1990 Best Picture:
Dances With Wolves

Competition:
Awakenings, Ghost, The Godfather, Part III, Goodfellas

Other Winners:
Best Actor: Jeremy Irons, Reversal of Fortune 
Best Actress: Kathy Bates, Misery
Best Supporting Actor: Joe Pesci, Goodfellas
Best Supporting Actress: Whoopi Goldberg, Ghost
Best Director: Kevin Costner, Dances With Wolves

Cast: Kevin Costner, Mary McDonnell, Graham Greene, Rodney A. Grant, Floyd 'Red Crow' Westerman, Tantoo Cardinal, Robert Pastorelli, Charles Rocket

Storyline: After attempting suicide in the battlefields of the American Civil War, a Lieutenant is granted a post on the Western Frontier. 

Did it deserve to win: Umm ... OK! Kevin Costner joined the ranks of Warren Beatty and Robert Redford with this opus, defying odds, and winning new respect.

Francis Ford Coppola's Godfather trilogy was completed, and while a very good film, it didn't hold up to the original two.  Goodfellas, on the other hand, was an excellent story of the mob, that rivaled the Godfather in many ways, and is among Scorcese's best films.  

Ghost was the most popular film of the year, offering everything from comedy to romance to mystery to a stellar performance by Whoopi Goldberg.  Awakenings was another popular entry, but proof that Oscar doesn't think much of women in the director's chair, as Penny Marshall failed to get a nomination.

Critique:  Dances With Wolves surprised me!  I didn't expect it to be so hot, and since I wasn't a big fan of westerns, I really wasn't looking forward to sitting through three hours of Kevin in the plains.  

The film, as it turns out, is actually very good, and it's three hours well spent!  Costner is good in the title role, but his direction is better!  He was obviously committed to this project, and it shows in his work.  What is also refreshing, is the fair treatment of the Native Americans in the film, in a way that doesn't seem too preachy, despite criticism to the contrary.

I'm no expert, but I suspect that this film portrays its era with some accuracy.

The major flaw with Dances With Wolves is its length.  The slow moving plot is best viewed in a comfortable theatre, with a large screen, as viewing it on television can border on being uncomfortable.   Costner never seemed to overcome this problem in his films, as later works would demonstrate. 

Behind the Scenes: Dances With Wolves was nominated for twelve Oscars, and won seven of them.  When Kevin Costner accepted the Best Picture Oscar, he was sure to thank the Sioux Indians, in a gesture that would have done Sasheen Littlefeather proud.

Kevin Costner's directorial debut put him on the map, but subsequent films never quite lived up to it.  He tanked with abysmal Waterworld, and the wretched The Postman.

Mary McDonnell plays Grahame Greene's adopted daughter in the film.  In actual fact, she is one year older than he is.

Whoopi Goldberg became the second black actress to win an acting award.  Hattie McDaniel was the first in 1939.  Black actors have never faired well at the Oscar's, with Sydney Potier, Louis Gossett Jr. and Denzel Washington being the only men to have done it.

The Oscar's embraced Madonna that year, as she sang the Oscar nominated song, Sooner or Later, from the movie in which she starred, Dick Tracy.  Dressed up as the image of Marylin Monroe, she made her own indelible mark, blurting out an ad-libbed line during the song, "Talk to me General Schwartzkopf!  Tell me all about it!"   The Gulf War took place the previous month.

The Godfather, Part III became the first film to ever earn a nomination for Best Picture, that was a second sequel.   It also earned a lot of criticism, simply because it failed to hold up to the first two.  The blame, sadly, went not to Francis Ford Coppola, but to his daughter, Sophia.  When Wynona Ryder backed out of the film, citing exhaustion, Sophia was cast in the role of Michael Corleone's daughter.  Her performance was less than stellar, and critics fired most of their ammunition at her. 

At the time, someone reminded us that Angelica Houtson's first film role was in one of her famous father's films, and she too was harshly criticized.  Houston went on to become a huge star, despite it all.  Sophia Coppola has since found her niche in directing, and hasn't let the bad first start get her down.   

Madonna gives her all for the Gulf War effort!

As it turns out, Mary plays Stands With Fists, a white woman who was adopted into the tribe when her family is slaughter.