69th Academy Awards

Infobox Academy Awards | name = 69th
poster =
caption = The English Patient
date = Monday, March 24, 1997
site = Shrine Auditorium
Los Angeles, California
host = Billy Crystal
producer = Gil Cates
director = Louis J. Horvitz
duration = 3 hours, 34 minutes [ [http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title.jsp?stid=458729&category=Overview The 69th Annual Academy Awards (1997) Overview ] ] | network = ABC
ratings = 40.83 million
last = 68th
next = 70thThe 69th Academy Awards were dominated by movies produced by independent studios, financed outside of mainstream Hollywood, leading to 1997 being dubbed "The Year of the Independents". All but one of the nominees for Best Picture were low-budget independent movies (the next ceremony dominated by indie fims would be in 2006. 2008 was also dominated by independents).

The big winner at the ceremony was Anthony Minghella's "The English Patient", which had received 12 nominations and won 9 awards including Best Picture.

Other notable movies to be honoured at the ceremony included "Fargo", which had been nominated for 7 awards and won 2, "Shine", which had been nominated for 7 awards and won just one, and "Jerry Maguire", which had been nominated for 5 awards and also won just one.

News and recap

Shortly before the ceremony, two light aircraft flew over the auditorium streaming banners behind them. They first appeared as Larry Flynt, the subject of the Oscar-nominated film "The People vs. Larry Flynt", arrived, which read "Columbia Studios Sucks — Larry Flynt". The second banner read "Disney uses sweatshops — 30 cents an hour in Haiti", criticizing Walt Disney Studios about the conditions under which some of its movie merchandise are allegedly produced.

The Awards marked one of the greatest upsets in Oscar history as most had predicted Lauren Bacall would win Best Supporting Actress for "The Mirror Has Two Faces". Instead, the Oscar went to Juliette Binoche for "The English Patient".

The ceremony attracted a low 40.83, the lowest audience without dipping below the 40 million mark (later surpassed by the 40.54m who watched in 2002).

Notable quotes

*"Well, thank heavens there wasn't a song in "The English Patient" is all I can say." — Andrew Lloyd-Webber, commenting on another film's success, as he collected the Academy Award for Best Song with Tim Rice, for "You Must Love Me" from "Evita"
*"You know you've entered new territory when your outfit costs more than your film." — Jessica Yu, accepting the Documentary Short Subject Award for "Breathing Lessons: the Life and Work of Mark O'Brien"

The Awards

For a complete list of nominees and winners, see: 69th Academy Awards nominees and winners

Feature Films

*Best motion picture of the year: "The English Patient"

Acting

*Performance by an actor in a leading role: Geoffrey Rush in "Shine"
*Performance by an actress in a leading role: Frances McDormand in "Fargo"
*Performance by an actor in a supporting role: Cuba Gooding Jr. in "Jerry Maguire"
*Performance by an actress in a supporting role: Juliette Binoche in "The English Patient"

Direction

Directing

Writing

*Best Original Screenplay: Joel Coen and Ethan Coen for "Fargo"
*Best Adapted Screenplay: Billy Bob Thornton for "Sling Blade"

In Memoriam

Presented by Angela Bassett. A tribute remembering those memorable movie icons that left us in the past year: Jo Van Fleet, Tupac Shakur, Brigitte Helm, Dorothy Lamour, screenwriter Stirling Silliphant, designer Saul Bass, screenwriter Steve Tesich, Juliet Prowse, cinematographer Joseph Biroc, Howard E. Rollins Jr., Jack Weston, director Krzysztof Kieslowski, director Fred Zinnemann, Ben Johnson, Gene Nelson, art director Edward C. Carfagno, Joanne Dru, cinematographer John Alton, Greer Garson, producer Albert R. Broccoli, producer Pandro S. Berman, Lew Ayres, Sheldon Leonard, Claudette Colbert and Marcello Mastroianni.

References