FEWER British backs were slapped at the Oscars than we are used to: in an extraordinary oversight, the organisers even failed to present our own Dame Judi Dench with her annual award.
However, Brit Ridley Scott can take some glory (if not a statuette) for directing the big winner, Gladiator. The film's five Oscars show that the historical epic is still hot in Hollywood.
Gladiator's formidable performance is resonant of the triumph of Ben-Hur in the 1959 Academy Awards. If Dame Judi wishes to retain her position as Queen of the Oscars, she might need to try on a toga or two.
Updated: 10:29 Monday, March 26, 2001
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