Beat out Edward Norton in American History X. Do I need to say anything else? This was right around the time that Holocaust films cemented their reputation as being an automatic Oscar, and never is that more evident than with this movie. When given the choice between an edgy, powerful, socially relevant performance and a Holocaust film, the Academy goes with Holocaust nine times out of time. It’s not that Roberto Benigni and Life is Beautiful weren’t good, it’s just disappointing that the Academy wouldn’t take the opportunity to reward a risky, unique performance (as evidenced in the video below) when it had the chance.
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