1987 Best Picture:
The Last Emperor

Competition:
Hope and Glory, Fatal Attraction, Moonstruck, Broadcast News

Other Winners:
Best Actor: Michael Douglas, Wall Street 
Best Actress: Cher, Moonstruck
Best Supporting Actor: Sean Connery, The Untouchables
Best Supporting Actress: Olympia Dukakis, Moonstruck
Best Director: Bernardo Bertolucci, The Last Emperor

Cast: John Lone, Joan Chen, Peter O'Toole, Ruocheng Ying, Victor Wong, Dennis Dun

Storyline: The life of the last ruling emperor of China is examined in this extravagant epic.  It details his appointment into power as a small child, to his dethronement by the people of China who underwent a violent power struggle with the Communist party after World War II. 

Did it deserve to win: YES!  The Last Emperor is like a vivid photograph, a true feast for the eyes.  Bertolucci does an amazing job of bringing to the screen the life of this remarkable man, and this fascinating culture, that crumbled under the light of the shrinking world.

Moonstruck was the biggest competition that year, as Norman Jewison's romantic fable about a girl from Brooklyn who finds love.  Fatal Attraction had men thinking twice about extramarital affairs, at least with its star, Glenn Close.

Broadcast News was a funny look behind the scenes of a network newsroom.  Hope and Glory was a touching look at a family's struggle in London during the bombing of World War II.

Critique:  The Last Emperor seems to have all the right ingredients that make up a grand scale epic.  Bertolucci takes the audience to a foreign land, this time getting access to never before photographed images within China's Forbidden City.  He also includes breathtaking visuals with a lot of attention to detail, and of course, a grand appearance by Peter O'Toole.

The acting in the film is first rate, (you can't go wrong with O'Toole in a lead role), and the story is always fascinating.  While the film takes a grand scale look at the events surrounding the Emperor, it takes time to explore the human side, providing a sympathetic view of the claustrophobic life the man must have led. 

The Last Emperor is best viewed on the big screen, as most epics are, but the cinematography is still quite remarkable on television.  Add to it an incredible score, co-written by Talking Head, David Byrne, and this is a film lovers feast!
 

Behind the Scenes: The Last Emperor was nominated for nine Oscar's and talk about a sweep, it won all of them!  The only other film to win nine for nine Oscar's was Gigi in 1958.  

The film didn't pick up any acting nominations, which was a shame for Peter O'Toole, who remains tied with Richard Burton for the most nominations without a win.

To celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Academy Awards, producers of the show invited surviving cast members from each of the sixty films to win the Best Picture Oscar.  The large number of people arriving caused traffic chaos, and forced several stars to abandon their limos, blocks away from the auditorium, and to walk to the red carpet.  To make matters worse, a writer's strike was in progress, with presenters threatened with crossing the picket lines should they write their own material.

Among the invitees were famous feuding sisters, Olivia de Havilland and Joan Fontaine.  An error in judgment had the two staying in adjoining rooms at the Four Seasons - an error that had to be changed at the last minute.

A pissed Olivia, presents the award for Best Visual Effects.	A delighted Sean Connery accepts the award for Best Supporting Actor, wishing an end to the writer's strike!

The Best Actress race was perhaps the tightest race in Oscar's history.  Although Cher was the odds on favorite, any of the other four nominees could have taken it.  Cher chose to tone her Oscar attire down that year, instead making more noise with her speech when she thanked Meryl Streep and her hairdresser, but not her director.

Best Supporting Actress nominee, Olympia Dukakis, was sure to mention her cousin, Michael, who at the time was campaigning for the Democratic nod in Washington. 

Michael Douglas defined the 80's tycoon by his performance as Gordon Gekko in Wall Street.  The Oscar for Best Actor was presented by the previous years Best Actress, Marlee Matlin.  When she won the previous year, she used sign language to convey her acceptance.  This year, she used sign language to begin her presentation of Best Actor, but finished off by actually speaking.  She even announced nominee, Robin Williams by announcing Good Morning Vietnam in the way he spoke it in the film.

1987 was a great year for film and a lot of good performances were overlooked.  Barfly with Mickey Rourke and Faye Dunaway and Roxanne with Steve Martin, were among the films with heavy Oscar campaigns behind them, that failed to get any mention.  

Marlee Matlin presents the award for Best Actor.  She used sign language for part of her presentation, and followed up it up with actual speaking.  Upon announcing Robin William's film, she mimicked his rendition of 'Good Moooooorning, Vietnam!'

A taste of Western culture, and the second wife, played by Vivian Wu,  wants a divorce. 

Also in 1987:

February 22: Andy Warhol dies at age 55.

April 14: Gorbachev proposes a misile free Europe.

July 11: Oliver North tells a congressional hearing that arms sold to Iran were done so on a directive from officials within the White House.

October 20:  The bottom falls out of the stock market, exceeding that of the 1929 crash.

December 10: The Super Powers sign an arms treaty.