In best supporting actor, the big surprise was Davidson of "The Crying Game," whose real sex was kept a secret by millions of moviegoers until the Academy announcement made it obvious. If he wins in the category, he will join Linda Hunt, a woman who played a man in "Year of Living Dangerously" (1983). Other nominees are Gene Hackman, as the sadistic sheriff in "Unforgiven," Jack Nicholson, winning his tenth nomination, as the savage Marine commandant in "A Few Good Men;" Pacino, as one of the embittered real estate salesmen in "Glengarry Glen Ross," and newcomer David Paymer, who played the long-suffering brother of a stand-up comic in "Mr. Saturday Night." A notable omission was Jack Lemmon, in "Glengarry Glen Ross."

For best supporting actress, the nominees were Judy Davis, as a wife who determines to get divorced in Woody Allen's "Husbands and Wives;" Joan Plowright, as one of a group of British women who go on an Italian holiday in "Enchanted April;" Vanessa Redgrave, winning her sixth nomination, as the first wife of the hypocritical banker in "Howard's End;" Miranda Richardson, as the wife of an adulterous cabinet minister in "Damage;" and Marisa Tomei, as the ditzy girl friend of a would-be legal hotshot in "My Cousin Vinny." Overlooked by voters was the fine work of Alfre Woodard in "Passion Fish," and Rosie Perez's career-making work in "White Men Can't Jump."

Best director nods went to Neil Jordan, for "The Crying Game;" James Ivory, for "Howard's End;" Robert Altman, for "The Player;" Martin Brest, for "Scent of a Woman," and Clint Eastwood, for "Unforgiven." The Director's Guild of America awards, widely seen as a predictor of the Oscars in this category, nominated Rob Reiner for "A Few Good Men" instead of Brest. The obvious exclusion in the category was Spike Lee, for "Malcolm X," a film many Academy voters possibly did not chose to see.

In the Best Documentary category, where the Academy's dysfunctional selection committee has made an annual practice of not naming the year's best candidates, there was another scandalous exclusion this year. "Brother's Keeper," the most successful and best-reviewed documentary of the year, was passed over. One interesting choice: "Fires of Kuwait" was the first Oscar nominee to be shot in the huge-screen IMAX process.

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