Letterman roberto benigni acceptance
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The poor puppet seems to always succumb to his desires and his dark side. With Miramax keeping tight wraps on advance viewings, we'll have to wait for Christmas to find out for ourselves. But I hope to win some other Oscars" Quite. It is a colossal moment of joy... Exuberant Italian actor Roberto Benigni danced across the backs of chairs and hopped up the stage steps before accepting his history-making Academy award for Best Actor for his part in [Life Is Beautiful](/reviews/review.asp?
Then, rather than break down in tears or harp on about artistic merit, he chose to utter the timeless line at the podium, "This is a terrible mistake, because I used up all my English!" The best was yet to come. The film follows an Italian Jew and his young son into a Nazi concentration camp. Another surprise was Roberto Benigni winning Best Actor for 'Life Is Beautiful', becoming the first actor to win for a non-English speaking role since Sophia Loren in 1962.
The most memorable speeches at the 1999 Academy Awards included Roberto Benigni's exuberant acceptance speech for Best Actor, where he climbed over seats and declared he wanted to kiss everybody.
Life Is Beautiful has become the highest-grossing foreign language film in North American history and earned Italy its 10th Oscar and first place in the Oscar tally for any foreign country. But in this writer's household, there isn't a gift much better than a new Benigni film.
1999 Academy Awards: Oscar Winners, Nominees and Highlights
The 71st Academy Awards, held on March 21, 1999, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles, celebrated the cinematic achievements of 1998
Hosted by the incomparable Whoopi Goldberg, the ceremony was a night of historic wins and memorable moments
'Shakespeare in Love' emerged as the surprise Best Picture winner, edging out the favored 'Saving Private Ryan.' Roberto Benigni's exuberant acceptance speech for Best Actor in 'Life Is Beautiful' became an instant classic
The ceremony also saw Steven Spielberg clinch Best Director for 'Saving Private Ryan,' while Gwyneth Paltrow won Best Actress for 'Shakespeare in Love.' Against the backdrop of the Clinton era's prosperity and the looming Y2K concerns, the 1999 Oscars reflected a film industry at the cusp of the new millennium, balancing between traditional storytelling and innovative filmmaking techniques.
Major Award Categories: Winners and Nominees
In 1999, during the 71st Academy Awards Cerimony, held on 21/03/1999 the following movies, actors, actresses and directors were awarded with the Oscar in 6 categories honoring the films released in 1999:
What movie won the Best Picture Oscar in 1999?
The Oscar for Best Movie went to Shakespeare in Love, directed by John Madden, starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Joseph Fiennes, Geoffrey Rush, Colin Firth, Ben Affleck, Judi Dench produced in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Who won the Best Director Oscar in 1999?
The Oscar for Best Director went to Saving Private Ryan .
Who won the Best Actor Oscar in 1999?
The Oscar for Best Actor went to Life Is Beautiful, directed by Roberto Benigni, starring Roberto Benigni, Nicoletta Braschi, Giorgio Cantarini produced in the Italy.
Who won the Best Actress Oscar in 1999?
The Oscar for Best Actress went to Shakespeare in Love, directed by John Madden, starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Joseph Fiennes, Geoffrey Rush, Colin Firth, Ben Affleck, Judi Dench produced in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Who won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar in 1999?
The Oscar for Best Supporting Actor went to Affliction, directed by Paul Schrader, starring Nick Nolte, Sissy Spacek, James Coburn, Brigid Tierney.
Who won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar in 1999?
