The Katie-Bar-The-Door Awards (1985)

In 1985, the Academy had a chance to give Akira Kurosawa a long-overdue Oscar for directing one of the best films of his career, Ran, so of course they gave it to Sydney Pollack. Not that Out of Africa is a bad picture, any more than a Quarter Pounder is a bad hamburger—just a wholly forgettable one. But that's the Oscars for you.

By the way, despite what the poster above says, Out of Africa did not star Gilbert Roland and Norma Talmadge—but it might as well have. (That's one I made for the Great Recasting Blogathon back in July.)

PICTURE (Drama)
winner: Brazil (prod. Arnon Milchan)

PICTURE (Comedy/Musical)
winner: Back To The Future (prod. Neil Canton and Bob Gale)

PICTURE (Foreign Language)
winner: Ran (prod. Masato Hara and Serge Silberman)

ACTOR (Drama)
winner: William Hurt and Raul Julia (Kiss of the Spider Woman)

ACTOR (Comedy/Musical)
winner: Michael J. Fox (Back To The Future)

ACTRESS (Drama)
winner: Whoopi Goldberg (The Color Purple)

ACTRESS (Comedy/Musical)
winner: Mia Farrow (The Purple Rose of Cairo)

DIRECTOR (Drama)
winner: Akira Kurosawa (Ran)

DIRECTOR (Comedy/Musical)
winner: Robert Zemekis (Back to the Future)

SUPPORTING ACTOR
winner: Christopher Lloyd (Back to the Future)

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
winner: Mieko Harada (Ran)

SCREENPLAY
winner: Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, from the novel by E.M. Forster (A Room with a View)