During the ceremony, Academy Awards commonly referred to as the Oscars were presented in 22 categories. Dances with Wolves won seven awards, including Best Picture.
The telecast garnered nearly 43 million viewers in the United States. The nominees for the 63rd Academy Awards were announced on February 13, , at a. The winners were announced during the awards ceremony on March 25, The following individuals, listed in order of appearance, presented awards or performed musical numbers.
Riding on the critical praise from last year's ceremony , the Academy rehired former film producer and former Directors Guild of America president Gilbert Cates to oversee production of the Oscar ceremony for the second straight time. He christened the ceremony with the theme " Years of Film" in celebration of the centennial of the development of both the kinetoscope by Thomas Edison and celluloid film by Eastman Kodak. Several other people participated in the production of the ceremony.
Film composer and musician Bill Conti served as musical director for the ceremony. This ceremony was the last year in which there were no official nominees for Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. Of the top 50 highest-grossing films released in , 51 nominations went to 12 films on the list. The show received a mixed reception from media publications.
Some media outlets were more critical of the show. Rick DuBrow of the Los Angeles Times wrote, "It was a long day's journey into night for Oscar, one of the most effective sleeping pills of the year. Kitsch and nostalgia have given way to efficiency and upward mobility. Everyone is tiresomely well-behaved and, worse, well-dressed. Other media outlets received the broadcast more positively. Columnist Harold Schindler of The Salt Lake Tribune wrote, "Billy Crystal kept things moving Monday night in such a manner that the extra quarter-hour was scarcely noticeable.
