The Weinstein brothers were and still are notorious for their Oscar campaigning and this year featured the most visible result of their campaign prowess. Shakespeare in Love was a fine film, but it may have been the worst out of the five nominations on offer in 1998. The heavy favourite that year was Steven Spielbergs harrowing World War II epic Saving Private Ryan. But people also forget that this year also included two other great films about World War II: Terrence Malicks beautiful and haunting The Thin Red Line and Roberto Beningis heartbreaking Life is Beautiful. And dont forget the aforementioned Elizabeth, which is a good film in its own right. Regardless of which war film most deserved the honour, I think most of us can agree that Shakespeare in Love was an uninspired choice.
