GREAT SCOT\The pig and postman didn't have a chance in epic Oscar battle.

Byline: Bob Strauss Daily News Film Writer

The biggest surprise winner of the 68th annual Academy Awards was saved until the very end. And even "Braveheart's" capture of the Best Picture Oscar over shaky front-runner "Apollo 13" and sentimental favorite "Babe" wasn't exactly an awesome upset.

Mel Gibson's medieval epic went into the competition with the most nominations (10), the kind of large sweep the Hollywood establishment drools at and a director/star who has made even more money for the industry than Ron Howard.

And it wasn't about a talking pig. But indeed, while the winsome little kids' movie "Babe" absurdly won the art film rebel crowd's sympathies this year, the choice of "Braveheart," in its way, continues the academy's '90s move away from traditional, stodgy "quality" productions toward juicier genre hits. For all its pretensions to historical import, "Braveheart" works best as a ripping action attraction, and it was surely the film's superb, bone-crunching battle scenes that lingered in most voters' minds.

Other than "Braveheart's" not-so-surprising Best Picture victory, what had been touted as the most exciting Oscar race in a decade wound up reflecting perfectly the movie year of 1995. It was mildly intriguing, holding our interest without ever really gripping us, and ultimately pretty predictable.

That last thing wasn't supposed to happen. After flirting with wacky nominations and outrageous slights, the voting members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences were supposed to be capable of anything this year. And while they admirably spread the wealth among a variety of decent contenders, they did so in the safest, most conventional way imaginable. Perhaps appropriately for the movies' 100th anniversary year, this was not an Oscar competition that valued risk.

Although individuals may have been moved most deeply by "Babe" or "Il Postino (The Postman)," collectively the academy was probably loathe to admit that the best cinema could produce last year were a talking animal movie or something - good heavens! - that wasn't even in English.

The other top awards - Mel Gibson's for directing "Braveheart," Nicolas Cage's Best Actor for "Leaving Las Vegas" and Susan Sarandon's Best Actress for "Dead Man Walking" - were all handicapped weeks ago. Both Gibson's and Sarandon's were as much popularity awards for well-liked industry players as they were recognitions of outstanding achievement.

As for Cage, his boldly challenging, thoroughly brilliant work had already been annointed by every other award-giving group in America. Uncomfortably uncompromising as his suicidal drunk was to many viewers, Cage's pre-Oscar approval rating was higher than an Apollo capsule's trajectory - and that made him the 68th Oscars' safest bet.

Still, for the most part, the academy did an adequate job of recognizing the best there was to choose from. Oddly enough, wondering how well the voters' taste would hold up was, like in a good movie's, the show's most delicious mystery.

Moving Best Supporting Actor up to the second award of the night was, for example, a good suspense-building step. Many who felt a win by either Ed Harris or James Cromwell would foreshadow an "Apollo" or "Babe" Best Picture award had to bite their nails until the end of the night when Kevin Spacey took the statuette for his marvelously tricky work in "The Usual Suspects."

At the same time, they could rest easy that, whatever else happened in this goofball year, the academy had not entirely taken leave of its senses. This was reconfirmed later when Christopher McQuarrie's cleverly complicated "Suspects" script won the Best Original Screenplay trophy. McQuarrie's independently produced work packed more of the sheer joy of crafty movie writing into a given scene than could be found in any dozen of last year's studio productions.

Just about anybody nominated for the Best Supporting Actress Oscar this year would have deserved it. That bold-but-bubbly Mira Sorvino won for her helium-voiced "Mighty Aphrodite" hooker over, say, "Sense and Sensibility's" passionate-but-proper Kate Winslet was a vote for both courage and fun.

Sorvino's and "Restoration's" two awards for Costume and Art Direction meant that pseudo-independent Miramax Films did better than usual this Oscar go-round. However, the Disney-owned art distributor's promotionally overkilled entry, "Il Postino," was justly ignored in the major categories, winning only a consolation music prize.

Same thing pretty much happened to "Babe." Those of us who were more than happy to view the thing as the best talking pig movie ever - and nothing more - were happy to see it win the Visual Effects Oscar. And nothing more.

Kudos to the documentary committee for a change. The double Holocaust-themed winners, feature-length "Anne Frank Remembered" and short subject "One Survivor Remembers," not only gave the ceremonies some moments of gravity that 1995's fictional films noticeably lacked, they also gave us the opportunity to meet two genuine heroines of history's greatest tragedy. Survivor Gerda Klein's eloquent line about the "joys of a boring evening at home" should make us all feel a twinge of shame when we grouse about dubious movies and overlong awards shows.