The Oscar for Best Supporting Actress went to Shakespeare in Love, directed by John Madden, starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Joseph Fiennes, Geoffrey Rush, Colin Firth, Ben Affleck, Judi Dench produced in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Memorable Moments and Trivia
- Roberto Benigni's exuberant reaction to winning Best Foreign Language Film for "Life Is Beautiful," climbing over seats and walking on chair backs
- Gwyneth Paltrow's tearful acceptance speech for Best Actress for "Shakespeare in Love," which became famous for its emotional delivery
- "Shakespeare in Love" upset "Saving Private Ryan" for Best Picture, surprising many industry insiders and viewers
- Steven Spielberg won Best Director for "Saving Private Ryan," his second win in the category
- Whoopi Goldberg hosted the ceremony, appearing in several elaborate costumes throughout the night
- Celine Dion performed "The Prayer" from the animated film "Quest for Camelot"
- Elia Kazan's Honorary Oscar was controversial due to his testimony before the House Un-American Activities Committee in the 1950s, with some audience members refusing to applaud
- James Coburn won Best Supporting Actor for "Affliction," his first nomination and win after a 40-year career
- Judi Dench won Best Supporting Actress for "Shakespeare in Love" despite only having eight minutes of screen time
- "Titanic" composer James Horner performed a medley of film scores on piano
FAQ
- Who was the host of the 1999 Academy Awards?
Whoopi Goldberg hosted the 71st Academy Awards ceremony in 1999.Which makes sense, as Benigni has straddled Cinecittá and Hollywood for some time now and the production designer, Danilo Donati, has worked on countless classics, including many of Fellini's films and Pier Paolo Pasolini's controversial, but striking, works.
Benigni said at an October press conference that he and Fellini had talked about the project before the latter's passing in 1993.
"On his deathbed, he told me: 'You will do Pinocchio'," Benigni said of the great director.
Of course, Benigni's wife and regular co-star Nicoletta Braschi also appears in the film.
Whether or not the critics deem it a success, Italians have slapped their Euros down at the box office in record numbers since the film opened in early October.
Another notable speech was Gwyneth Paltrow's emotional Best Actress acceptance, where she tearfully thanked her family and the late Bruce Paltrow, her father.
Despite mixed reviews, some still eager for "Pinocchio"
Love him or hate him (Elton John does the latter, we recall the singer telling David Letterman), Roberto Benigni carries on a grand Italian tradition of comedic and full-blown cinema with "Pinocchio," which hits U.S.
theaters on Christmas Day, after earning mixed reviews back on the boot.
Benigni, whose humorous style recalls the great Neapolitan actor Totó ("The Gold of Naples," "Big Deal on Madonna Street"), has nabbed two Academy Awards already and Italians have pinned their Oscar hopes once again on everybody's favorite Tuscan.
Some Americans first learned of him in Jim Jarmusch's "Down by Law" and "Night on Earth" or in Benigni's own slapstick "Johnny Stecchino" -- in which as a mob boss' doppelganger, he's hired as a stand-in -- and 1994's rip-roaring "The Monster," in which the unassuming and harmless Loris is mistaken for a murderous sexual deviant.
Arguably Italy's most famous living actor, he has worked for directors such as Costa-Gavras, Federico Fellini and Jim Jarmusch. Benigni, as the father, protects his young boy by pretending the whole experience is a big game with prizes awarded for not crying and not giving voice to hunger. This was her third time hosting the Oscars.
One of the biggest surprises at the 1999 Oscars was 'Shakespeare in Love' winning Best Picture over the heavily favored 'Saving Private Ryan'.
I feel like now, really, to dive in this ocean of generosity" as announcer Sophia Loren wept in the background and Goldie Hawn bawled her eyes out in the audience.
Benigni became the first filmmaker in a staggering 50 years - since Sir Laurence Olivier and Hamlet - to direct his own Oscar-winning performance. His outlandish Oscar acceptance bought him further airtime.
Now, Benigni is tapping Carlo Collodi's beloved nearly 125-year-old story of a puppet come to life; a story considerably darker than the 1940 animated Disney film would have you believe.
But when "Life is Beautiful" -- which nabbed three Oscars -- hit American screens, Benigni was suddenly a star. "I want to thank those who are not here, who gave their lives so that we can say 'Life Is Beautiful'"
In his film version -- which with a reported $40 million price tag is the most expensive Italian movie ever -- Benigni appears to have crafted a boisterous, colorful, carnival of action that looks part Disney and part Fellini.
4194). On receiving his first award of the night for Best Foreign Film, Benigni exclaimed, "This is a moment of joy, and I want to kiss everybody.