| 69th Academy Awards | |
|---|---|
 Official poster byArnold Schwartzman[1] | |
| Date | March 24, 1997 |
| Site | Shrine Auditorium,Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Hosted by | Billy Crystal |
| Produced by | Gil Cates |
| Directed by | Louis J. Horvitz |
| Highlights | |
| Best Picture | The English Patient |
| Most awards | The English Patient (9) |
| Most nominations | The English Patient (12) |
| TV in the United States | |
| Network | ABC |
| Duration | 3 hours, 35 minutes[2] |
| Ratings | 40.08 million 27.49% (Nielsen ratings) |
The69th Academy Awards ceremony, organized by theAcademy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) took place on March 24, 1997, at theShrine Auditorium in Los Angeles beginning at 6:00 p.m. PST / 9:00 p.m. EST. During the ceremony, AMPAS presented theAcademy Awards (commonly referred to as Oscars) in 24 categories honoringfilms released in 1996. The ceremony, televised in the United States byABC, was produced byGil Cates, and directed byLouis J. Horvitz.[3][4] ActorBilly Crystal hosted the show for the fifth time. He first presided over the62nd ceremony held in 1990 and had last hosted the65th ceremony held in 1993.[5] Three weeks earlier, in a ceremony held at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel inBeverly Hills, California, on March 1, theAcademy Awards for Technical Achievement were presented by hostHelen Hunt.[6]
The English Patient won nine awards, includingBest Picture.[7][8] Other winners includedFargo with two awards andBreathing Lessons: The Life and Work of Mark O'Brien,Dear Diary,Emma,Evita,The Ghost and the Darkness,Independence Day,Jerry Maguire,Kolya,The Nutty Professor,Quest,Shine,Sling Blade, andWhen We Were Kings with one.
The nominees for the 69th Academy Awards were announced on February 11, 1997, at theSamuel Goldwyn Theater inBeverly Hills, California, byArthur Hiller, president of the Academy, and actressMira Sorvino.[9]The English Patient received the most nominations with twelve;Fargo andShine came in second with seven apiece.[10][11]
The winners were announced during the awards ceremony on March 24, 1997.[12][13]Saul Zaentz became the third person to produce three Best Picture winners, having previously producedOne Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest andAmadeus.[14] He also became the seventh individual to receive an Oscar and theIrving G. Thalberg Memorial Award in the same year.[15] Best Actress winnerFrances McDormand was the first person to win for a role in a film directed by their spouse.[16] Best Original Musical or Comedy Score winnerRachel Portman became the first female winner for composing a musical score.[16]
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Winners are listed first and highlighted in boldface.[17]
The following seventeen films received multiple nominations: | The following two films received multiple awards:
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The following individuals, in order of appearance, presented awards or performed musical numbers.[19]
| Name(s) | Role |
|---|---|
| Randy Thomas | Announcer for the 69th annual Academy Awards |
| Arthur Hiller (AMPAS president) | Gave opening remarks welcoming guests to the awards ceremony |
| Mira Sorvino | Presenter of the award forBest Supporting Actor |
| Sandra Bullock | Presenter of the award forBest Art Direction |
| Steve Martin | Presenter of the filmJerry Maguire on the Best Picture segment |
| Juliette Binoche | Presenter of the award forBest Costume Design |
| Beavis Butt-Head (Voiced byMike Judge) | Presenters of the awardBest Sound Effects Editing |
| Courtney Love | Presenter of the award forBest Makeup |
| Winona Ryder | Presenter of the "Togetherness and the Movies" montage |
| Kevin Spacey | Presenter of the award forBest Supporting Actress |
| Claire Danes | Introducer of the performance of Best Original Song nominee "That Thing You Do!" |
| Holly Hunter | Presenter of the filmFargo on the Best Picture segment |
| Chris Farley David Spade | Presenters of the awards forBest Live Action Short Film andBest Animated Short Film |
| Julie Andrews | Presenter of theAcademy Honorary Award toMichael Kidd |
| Helen Hunt | Presenter of the segment of theAcademy Awards for Technical Achievement |
| Tommy Lee Jones Will Smith | Presenters of the awardBest Documentary Short Subject andBest Documentary Feature |
| Jim Carrey | Presenter of the award forBest Visual Effects |
| Chris O'Donnell | Presenter of the award forBest Sound |
| Nicole Kidman | Presenter of the Best Film editing montage and dance number and the award forBest Film Editing |
