Paul Gambaccini explores a Best Picture Oscar film to find out how and why it won and what it tells us about society at the time.

The black comedy American Beauty swept the board at the 2000 Oscars ceremony, pushing aside The Sixth Sense and The Green Mile. It was an unexpected hit for the studio - Steven Spielberg's Dreamworks - and went on to become a popular, critical and commercial success around the world.

Telling a story of dysfunction in suburbia, it tackled many taboo themes head on: homophobia, drugs, blackmail, infidelity and domestic abuse. Kevin Spacey won an Oscar for Best Actor for his portrayal of Lester Burnham, the suburban husband and father who embraces his midlife crisis. Annette Bening, who plays his wife, holds onto the facades that make up her world, whilst falling apart inside.

For the director, Sam Mendes, it was his first movie and he picked up an Oscar. Paul talks to Mendes about his vision and the evolution of American Beauty on and off set and reflects on the cultural event it soon became. Producers Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen, talk about casting the movie and getting it made. Thomas Newman, of the Hollywood composing dynasty, wrote the score and tells Paul how close to the wire the iconic opening music sequence was. And the young actors in the film - Thora Birch and Wes Bentley - discuss how, at the start of their careers, they immersed themselves in roles which resonated with their lives at the time.

Producer Neil McCarthy

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2013. Show less