Films of 1981

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Last Updated: 3/12/24
Total Films: 58
Note: The year of each film is according to IMDb. It sometimes changes without my knowledge. When I become aware, I will make adjustments. Like the Oscars, I select the best for each category: picture, actor, actress, supporting actor, supporting actress, director, cinematography, editing, original screenplay, adapted screenplay, and documentary. This is based on the movies I've actually seen, and miniseries and telefilms are fair game. Each winner is named along with the next four ordered runner-ups (which may be less) and honorable mentions (if any). Any of these categories may be left blank if I feel there's no deserving winner. A ranked list of films is presented afterwards.



Best Picture
Chariots of Fire

2. Raiders of the Lost Ark
3. Prince of the City
4. Escape from New York
5. Das Boot
Honorable Mentions: Southern Comfort


Best Actor
Harrison Ford (Raiders of the Lost Ark)

2. John Heard (Cutter's Way)
3. Kurt Russell (Escape from New York)
4. Treat Williams (Prince of the City)
5. James Caan (Thief)
Honorable Mentions: Klaus Maria Brandauer (Mephisto), Michael Caine (The Hand), Ben Cross (Chariots of Fire), Henry Fonda (On Golden Pond), George Hamilton (Zorro, The Gay Blade), Anthony Hopkins (The Bunker), Jeremy Irons (The French Lieutenant's Woman), and Paul Newman (Absence of Malice)


Best Actress
Faye Dunaway (Mommie Dearest)

2. Lauren Bacall (The Fan)
3.
4.
5.
Honorable Mentions: None


Best Supporting Actor
Ron Leibman (Zorro, The Gay Blade)

2. Ian Charleson (Chariots of Fire)
3. Dom DeLuise (History of the World: Part I)
4. Jeff Bridges (Cutter's Way)
5. Rutger Hauer (Nighthawks)
Honorable Mentions: Wilford Brimley (Absence of Malice), Dabney Coleman (On Golden Pond), Michael Ironside (Scanners), Doug McKeon (On Golden Pond), Dick Miller (The Howling), and Arthur Rosenberg (Cutter's Way)


Best Supporting Actress
Jessica Lange (The Postman Always Rings Twice)

2.
3.
4.
5.
Honorable Mentions: None


Best Director
Hugh Hudson (Chariots of Fire)

2. Steven Spielberg (Raiders of the Lost Ark)
3. John Carpenter (Escape from New York)
4. Wolfgang Peterson (Das Boot)
5. George Miller (The Road Warrior)
Honorable Mentions: David Cronenberg (Scanners), Walter Hill (Southern Comfort), and Sidney Lumet (Prince of the City)


Best Cinematography
Douglas Slocombe (Raiders of the Lost Ark)

2. David Watkin (Chariots of Fire)
3. Richard H. Kline (Body Heat)
4. Dean Cundey (Escape from New York)
5. Andrew Laszlo (Southern Comfort)
Honorable Mentions: Freddie Francis (The French Lieutenant's Woman), Donald E. Thorin (Thief), and Jost Vacano (Das Boot)


Best Editing
Terry Rawlings (Chariots of Fire)

2. Michael Kahn (Raiders of the Lost Ark)
3. Roberto Silvi (Victory)
4. Michael Balson, David Stiven, and Tim Wellburn (The Road Warrior)
5. Hannes Nikel (Das Boot)
Honorable Mentions: Stanford C. Allen and Christopher Holmes (Nighthawks) and Todd C. Ramsay (Escape from New York)


Best Original Screenplay
Lawrence Kasdan (Raiders of the Lost Ark)

2. John Carpenter and Nick Castle (Escape from New York)
3. Michael Kane, Walter Hill, and David Giler (Southern Comfort)
4. Colin Welland (Chariots of Fire)
5. Hal Dresner (Zorro, The Gay Blade)
Honorable Mentions: None


Best Adapted Screenplay
Jeffrey Alan Fiskin (Cutter's Way)

2. Jay Presson Allen and Sidney Lumet (Prince of the City)
3. Michael Mann (Thief)
4.
5.
Honorable Mentions: None


Best Documentary
The Decline of Western Civilization

2.
3.
4.
5.
Honorable Mentions: None


Films Rated '10'
  1. Chariots of Fire

  2. Raiders of the Lost Ark

  3. Prince of the City

Films Rated '9'
  1. Escape from New York

  2. Das Boot

  3. Southern Comfort

  4. Zorro, The Gay Blade

  5. Thief

  6. Victory

  7. The Road Warrior

  8. Scanners

Films Rated '8'
  1. Body Heat

  2. Cutter's Way

  3. True Confessions

  4. Nighthawks

  5. The Hand

  6. The Evil Dead

  7. The Funhouse

  8. The Burning

  9. The Bunker

Films Rated '7'
  1. Mephisto

  2. The Fan

  3. On Golden Pond

Films Rated '6'
  1. Halloween II

  2. Mommie Dearest

  3. Friday the 13th Part 2

  4. Sharky's Machine

  5. The French Lieutenant's Woman

  6. Fort Apache, The Bronx

  7. Eye of the Needle

  8. Outland

  9. Death of a Prophet

Films Rated '5'
  1. Absence of Malice

  2. Porky's

  3. The Howling

  4. Eyes of a Stranger

  5. Four Friends

  6. Reds

  7. The Postman Always Rings Twice

Films Rated '4'
  1. Taps

  2. Happy Birthday to Me

  3. My Bloody Valentine

  4. S.O.B.

Films Rated '3'
  1. History of the World: Part I

  2. Stripes

  3. Blow Out

  4. Madman

Films Rated '2'
  1. Student Bodies

  2. For Your Eyes Only

  3. An American Werewolf in London

  4. The Cannonball Run

  5. Omen III: The Final Conflict

  6. My Dinner with Andre

  7. Wolfen

Films Rated '1'
  1. Possession

  2. Les paumées du petit matin

  3. Carbon Copy

  4. Arthur