| Debbie Reynolds | Presenter of the award forBest Original Musical or Comedy Score |
| Gregory Hines | Presenter of the award forBest Original Dramatic Score |
| Glenn Close | Presenter of the filmShine on the Best Picture segment and introducer of the musical performance byDavid Helfgott |
| Tim Robbins | Presenter of the award forBest Cinematography |
| Salma Hayek | Introducer of the performance of Best Original Song nominee "For the First Time" |
| Michael Douglas | Presenter of theIrving G. Thalberg Memorial Award toSaul Zaentz |
| Kristin Scott Thomas Jack Valenti | Presenter of the awardBest Foreign Language Film |
| Sigourney Weaver | Presenter of the filmThe English Patient on the Best Picture segment |
| Jennifer Lopez | Introducer of the performance of Best Original Song nominee "Because You Loved Me" |
| Angela Bassett | Presenter of theIn Memoriam tribute |
| Goldie Hawn Diane Keaton Bette Midler | Presenters of the award forBest Original Song |
| Kenneth Branagh | Presenter of the "Shakespeare and the Movies" montage |
| Jodie Foster | Presenter of the award forBest Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published andBest Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen |
| Andie MacDowell | Presenter of the filmSecrets & Lies on the Best Picture segment |
| Nicolas Cage | Presenter of the award forBest Actress |
| Susan Sarandon | Presenter of the award forBest Actor |
| Mel Gibson | Presenter of the award forBest Director |
| Al Pacino | Presenter of the award forBest Picture |
| Name(s) | Role | Performed |
|---|---|---|
| Bill Conti | Musical arranger and conductor | Orchestral |
| Billy Crystal | Performer | Opening number: Secrets & Lies (to the tune ofThe Brady Bunch theme song), The English Patient (to the tune of "Wouldn't It Be Loverly" fromMy Fair Lady), Jerry Maguire (to the tune of "Victory March"), Shine (to the tune of "Flight of the Bumblebee"), and Fargo (to the tune of "My Kind of Town" fromRobin and the 7 Hoods)[20] |
| Madonna | Performer | "You Must Love Me" fromEvita |
| The Wonders | Performers | "That Thing You Do!" fromThat Thing You Do! |
| Celine Dion Arturo Sandoval | Performers | "I Finally Found Someone" fromThe Mirror Has Two Faces |
| Michael Flatley Cast ofLord of the Dance | Performers | Best Film Editing montage |
| David Helfgott | Performer | "Flight of the Bumblebee" byNikolai Rimsky-Korsakov |
| Kenny Loggins | Performer | "For the First Time" fromOne Fine Day |
| Celine Dion | Performer | "Because You Loved Me" fromUp Close & Personal |
After taking a year off,Gil Cates was selected by AMPAS in November 1996 to oversee production of the ceremony for the seventh time.[21] Immediately, he chose actor and comedianBilly Crystal to host the 1997 telecast, stating, "Billy is quick and agile and bright, and he plays the unexpected events of the live telecast like aStradivarius. He's become the standard against which all other hosting performances are measured."[22] Crystal expressed his excitement on hosting the ceremony for the fifth time joking, "OnceBarry Scheck turned it down, I had a feeling they'd come to me."[23] Furthermore, he set up a website with the address www.whyistheshowsolong.com asking the public to send in jokes that would eventually be used during the gala.[24]
As with previous ceremonies he produced, Cates centered the show around a theme. This year, he christened the show with the theme "Togetherness of Moviegoing" commenting, "The thing that's kind of wonderful about movies is that you watch them with other people. The only other areas where you do that, when you think about it, are religion and sports." He concluded by noting that the movie theater is "a wonderful place where you come together to laugh, to cry."[25] In tandem with the theme, actressWinona Ryder presented a montage featuring film clips fromCasablanca (1942),Matinee (1993), andA Streetcar Named Desire (1951) depicting audiences inside a movie theater.[26]
Several other people and elements were also involved with the production of the ceremony. Documentary filmmaker Arnold Schwartzman designed the official ceremony poster featuring the titles of the previous 68 Best Picture winners superimposed in the shape of an Oscar statuette.[27] Film composer and musicianBill Conti served as musical director of the ceremony.[28] Choreographer Otis Sallid supervised the "That Thing You Do!" musical number.[29]Michael Flatley and the cast of the musicalLord of the Dance performed a dance number during a montage saluting the art of Film Editors.[30] PianistDavid Helfgott, whom Best Actor winnerGeoffrey Rush portrayed in the filmShine, played a rendition of "Flight of the Bumblebee" byNikolai Rimsky-Korsakov during the telecast.[31]
