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Titanic – Conrad Buff, James Cameron and Richard A. Harris Air Force One – Richard Francis-Bruce
As Good as It Gets – Richard Marks
Good Will Hunting – Pietro Scalia
L.A. Confidential – Peter Honess
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Titanic'' – Robert Legato, Mark Lasoff, Thomas L. Fisher and Michael Kanfer
The Lost World: Jurassic Park – Dennis Muren, Stan Winston, Randal M. Dutra and Michael Lantieri
Starship Troopers – Phil Tippett, Scott E. Anderson, Alec Gillis and John Richardson
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Academy Honorary Award
Stanley Donen
Films with multiple nominations and awards
The following 16 films received multiple nominations:
The following four films received multiple awards:
Presenters and performers
The following individuals presented awards or performed musical numbers.
Presenters
Performers
Ceremony information
In December 1997, the academy hired veteran Oscar telecast producer Gil Cates to oversee the 1998 ceremony. "Gil has become the consummate Oscar show producer, consistently garnering top television ratings for the telecast," said AMPAS President Robert Rehme in a press release announcing the selection. "His shows are full of wit, charm and surprise." A few days later, actor and comedian Billy Crystal was chosen to emcee the upcoming telecast. Cates explained his reason to bring back the veteran comedian saying, "Billy's performance last year was spectacular. There is nobody like him." In an article published in USA Today he initially requested to Cates and AMPAS five months after the previous year's ceremony that he would like to take a break from hosting duties. However, pressure from the academy, Cates, and several friends and family members made him reconsider his decision. His sixth stint would make him second only to Bob Hope in number of ceremonies hosted.
To commemorate the seventieth anniversary of the Academy Awards, 70 actors who have received both competitive and honorary awards appeared seated onstage together during a segment called Oscar's Family Album. Each former winner was acknowledged by announcer Norman Rose with the films he or she won for. At the end of the segment newly minted winners Kim Bassinger, Helen Hunt, and Robin Williams joined them. This marked the largest gathering of former winners since the 50th ceremony held in 1978.
Several others participated in the production of the ceremony. Bill Conti served as musical director for the telecast. Dancer Daniel Ezralow choreographed a dance number showcasing the nominees for Best Original Comedy or Musical Score. Bart the Bear made a surprise appearance during the presentation of the Best Sound Effects Editing award with Mike Myers.
Box office performance of nominees
At the time of the nominations announcement on February 10, the combined gross of the five Best Picture nominees was $579 million with an average of $116 million per film. Titanic was the highest earner among the Best Picture nominees with $338.7 million in domestic box office receipts. The film was followed by As Good as It Gets ($92.6 million), Good Will Hunting ($68.9 million), L.A. Confidential ($39.7 million), and finally The Full Monty ($38.7 million).
Of the top 50 grossing movies of the year, 40 nominations went to 15 films on the list. Only Titanic (1st), As Good as It Gets (16th), Good Will Hunting (20th), and In & Out (24th) were nominated for directing, acting, screenwriting, or Best Picture. The other top 50 box office hits that earned nominations were Men in Black (2nd), The Lost World: Jurassic Park (3rd), Air Force One (5th), My Best Friends Wedding (7th), Face/Off (9th), Con Air (12th), Contact (13th), Hercules (14th), The Fifth Element (25th), Anastasia (30th), and Starship Troopers (34th).
Critical response
The show received a positive reception from most media publications. Television critic Howard Rosenberg of the Los Angeles Times lauded Crystal's performance writing that he "would earn top billing as that unusual comedian as artful at doing musical comedy as jokes." San Francisco Chronicle columnist John Carman raved,"It was the best Oscar show in two decades." He also gave high marks for the host, commenting, "But last night, Crystal was back in razor form." The Seattle Times television editor Kay McFadden praised Crystal commenting that "he possesses nearly impeccable timing and judgment." In addition, she noted that while the ceremony dragged on, "Last night was one of television's smartest live ceremonies in recent memory."
Some media outlets were more critical of the show. Ray Richmond of Variety complained that the ceremony proved to be a "Yawner of an Oscarcast." He added that Crystal's "off-the-cuff one-liners sank faster than the great ship herself." Boston Globe television critic Matthew Gilbert bemoaned,"There was hardly a spontaneous moment during last night's Oscarcast." Film critic Carrie Rickey from The Philadelphia Inquirer lamented that the inevitable Titanic sweep "sank a telecast loaded with montages of previous years' Oscar highlights."
Ratings and reception
The popularity of Titanic greatly increased television ratings for the ceremony. The American telecast on ABC drew in an average of 57.25 million people over its length, which was a 29% increase from the previous year's ceremony. An estimated 87.50 million total viewers watched all or part of the awards. The show also earned higher Nielsen ratings compared to the previous ceremony with 35.32% of households watching over a 55.77 share. In addition, it garnered a higher 1849 demo rating with a 24.90 rating over a 44.30 share among viewers in that demographic. It overtook the network's own telecast of the 1983 Academy Awards to become, as it remains to date, the highest viewership for both an Academy Award telecast (since figures were compiled beginning with the 46th ceremony in 1974) and any live awards show airing in U.S. television history.
In July 1998, the ceremony presentation received eight nominations at the 50th Primetime Emmys. Two months later, the ceremony won five of those nominations for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program (Billy Crystal), Outstanding Directing for a Variety or Music Program (Louis J Horvitz), Outstanding Lighting Direction (Electronic) for a Drama Series, Variety Series, Miniseries, or Movie (Bob Barnhart, Robert Dickinson, Matt Ford, Andy O'Reilly), Outstanding Music Direction (Bill Conti), and Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Variety Series or Special (Patrick Baltzell, Robert Douglass, Edward J. Greene, Tommy Vicari).
In Memoriam
The annual In Memoriam tribute was presented by actress Whoopi Goldberg. The montage featured an excerpt of "Appassionata" from The Passage'' composed by Michael J. Lewis.
Lloyd Bridges - Actor
Richard Jaeckel - Character actor
Saul Chaplin – Composer/Musical Director
Stanley Cortez – Cinematographer
William Hickey - Actor
Paul Jarrico – Screenwriter
Dorothy Kingsley – Screenwriter
Sydney Guilaroff – Hairstylist
William H. Reynolds – Editor
Billie Dove - Actress
Jacques Cousteau – Filmmaker
Stubby Kaye - Actor, comedian
Red Skelton - Comedy entertainer
Dawn Steel – Executive
Toshiro Mifune - Japanese actor
Brian Keith - Actor
Chris Farley - Actor, comedian
Leo Jaffe – Executive
Samuel Fuller – Director
Burgess Meredith - Actor
J. T. Walsh - Character actor
Robert Mitchum - Actor
James Stewart - Actor
See also
4th Screen Actors Guild Awards
18th Golden Raspberry Awards
40th Grammy Awards
51st British Academy Film Awards
52nd Tony Awards
55th Golden Globe Awards
List of submissions to the 70th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film
References
Bibliography
External links
Official websites
Academy Awards Official website
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Official website
Oscar's Channel at YouTube (run by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences)
Analysis
1997 Academy Awards Winners and History Filmsite
Academy Awards, USA: 1998 Internet Movie Database
Other resources
1997 film awards
1998 in American cinema
Academy Awards ceremonies
1998 in Los Angeles
March 1998 events in the United States
Academy
Television shows directed by Louis J. Horvitz