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Here are my choices of the 101 films I've seen from 1981 for…

 

Best Supporting Actor of 1981

 

1.  JERRY ORBACH (Detective Gus Levy), Prince of the City

2.  RON KARABATSOS (Dave DeBennedeto), Prince of the City

3.  CHARLES DURNING (Jack Amsterdam), True Confessions

4.  JACK NICHOLSON (Eugene O'Neill), Reds

5.  JOHN GIELGUD (Hobson), Arthur

 

6.  RICHARD FORONJY (Detective Joe Marinaro), Prince of the City

7.  JAMES CAGNEY (New York Police Commissioner, Rheinlander Waldo), Ragtime

8.  ROBERT PROSKY (Leo), Thief

9.  KLAUS WENNEMANN (Chief Engineer), Das Boot

10. KENNETH MCMILLAN (Det. Sgt. Frank Crotty), True Confessions

 

and ...

 

KENNETH MCMILLAN (Fire Chief William “Willie” Conklin), Ragtime

JEFF GOLDBLUM (Dr. Aldo Gerring), Threshold

JAMES COCO (Jimmy Perrino), Only When I Laugh

RUTGER HAUER (Heymar “Wulfgar” Reinhardt/“Eric”), Nighthawks

EMILE GENEST (Theophile Plouffe), Les Plouffe

BORA TODOROVIC (Alex Rossignol), Montenegro

JOHN COLICOS (Nick Popadakus), The Postman Always Rings Twice

ROBERT JOY (Harry Kendall Thaw), Ragtime

TED DANSON (Peter Lowenstein), Body Heat

EDDY MITCHELL (Nono), Coup de Torchon

JERZY KOSINSKI (Grigory Zinoviev), Reds

PAT O’BRIEN (Delphin), Ragtime

BARNEY MARTIN (Ralph Marolla), Arthur

JACK WESTON (Danny Zimmer), The Four Seasons

BRUCE SPENCE (“the Gyro Captain”), The Road Warrior

MICHAEL LERNER (Henry de Vici), Threshold

GILBERTO MOURA (Dito), Pixote

GRIFFIN DUNNE (Jack Goodman), An American Werewolf In London

FLAVIO BUCCI (Don Bastiano), The Marquis of Grillo

JAMES L. BROOKS (David), Modern Romance

ROBERT GRUBB (Billy Lewis), Gallipoli

JACK PURVIS (Wally), Time Bandits

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1981 Favorites

 

Best Actor
 
Warren Beatty (Reds)
Klaus Maria Brandauer (Mephisto)
Henry Fonda (On Golden Pond)
Mel Gibson (Gallipoli)
Frank Ripploh (Taxi zum Klo)
 
Best Actress
 
Fanny Ardant (The Woman Next Door)
Katharine Hepburn (On Golden Pond)
Diane Keaton (Reds)
Meryl Streep (The French Lieutenant’s Woman)
Barbara Sukowa (Lola)
 
Best Supporting Actor
 
Griffin Dunne (An American Werewolf in London)
John Gielgud (Arthur)
Jack Nicholson (Reds)
Maximilian Schell (The Chosen)
Rod Steiger (The Chosen)
 
Best Supporting Actress
 
Jenny Agutter (An American Werewolf in London)
Jane Fonda (On Golden Pond)
Madeleine Kahn (History of the World, Part I)
Elizabeth McGovern (Ragtime)
Maureen Stapleton (Reds)
 
Best Juvenile
 
Fernando Ramos da Silva (Pixote)
 
Best Line:
 
“Let’s face it, you can’t Torquemada anything!” (History of the World, Part I)
 
Best Music Scenes 
 
Au Fond du Temple Saint from The Pearl Fishers (Gallipoli)
Blue Moon/Bad Moon Rising (An American Werewolf in London)
I Don’t Want to Play in Your Yard (Reds)
The Inquisition (History of the World, Part I)
Lili Marleen (Lili Marleen)
and last but not least The Internationale (Reds): 
 
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Best Picture

Absence of Malice

An American Werewolf in London

Arthur

Blowout

Chariots of Fire

The Great Muppet Caper

On Golden Pond

Ragtime

Raiders of the Lost Ark

Reds

 

Best Director

Warren Beatty, Reds

Brian De Palma, Blowout

Hugh Hudson, Chariots of Fire

John Landis, An American Werewolf in London

Steven Spielberg, Raiders of the Lost Ark

 