Natalie Cole was initially scheduled to sing the nominated song "I Finally Found Someone" fromThe Mirror Has Two Faces on the show after its songwriter and original performerBarbra Streisand declined to do so.[32][33] However, after Cole contracted the flu, she withdrew for her performance duties and was eventually replaced byCeline Dion who also sang "Because You Loved Me" later in the broadcast.[34][35]
At the time of the nominations announcement on February 11, the combined gross of the five Best Picture nominees at the US box office was $209 million, with an average of $41.9 million per film.[36]Jerry Maguire was the highest earner among the Best Picture nominees with $121.5 million in domestic box office receipts. The film was followed byThe English Patient ($42.3 million),Shine ($16.1 million),Fargo ($24 million) and finallySecrets & Lies ($5.9 million).[36]
Of the top 50 grossing movies of the year, 37 nominations went to 17 films on the list. OnlyJerry Maguire (9th),Primal Fear (27th) andThe English Patient (35th) were nominated for directing, acting, screenwriting or Best Picture.[37] The other top 50 box office hits that earned nominations wereIndependence Day (1st),Twister (2nd),The Rock (4th),The Nutty Professor (7th),The Birdcage (8th),Eraser (13th),The Hunchback of Notre Dame (14th),Star Trek: First Contact (15th),Sleepers (29th),Dragonheart (30th),The Preacher's Wife (32nd),Evita (36th),The Ghost and the Darkness (39th), andDaylight (48th).[37]
The show received a mixed reception from media publications. Some media outlets were more critical of the show. Television critic Joanne Ostrow ofThe Denver Post commented "Billy Crystal had a smashing first 10 minutes at the Oscars last night," but she later went on to say that inevitable sweep byThe English Patient created a dull atmosphere that even sucked the energy out of Crystal's performance.[38] Columnist Brian Lowry wrote inLos Angeles Times, "This year the mystery far outweighed the magic, in a telecast that proved less compelling--indeed, during stretches more downright dull--than recent predecessors." He also quipped that even though Crystal was mildly entertaining, some of his jokes "felt a bit forced and stale."[39]The Star-Ledger'sAlan Sepinwall noted, "Crystal was a bundle of energy, but his jokes had less zing than in the past." He also observed that the Film Editing dance number and "That Thing You Do" musical performance were hideously bloated.[40]
Other media outlets received the broadcast more positively. Film criticCarrie Rickey ofThe Philadelphia Inquirer wrote, "Crystal sparkled as the host of the annual awards at theShrine Auditorium." She also noted, "The mood of the evening was elegant and gracious."[41]Chicago Tribune columnist Steve Johnson commented, "Billy Crystal returned as host of the Academy Awards on Monday night and proved that even if mainline Hollywood is nearly shut out in the trophy dispensing, one of its representatives can at least make a television broadcast entertaining."[42] Television critic Kinney Littlefield of theOrange County Register quipped, "In his fifth stint as host, Crystal served up the sense of inclusive, insider movie community that had been missing during his three-year absence." In addition, she observed, "For most of the evening, Oscar seemed newly energized, upbeat and full of splashy fun."[43]
The American telecast on ABC drew in an average of 40.08 million people over its length, which was a 9% decrease from theprevious year's ceremony.[44] An estimated 73.83 million total viewers watched all or part of the awards.[45] The show also drew lowerNielsen ratings compared to the previous ceremony with 27.49% of households watching over a 46.31 share.[46] In addition, it also drew a lower 18–49 demo rating with a 16.55 rating over a 34.32 share among viewers in that demographic.[46] It was the least watched ceremonyin a decade and the lowest rated telecast since the58th awards gala held in 1986.[47]
In July 1997, the ceremony presentation received seven nominations at the49th Primetime Emmy Awards.[48] Two months later, the ceremony won one of those nominations for Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Variety or Music Series or Special (Edward J. Greene, Tom Vicari, Robert Douglass).[49]
The annual "In Memoriam" tribute, presented by actressAngela Bassett, honored the following people to the score ofDr. Jekyll and Ms. Hyde (1995):[50]
