The 71st Academy Awards in 1999 gave us one of the most hotly debated Oscar decisions of all time.On one side, you had Saving Private Ryan (1998)—Steven Spielberg’s brutal, emotionally harrowing World War II epic. It was the kind of film that critics, audiences, and even veterans unanimously praised. It won Spielberg Best Director, and most assumed Best Picture was a lock.But then… Shakespeare in Love (1998) happened. A witty, romantic, feel-good period piece, backed by an Oscar campaign that was anything but cute.When Shakespeare in Love walked away with Best Picture, jaws hit the floor. Critics scoffed. Fans booed. Even Academy voters, years later, seemed to regret it. In a 2015 The Hollywood Reporter poll of Academy members, when asked to re-vote the 1999 Best Picture category, they chose Saving Private Ryan by a wide margin. Basically, if they could time-travel, the envelope would’ve held a very different name.Which brings us to the big “what if.”What if Oscar night had gone the other way? What would’ve changed for Spielberg, for Miramax, for the types of movies that followed?And what does it say about the way the industry rewards (or misses) greatness?The 1999 Oscars: How Did Shakespeare in Love Win?Harvey Weinstein’s Campaign TacticsHere’s the part where things get murky. Shakespeare in Love didn’t really ride into Oscar night on charm and cheeky Elizabethan banter. It stormed the gates with a meticulously aggressive campaign led by Harvey Weinstein and Miramax. Think: constant screenings, relentless ads, full-page trades, glossy “for your consideration”...
Published By: NoFilmSchool - Today