1991 Best Picture:
Silence of the Lambs

Competition:
Beauty and the Beast, Bugsy, JFK, The Prince of Tides

Other Winners:
Best Actor: Anthony Hopkins, Silence of the Lambs 
Best Actress: Jodie Foster, Silence of the Lambs
Best Supporting Actor: Jack Palance, City Slickers
Best Supporting Actress: Mercedes Ruehl
Best Director: Jonathan Demme, Silence of the Lambs

Cast: Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Scott Glenn, Ted Levine, Kasi Lemmons, Lawrence T. Wrentz, Lawrence A. Bonney, Anthony Heald 

Storyline: A young FBI agent must seek help from an imprisoned madman, in order to get information about another serial killer who is skinning his victims alive.  

Did it deserve to win:  Sure ... why not?  Silence of the Lambs was nominated in a very tight year for movies, and its win is thought to be a squeaker, but despite that, the film is easily one of the best suspense films of all time, and Hopkins brings to the screen one of the all time great villains. That being said, however, any of the other five films, were also strong contenders.

Beauty and the Beast was the first animated film to ever get a Best Picture nod, and was a big hit for Disney.  The Prince of Tides was the first Barbra Streisand film to get a Best Picture nod, despite no directorial notice for her. 

JFK was Oliver Stone's controversial expose that suggested foul play behind the assassination of the late President. And Bugsy was Warren Beatty's bio about the fabled mobster, Bugsy Malone. 

Critique:  Horror has never been honored with a Best Picture Oscar before.  Great classics like Frankenstein and Dracula were completely ignored.  The Exorcist came close to winning, but was beaten to the prize by The Sting.  Perhaps, for that reason alone, it's fitting that horror finally gets some recognition. 

Besides honoring the genre, however, Silence of the Lambs stands on its own as a great movie.  The performances by both Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins are excellent, with Hopkins turning out a role that he will forever be remembered for, despite a long line of excellent work behind him.  

Based on the book by Thomas Harris, the movie weaves a complicated web, and offers fascinatingly grotesque insight into the world of psychotics.   Granted, the extreme violence is not for all tastes, but this is one thriller that should not be missed. 

Behind the Scenes: Silence of the Lambs was nominated for seven Oscar's, and won five of them.  It became the third film in history to win all four of the top awards.  Like It Happened One Night and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, prior, it won Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Actor and Best Director.

Oscar host Billy Crystal greets Hopkins, wearing Hannibal-appproved gear.

Gene Hackman was originally offered the title role, and the option to direct the film.  Jonathon Demme took over the director's role, first offering the part of Clarice Sterling to Michelle Pfeiffer. 

Silence of the Lambs was released in February of 1991.  Oscar watchers criticized the Academy in the past for having a short memory, as most Best Picture contenders are released in the latter part of the year.  It was suggested that Silence won the big awards because the film was already on video and pay TV by the time the nominations were out.  

Jodie Foster turned down the chance to play in the next film, Hannibal.  The role eventually went to Julianne Moore.   Producer, Dino de Laurentis said that he wasn't willing to pay Foster the amount of money she was asking.  The film turned out to be an abysmal failure, and was panned by the critics.

Gay rights groups were unhappy with that year's choice of Oscar nominees.  They criticized Silence of the Lambs for its portrayal of a transsexual serial killer, who killed woman for their skin.  They were also up in arms over JFK, as the film suggested a homosexual conspiracy (among many other things).  

Barbra Streisand suffered yet another Oscar backlash, despite multiple nominations for her film, The Prince of Tides.  Her non-nomination for Best director prompted many to cry foul, not only for her, but for women in general, as to date, only one woman had ever been nominated for Best Director.  Shirley MacLaine and Liza Minelli made their case known on stage while presenting the Best Song award.  They stated that they wanted her to direct them in a film together.  Such a project never came to fruition. 

 

As Barbra looks on, Liza and Shirley suggest a project with her as the director!

Prince of Tides star, Nick Nolte, was the odds on favorite to win the Oscar.  He also appeared in Cape Fear that year, Martin Scorcese's violent remake of the 1962 film.  Cape Fear scored a nomination for Robert DeNiro, who was said to be a long shot, mainly because of the films dark subject matter, but also because he had been awarded twice in the past. 

John Singleton became the first black director to ever get a nomination, for his film Boyz in the Hood.

The first animated film, Beauty and the Beast, also became the first film to score three nominations in the Best Song Category.  Technically, it is also a musical, the first to be nominated for Best Picture, since 1972's Cabaret.

For the first time a mother and daughter team were nominated.  Diane Ladd was nominated for Best Supporitng Actress, and Laura Dern for Best Actress, for their roles in Rambling Rose.

Jack Palance's acceptance speech was easily one of the most memorable in history.  To prove his continued strength as a performer, and perhaps to brush off suggestion that this was a lifetime achievement award, he performed one-handed push ups for the audience.

Jack Palance gets down on all fours ... er ... threes ... when he wins Best Supporting Actor.

Hannibal is moved to a new location, when he strikes a deal to co-operate. 

Also in 1991:

January 17:  The US begins attacks on Iraq.

March 15: Rodney King's beating by the LA police force is caught on tape, stirring an outcry among citizens.

July 25: Forensic experts attempt to match skulls and assorted body parts found in the home of Jeffrey Dalmer.

August 21:  Gorbachev barely escapes a coup of the Kremlin.

November 8: Magic Johnson revelas to the world that he is HIV positive.