Then again, the tribute to Gene Kelly that immediately followed the Documentary announcements showed us just how far from sheer excellence our best entertainment has fallen in 50 years. Where, one wonders, would an artist this exuberant and multi-talented fit into today's timid, tired-out industry? Ditto still-living legend Kirk Douglas, one of this year's Life Achievement award-winners and a trouper whose determined vitality could not be checked even by a recent stroke.

Speaking of troupers, Christopher Reeve's appearance - especially in honor of socially conscious films, especially in a year as bereft of them as this one - was a genuinely inspiring plea for risk-taking. If Hollywood doesn't get the message from this, it truly is beyond hope.

"Antonia's Line," from the Netherlands, won the Best Foreign Language Film award as expected. As good a choice as any, considering that the formerly fresh fields of foreign cinema have gone as fallow as world-dominating Hollywood's. Unfortunately, the academy was probably correct in its assessment that the best thing to come from offshore this year was Luis Bacalov's score for "Il Postino."

As for the other music awards, it was business as usual with the two awards for Alan Menken and Disney's "Pocahontas." If this isn't an aspect of Hollywood filmmaking that needs some shaking up, then maybe a pig can sing.

Then again, it was a good year for actors to, well, try a new act. Best Director Mel Gibson and Best Adapted Screenplay writer Emma Thompson were joined by Best Live Action Short helmer Christine Lahti.

Robin Williams giving another Lifetime Achievement award to great Warner Bros. animator Chuck Jones was inspired casting. When he called Jones the Orson Welles of animation, Williams inarguably presented the most deserved accolade of the entire night. But perhaps the best lines came, however sporadically, out of hostess Whoopi Goldberg. Yes, it was much better to hear the Mighty Afro-diety talk about those cause ribbons than to see her sport them. And the way she both addressed and avoiding addressing Jesse Jackson's complaints about minority participation in Hollywood with one deft phrase - well, it was better than any piece of writing in the Hollywood movies of 1995.

The winners

BEST PICTURE: "Braveheart."

ACTOR: Nicolas Cage, "Leaving Las Vegas."

ACTRESS: Susan Sarandon, "Dead Man Walking."

SUPPORTING ACTOR: Kevin Spacey, "The Usual Suspects."

SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Mira Sorvino, "Mighty Aphrodite."

DIRECTOR: Mel Gibson, "Braveheart."

FOREIGN FILM: "Antonia's Line," The Netherlands.

SCREENPLAY (written directly for the screen): Christopher McQuarrie,

"The Usual Suspects."

SCREENPLAY (based on material previously produced or published): Emma Thompson, "Sense and Sensibility."

ART DIRECTION: "Restoration."

CINEMATOGRAPHY: "Braveheart."

SOUND: "Apollo 13."

SOUND EFFECTS EDITING: "Braveheart."

ORIGINAL MUSICAL OR COMEDY SCORE: Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz, "Pocahontas."

ORIGINAL DRAMATIC SCORE: Luis Bacalov, "The Postman (Il Postino)."

ORIGINAL SONG: Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz, "Colors of the Wind" from "Pocahontas."

COSTUME: James Acheson, "Restoration."

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE: "Anne Frank Remembered."

DOCUMENTARY (short subject): "One Survivor Remembers."

FILM EDITING: "Apollo 13."

MAKEUP: "Braveheart."

ANIMATED SHORT FILM: "A Close Shave."

LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM: "Lieberman in Love."

VISUAL EFFECTS: "Babe."

CAPTION(S):

PHOTO[ordinal indicator, masculine]CHART

Photo (1--color) Mira Sorvino won Best Supporting Actress for her helium-voiced "Mighty Aphrodite" hooker. (2--color) Mel Gibson took home the statuette for Best Director for his work at the helm of "Braveheart," which won five awards, including Best Picture. (3--color) Susan Sarandon won Best Actress for her portrayal of Sister Helen Prejean in "Dead Man Walking." (4--color) Nicolas Cage's alcoholic in "Leaving Las Vegas" earned him the Best Actor award. Michael Owen Baker/Daily News (5--color) Kevin Spacey took home the Best Supporting Actor award for "The Usual Suspects." Gus Ruelas/Daily News Box THE WINNERS (see text)