The Last Emperor (1987)

Directed by Bernardo Bertolucci

Starring John Lone, Joan Chen, Peter O'Toole, Ruocheng Ying, Victor Wong, Dennis Dun, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Maggie Han, Ric Young, Vivian Wu, and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa

The Last Emperor is probably the least seen of any Best Picture winner in the last three decades. This is probably due to its long running time, lack of well-known Western actors, with the exception of Peter O'Toole, or the protagonist's ties to World War II Japan. Bertolucci's film is a beautiful one, but the story leaves something to be desired. The title character is not at all likeable, so his fate is not one that the audience has particular interest in. It won nine Oscars in 1987, but pretty much faded into obscurity afterwards, and not undeservedly.

Other nominees: Broadcast News (James L. Brooks), Fatal Attraction (Adrian Lyne), Hope and Glory (John Boorman), and Moonstruck (Norman Jewison)