March 25, 1997
'English Patient' Dominates Oscars With Nine, Including Best Picture
By LAWRENCE VAN GELDER
he English Patient,'' a mesmerizing tale of love and betrayal set against the background of World War II in the deserts of North Africa and the devastation of Italy, dominated the 69th last night in Los Angeles. The film, adapted by its director, Anthony Minghella, from Michael Ondaatje's 1992 Booker Prize-winning novel, won in 9 of the 12 categories in which it had received nominations, including best picture.
Its of Merit, the official name of the Oscars, included the prizes for Mr. Minghella as director and for Juliette Binoche as best supporting actress, as well as for cinematography, art direction, costume design, editing, sound and original dramatic score.
The haul of the gold-plated statuettes, depicting a knight standing on a reel of film, hands gripping a sword, put ''The English Patient'' in a category of films that includes the 1958 musical ''Gigi'' and the 1987 epic ''The Last Emperor.'' Only the 1961 musical ''West Side Story,'' with 10 Oscars, and the 1959 biblical drama ''Ben-Hur,'' with 11, have won more.
Standing between ''The English Patient'' and a sweep in the major categories were Billy Bob Thornton, who won the Oscar for best screenplay adaptation for ''Sling Blade''; Geoffrey Rush for his portrayal of the troubled Australian pianist David Helfgott in ''Shine,'' and Frances McDormand, chosen best actress for her portrayal of a pregnant police chief in ''Fargo.'' That snowbound film noir also won the brothers Ethan and Joel Coen the prize for best original screenplay.
Even before last night's ceremonies, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences had announced that its Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award, an honorary accolade for high level of producing was to go to Saul Zaentz, the producer of ''The English Patient.'' His previous Oscar winners were ''One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'' and ''Amadeus.''
Accepting his award, Mr. Zaentz spoke of the passion that separates one film from another, and as he held his award aloft, he said: ''This belongs to the many with whom I have shared dreams and journeys. My cup is full.'' Later, when ''The English Patient'' was named best film, Mr. Zaentz said, ''It runneth over.''
The awards to ''The English Patient,'' ''Fargo'' and ''Shine'' capped a year in which the major Hollywood studios were pushed aside at awards ceremonies in favor of so-called independent productions.
If the night could be said to hold a surprise, it was the decision of the voters to award the prize for best supporting actress to Ms. Binoche rather than to Lauren Bacall for her portrayal of an overbearing mother in ''The Mirror Has Two Faces.'' Even Ms. Binoche said she was surprised.
After a three-year hiatus, Billy Crystal returned as host of the ceremonies for the fifth time since 1990, opening the show at the Shrine Auditorium with a series of film clips that injected him into scenes from some of the Oscar-nominated films as he pondered the wisdom of resuming the role of host.
With Yoda of ''Stars Wars'' as the adviser on his troubled decision to come back, he turned to his putative parents -- Brenda Blethyn in scenes from ''Secrets and Lies'' and Armin Mueller-Stahl in ''Shine.'' He confronted Tom Cruise of ''Jerry Maguire'' as his agent and left his thick book of jokes with a dying Kristin Scott Thomas of ''The English Patient'' as he went off to appear on the show.
On the ABC telecast, said to be seen by an audience of more than a billion people in 100 countries, Mr. Crystal poked fun at David Letterman, called the Shrine Auditorium the only theater in America not showing one of the ''Stars Wars'' movies,'' sang a medley of parodies about the best-picture nominees and joked that the only person in the country guaranteed to wake up with a statue today was Tipper Gore.
It was a night made notable by an the endless ''I love you's'' and thanks delivered by a jubilant Cuba Gooding Jr., who won the evening's first award, best supporting actor, for his portrayal of the professional football player who demands, ''Show me the money,'' in ''Jerry Maguire.''
There were also ovations for the former heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali and the pianist David Helfgott, who figured in two of the nominated films.
Mr. Ali walked slowly to the stage after ''When We Were Kings,'' about his 1974 heavyweight championship bout with George Foreman in Zaire, won the prize for best feature documentary.
The dimwitted cartoon characters Beavis and Butt-head made their debuts as presenters, delivering the award for best achievement in sound effects editing to Bruce Stambler for ''The Ghost and the Darkness.''
''Kolya'' a Czech production directed by Jan Sverak, won the prize for best foreign film.
The Academy Award for best song went to ''You Must Love Me,'' written for ''Evita'' by the composer Andrew Lloyd Webber and the lyricist Tim Rice.
''The English Patient'' won the first of its awards for the best achievement in art direction, with Oscars for Stuart Craig for art direction and to Stephenie McMillan for set decoration.
The award for best achievement in makeup was won by Rick Baker and David Leroy Anderson for ''The Nutty Professor,'' starring Eddie Murphy.
The prize for best achievement in live action short films went to David Frankel and Barry Jossen for ''Dear Diary.''
Leon Gast and David Sonenberg won the Academy Award for best achievement in documentary features for their film about the ''Rumble in the Jungle,'' the heavyweight Ali-Foreman championship fight 23 years ago.
The war of the worlds depicted in ''Independence Day,'' with its destruction of cities, brought an Oscar for the best achievement in special effects to Volker Engel, Douglas Smith, Clay Pinney and Joseph Viskocil.
The prize for sound effects editing went to Bruce Stambler for ''The Ghost and the Darkness,'' about two marauding lions.
The Oscar for animated short films went to Tyron Montgomery and Thomas Stellmach for ''Quest.''
Jessica Yu was awarded the Oscar for best achievement in documentary short subjects for ''Breathing Lessons: The Life and Work of Mark O'Brien,'' about a paralyzed writer who has lived for 41 years in an iron lung.
Rachel Portman won the Oscar for best achievement in music for an original musical or comedy score for ''Emma.''
Michael Kidd, who created the dances for ''Seven Brides for Seven Brothers,'' ''Guys and Dolls'' and other musicals, received an honorary award for career achievement.
Among presenters of the were such previous Oscar winners as Nicolas Cage, Susan Sarandon, Julie Andrews, Michael Douglas, Jodie Foster, Goldie Hawn, Tommy Lee Jones and Diane Keaton. Other presenters included Sandra Bullock, Chris O'Donnell, Nicole Kidman, Chris Farley and Will Smith.
An Oscar for scientific and technical achievement went to the Imax Corporation for its large-format movies.
A total of 248-feature length films met the eligibility requirement for 1996 Academy Award consideration. Feature-length films in English or with English subtitles, regardless of country of origin, are eligible for the awards if first publicly exhibited in 35- or 70-millimeter format in a theater in Los Angeles County for a commercial run of at least seven days beginning before midnight Dec. 31.
