1981 IN FILM

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Contents

Events

Top grossing films

Awards

Films released in 1981

Births

Deaths

Events

★ January 19 - Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer acquires beleaguered concurrent United Artists. UA was humiliated by the astronomical losses on the $40,000,000 movie ''Heaven's Gate'', a major factor in the decision of owner Transamerica to sell it.

★ November 29 - Off Santa Catalina Island, 43-year old actress Natalie Wood drowns during a boating accident.

★ Tom Cruise makes his acting debut.

Top grossing films

:North America
#''Raiders of the Lost Ark'', starring Harrison Ford
#''Superman II'', starring Gene Hackman and Christopher Reeve
#''Stir Crazy'', starring Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder
#''Nine to Five'', starring Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin and Dolly Parton
#''Stripes'', starring Bill Murray and Warren Oates
#''Any Which Way You Can'' , starring Clint Eastwood
#''Arthur'', starring Dudley Moore
#''The Cannonball Run'', starring Burt Reynolds and Roger Moore
#''The Four Seasons'', starring Alan Alda
#''For Your Eyes Only'', starring Roger Moore

Awards

'Academy Awards:'
:Best Picture: '''Chariots of Fire''' - Enigma, The Ladd Company/Warner Bros.
:Best Director: 'Warren Beatty' - ''Reds''
:Best Actor: 'Henry Fonda' - ''On Golden Pond''
:Best Actress: 'Katharine Hepburn' - ''On Golden Pond''
:Best Supporting Actor: 'John Gielgud' - ''Arthur''
:Best Supporting Actress: 'Maureen Stapleton' - ''Reds''
:Best Foreign Language Film: '''Mephisto''', directed by Istvan Szabo, Hungary

'Golden Globe Awards:'
:'Drama:'
:Best Picture: '''On Golden Pond'''
:Best Actor: 'Henry Fonda' - ''On Golden Pond''
:Best Actress: 'Meryl Streep' - ''The French Lieutenant's Woman''
:'Musical or comedy:'
:Best Picture: '''Arthur'''
:Best Actor: 'Dudley Moore' - ''Arthur''
:Best Actress: 'Bernadette Peters' - ''Pennies from Heaven''
:'Other'
:Best Director: 'Warren Beatty' - ''Reds''
:Best Foreign Film: '''Chariots of Fire''', United Kingdom
'Palme d'Or (Cannes Film Festival):'
:'''Man of Iron''' (Człowiek z żelaza), directed by Andrzej Wajda, Poland
'Golden Lion (Venice Film Festival):'
:'''Marianne and Juliane''' (''Die Bleierne Zeit''), directed by Margarethe von Trotta, W. Germany
'Golden Bear (Berlin Film Festival):'
:'''Faster, Faster''' (''Deprisa, deprisa'' / ''Vivre vite''), directed by Carlos Saura, Spain / France

Films released in 1981

★ ''Absence of Malice''

★ ''An American Werewolf in London''

★ ''Arthur''

★ ''Blow Out

★ ''The Boat Is Full''

★ ''Bustin' Loose''

★ ''The Cannonball Run''

★ ''Clash of the Titans'', starring Laurence Olivier and Maggie Smith

★ ''Come on, Granpa's!''

★ ''Chariots of Fire''

★ ''Das Boot'' (1982 US release)

★ ''Deadly Blessing'' starring Sharon Stone

★ ''Deprisa, Deprisa'', Golden Bear winner

★ ''Dragonslayer''

★ ''Escape from New York'', starring Kurt Russell

★ ''Excalibur''

★ ''For Your Eyes Only''

★ ''Fort Apache the Bronx''

★ ''The Four Seasons''

★ ''The Fox and the Hound''

★ ''The French Lieutenant's Woman''

★ ''Friday the 13th Part 2''

★ ''Full Moon High''

★ ''The German Sisters'', Golden Lion winner

★ ''The Great Muppet Caper''

★ ''Halloween II'', starring Jamie Lee Curtis

★ ''The Hand'', starring Michael Caine, directed by Oliver Stone

★ ''Hardly Working'', starring Jerry Lewis

★ ''

★ ''The Howling''

★ ''The Land of Hunger''

★ ''The Legend of the Lone Ranger''

★ ''Lola'', a German film

★ ''Looker''

★ '' (a)

★ ''Man of Iron'', Palme d'Or winner

★ ''Mephisto''

★ ''Mommie Dearest'', starring Faye Dunaway, Diana Scarwid

★ ''My Dinner with Andre''

★ '', starring Sam Neill, Rossano Brazzi

★ ''On Golden Pond'', starring Katharine Hepburn, Henry Fonda, and Jane Fonda

★ ''Only When I Laugh''

★ ''Outland''

★ ''Pennies From Heaven'', starring Steve Martin, based on the 1978 BBC Television serial by Dennis Potter.

★ ''Pixote''

★ ''Prince of the City''

★ ''Quest for Fire'' also called ''La Guerre du feu''

★ ''Ragtime''

★ ''Raiders of the Lost Ark''

★ ''Reds''

★ ''Rich And Famous''

★ ''Sogni d'oro''

★ ''Stripes''

★ ''Sweet & Sour Cops

★ ''The Looney Looney Looney Bugs Bunny Movie''

★ ''The Tale of Today, Tomorrow, and the Day After''

★ ''Taps'' starring George C. Scott and Timothy Hutton

★ ''Tarzan, the Ape Man''

★ ''They Don't Wear Black Tie''

★ ''Time Bandits''

★ ''

★ ''Wolfen''

★ ''Women We Salute You!''

★ ''Zoot Suit'', starring Edward James Olmos

Births

★ January 28 – Elijah Wood, actor

★ April 19 - Hayden Christensen , actor

★ June 9 - Natalie Portman (Natalie Hershlag), actress

★ September 12 - Jennifer Hudson, singer and actress

Deaths

★ January 1 - Beulah Bondi, actress

★ January 10 - Richard Boone, actor

★ January 16 - Bernard Lee, actor

★ February 1 - Wanda Hendrix, actress

★ July 27 - William Wyler, director

★ August 4 - Melvyn Douglas, actor

★ August 18 - Anita Loos, writer

★ September 27 - Robert Montgomery, actor

★ October 24 - Edith Head, costume designer

★ November 12 - William Holden, actor

★ November 27 - Lotte Lenya, actress

★ November 29 - Natalie Wood, actress

★ December 28 - Allan Dwan, pioneer film director