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It was the shock heard round the world of Hollywood. Sunday night, March 21, 1999, around 9:30 PM Pacific time, when presenter Harrison Ford opened the envelope which would reveal the winner of Best Picture of 1998.
Ever since its release in the summer of 1998, Steven Spielberg's stunning World War II epic, Saving Private Ryan, was considered the shoe-in to win the Academy's highest honor. And even up to the awards, it was still considered the front runner. But a different film's title awaited Harrison Ford when he opened the envelope, and even to his apparent shock, he read the name - Shakespeare in Love! It left many pondering the question of what the Academy was thinking and how did this happen. Indeed, it was a surprise ... but throughout Academy history, from time to time, this most prestigious and respected of awards has come up with some surprises. Throughout the entire 1990s almost, year after year, there was one sure thing after another and Best Picture became more of an afterthought than a serious nail biter - in essence, it was a foregone conclusion. But before the 1990s, there have been some upsets. The quieter film Driving Miss Daisy took the Best Picture Oscar of 1989, beating out favorite Born on the Fourth of July. In 1981, Chariots of Fire was one of the biggest surprise wins for Best Picture when it beat out four other films that were all considered favorites to win before Chariots, including Reds, On Golden Pond, and Raiders of the Lost Ark. Dreamworks and Miramax waged a huge, ugly war campaigning for the Oscars in 1998, and the bloody battle was publicized heavily. It started with Harvey Weinstein and Miramax, already well known for being perhaps the best promoter for Oscar campaigns around.
The copyright of the article Shakespeare in Love Best Picture Academy Award 1999 in Academy Awards is owned by . Permission to republish Shakespeare in Love Best Picture Academy Award 1999 in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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