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List of accolades received by American Beauty

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List of accolades received by American Beauty

Alan Ball, whose screenplay was the focus of many of the awards wins and nominations
Total number of wins and nominations
Totals 89 160
Footnotes

American Beauty is a 1999 American drama film directed by Sam Mendes and written by Alan Ball. The film stars Kevin Spacey as Lester Burnham, a middle-aged office worker who has a midlife crisis when he becomes infatuated with his teenage daughter's best friend. Released in North America on September 15, 1999, American Beauty was positively received by critics and audiences alike; it was the best-reviewed American film of the year and grossed over $350 million worldwide. Reviewers praised all aspects of the production, with particular emphasis on Mendes, Spacey and Ball; criticism tended to focus on the familiarity of the characters and setting. At the 1999 Academy Awards, the film won Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (for Spacey), Best Original Screenplay and Best Cinematography (for Conrad Hall). The film was nominated for and won numerous other awards and honors, mainly for the direction, writing, and acting.

DreamWorks launched a major campaign to promote the film five weeks before the ballots for the Academy Awards were due. Its campaign combined traditional advertising and publicity with more focused strategies to reach 5,600 Academy voters. Although direct mail campaigning was prohibited, DreamWorks reached voters by promoting the film in "casual, comfortable settings" in voters' communities. The studio's candidate for the Academy Award for Best Picture the previous year, Saving Private Ryan, lost to Shakespeare in Love, so the studio took a new approach by hiring outsiders to provide input for the campaign. Nancy Willen encouraged DreamWorks to produce a special about the making of American Beauty, to set up displays of the film in the communities' bookstores, and to arrange a question-and-answer session with Mendes for the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Dale Olson, who led the film's campaign,[1] advised the studio to not limit its marketing to major newspapers, but to also advertise in free publications that circulated in Beverly Hills, home to many voters. Olson arranged to screen American Beauty to about 1,000 members of the Actors Fund of America, as many participating actors were also voters.[2]

American Beauty's closest contender for Best Picture was seen as The Cider House Rules from Miramax. Both studios mounted aggressive campaigns; in the weeks leading up the ceremony, DreamWorks bought 38% more advertising space in Variety than Miramax.[3] In 2000, the Publicists Guild of America recognized DreamWorks for the best film publicity campaign.[4] In September 2008, Empire named American Beauty the 96th "Greatest Movie of All Time" after a poll of 10,000 readers, 150 filmmakers and 50 film critics.[5] The film's award success was seen as vindication for DreamWorks, a studio which had only formed six years previously—to industry skepticism.[6]

Selected awards and nominations

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Award Category Name Outcome
72nd Academy Awards Best Picture Bruce Cohen and Dan Jinks Won
Best Director Sam Mendes Won
Best Actor Kevin Spacey Won
Best Actress Annette Bening Nominated
Best Original Screenplay Alan Ball Won
Best Cinematography Conrad Hall Won
Best Film Editing Tariq Anwar and Christopher Greenbury Nominated
Best Original Score Thomas Newman Nominated
American Cinema Editors Best Edited Feature Film – Dramatic Tariq Anwar, Christopher Greenbury Nominated
American Comedy Awards Funniest Actress in a Motion Picture (Leading Role) Annette Bening Won
Funniest Motion Picture Nominated
Funniest Actor in a Motion Picture (Leading Role) Kevin Spacey Nominated
American Society of Cinematographers Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Theatrical Releases Conrad Hall Won
Art Directors Guild Excellence in Production Design Award for Feature Film Naomi Shohan, David Lazan, Catherine Smith Nominated
Australian Film Institute Best Foreign Film Bruce Cohen, Dan Jinks Won
Awards of the Japanese Academy Best Foreign Film Nominated
Belgian Syndicate of Cinema Critics Grand Prix Nominated
53rd British Academy Film Awards Best Film Bruce Cohen, Dan Jinks Won
Best Actor in a Leading Role Kevin Spacey Won
Best Actress in a Leading Role Annette Bening Won
Best Editing Tariq Anwar, Christopher Greenbury Won
Best Cinematography Conrad Hall Won
Anthony Asquith Award (Best Film Music) Thomas Newman Won
David Lean Award Sam Mendes Nominated
Best Screenplay – Original Alan Ball Nominated
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role Wes Bentley Nominated
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role Thora Birch Nominated
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role Mena Suvari Nominated
Best Sound Scott Martin Gershin, Scott Millan, Bob Beemer, Richard Van Dyke Nominated
Best Production Design Naomi Shohan Nominated
Best Make Up/Hair Tania McComas, Carol A. O'Connell Nominated
BMI Film & TV Awards BMI Film Music Thomas Newman Won
Blockbuster Entertainment Awards Favorite Actress – Drama Annette Bening Nominated
Favorite Supporting Actor – Drama Wes Bentley Nominated
Favorite Supporting Actress – Drama Thora Birch Nominated
Favorite Actor – Drama Kevin Spacey Nominated
Favorite Actress – Newcomer (Internet Only) Mena Suvari Nominated
Brit Awards Soundtrack/Cast Recording Won
Bodil Awards Best American Film Sam Mendes Won
British Society of Cinematographers Best Cinematography Conrad Hall Won
Directors Guild of America Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures Sam Mendes Won
Chicago Film Critics Association Awards Best Actor Kevin Spacey Won
Best Director Sam Mendes Won
Best Picture Bruce Cohen, Dan Jinks Won
Most Promising Actor Wes Bentley Won
Best Actress Annette Bening Nominated
Best Cinematography Conrad L. Hall Nominated
Best Screenplay Alan Ball Nominated
Cinema Audio Society Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for a Feature Film Scott Millan, Bob Beemer, Richard Van Dyke Nominated
57th Golden Globe Awards Best Motion Picture – Drama Bruce Cohen and Dan Jinks Won
Best Director Sam Mendes Won
Best Screenplay Alan Ball Won
Best Actress – Drama Annette Bening Nominated
Best Actor – Drama Kevin Spacey Nominated
Best Original Score Thomas Newman Nominated
National Board of Review Best Picture Won
Breakthrough Performance – Male Wes Bentley Won
Screen Actors Guild Award Best Actor Kevin Spacey Won
Best Actress Annette Bening Won
Best Supporting Actor Chris Cooper Nominated
Best Ensemble Kevin Spacey, Annette Bening, Thora Birch, Mena Suvari, Wes Bentley, Chris Cooper, Allison Janney, Peter Gallagher Won

References

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  1. ^ "Dale Olson, Hollywood publicist, dies". BBC News. 2012-08-10. Retrieved 2012-09-08.
  2. ^ Wallace, Amy (March 28, 2000). "Aggressive campaign may have helped 'Beauty's' win". The Journal Gazette. (Reprinted from the Los Angeles Times.)
  3. ^ Karger, Dave (March 10, 2000). "Apple Juice". Entertainment Weekly.
  4. ^ McNary, Dave (March 23, 2000). "Pubs tap 'Beauty,' 'Wing'". Variety.
  5. ^ Staff (September 2008). "The 500 Greatest Movies of All Time". Empire.
  6. ^ Lyman, Rick (March 28, 2000). "Oscar Victory Finally Lifts The Cloud for DreamWorks". The New York Times.
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