Which 1998 romantic comedy won the Oscar for Best Picture?

The 1998 romantic comedy that won the Oscar for Best Picture is Shakespeare in Love.

Directed by John Madden and written by Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard, the film imagines a fictional romance between William Shakespeare and Viola de Lesseps while Shakespeare is writing Romeo and Juliet. Joseph Fiennes plays Shakespeare, and Gwyneth Paltrow plays Viola, an aspiring actress in a period when women were barred from performing on the English stage.

The movie combines invented events with real Elizabethan theatrical figures and references to Shakespeare’s plays. Its story turns the pressures of writing, casting, censorship, and performance into a romantic comedy about artistic inspiration. Judi Dench plays Queen Elizabeth I in a brief but memorable role.

At the 71st Academy Awards, honoring films released in 1998, Shakespeare in Love won Best Picture and six other Oscars, including Best Actress for Paltrow and Best Supporting Actress for Dench. A frequent confusion is Titanic, which won Best Picture at the ceremony honoring 1997 films, not 1998 films. Shakespeare in Love defeated nominees including Saving Private Ryan and Elizabeth.