Best Actor

Warren Beatty, Reds

Ben Cross, Chariots of Fire

Henry Fonda, On Golden Pond

Harrison Ford, Raiders of the Lost Ark

David Naughton, An American Werewolf in London

Paul Newman, Absence of Malice

Howard E. Rollins Jr., Ragtime

Kurt Russell, Escape From New York

Nigel Terry, Excalibur

John Travolta, Blowout

 

Best Actress

Jenny Agutter, An American Werewolf in London

Karen Allen, Raiders of the Lost Ark

Faye Dunaway, Mommie Dearest

Katharine Hepburn, On Golden Pond

Meryl Streep, The French Lieutenant's Woman

Kathleen Turner, Body Heat

 

Best Supporting Actress

Nancy Allen, Blowout

Jane Fonda, On Golden Pond

Elizabeth McGovern, Ragtime

Helen Mirren, Excalibur

Diana Rigg, The Great Muppet Caper

Maureen Stapleton, Reds

 

Best Supporting Actor

John Cleese, The Great Muppet Caper

Griffin Dunne, An American Werewolf in London

Paul Freeman, Raiders of the Lost Ark

John Gielgud, Arthur

Charles Grodin, The Great Muppet Caper

Ronald Lacey, Raiders of the Lost Ark

Mandy Patinkin, Ragtime

Donald Pleasence, Escape from New York

John Rhys-Davies, Raiders of the Lost Ark

 

Best Cameo

Jack Nicholson, Ragtime

Oscar the Grouch, The Great Muppet Caper

Peter Ustinov, The Great Muppet Caper

 

Best Song

For You Eyes Only, Sheena Easton

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I must admit that I always liked Katharine Hepburn in ON GOLDEN POND. Here's the thing. She is still Hepburn as we all recognize her but she also resembles a familiar family member you might have known personally, especially in the scenes with teenager Billy.

 

Also both Fondas do deserve credit for getting through their off-screen personal struggles as father-daughter in their one-screen performances. Had the elder Fonda received more Oscars in his past, this would just be a ho-hum star performance. Yet, like Hepburn, he plays himself rather than a character.

 

With that said, ON GOLDEN POND is still a somewhat predictable drama.

 

I like GALLIPOLI but view Mel Gibson a rather boring actor apart from his MAD MAX franchise. His twin Kevin Costner tends to show more facial expression, even though he too tends to be equally Saturnian stoic. The supporting soldiers are all adequate in their performances and probably better performers than Gibson overall, but I never can remember them. GALLIPOLI is better as a director's and cinematographer's showcase anyway. It is not an actors' film like ON GOLDEN POND.

 

I guess we have to praise those actors struggling their way through action and war films. Keith Carradine probably deserves a prize for all he must go through in SOUTHERN COMFORT.

 

AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON and the equally London-ish THE GREAT MUPPET CAPER are the primary 1981 releases that I still watch on occasion today, since so many others have aged less gracefully. (I do like CHARIOTS OF FIRE though, which is better now than it was when I first saw it.)

 

I do not care for horror pics much, but the WEREWOLF epic is one very classy production that makes great use of its London locations. Everybody does a great job in their performances including all of the bit roles. I do favor the lead David Naughton the most. Like the soldiers in action films, he puts up with a lot of torture for director John Landis. Wearing a ladies' coat at a public bus station and running buck naked through a zoo in front of tourists is the least of his problems. A lot of the success is due to him playing an easy going wants-to-be-friends-with-everybody type whom you have to root for as equally as also lovable Lon Chaney Junior four decades before. The special effects are great but they would never work without David channeling sympathy in his "what is happening to me?" horror that relates well with viewers. We do not want to see him die, but we do view him as a martyr who genuinely likes other people despite his murderous rage in lupine form and this is a sacrifice.

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The New York Film Critics Circle Awards for 1981 were …

 

Best Actor

Burt Lancaster, Atlantic City* (80)

Henry Fonda, On Golden Pond

Robert Duvall, True Confessions

 

Best Actress

Glenda Jackson, Stevie* (78) 

Faye Dunaway, Mommie Dearest

Diane Keaton, Reds

 

Best Supporting Actor

John Gielgud, Arthur*

Jack Nicholson, Reds

Jerry Orbach, Prince of the City

Howard E. Rolins, Jr., Ragtime

 

Best Supporting Actress

Mona Washbourne, Stevie* (78)

Maureen Stapleton, Reds

Marilla Pera, Pixote

 

—————————————————————————————————

 

The Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards for 1981 were …

 

Best Actor

Burt Lancaster, Atlantic City* (80)

Henry Fonda, On Golden Pond

 

Best Actress

Meryl Streep, The French Lieutenant’s Woman*

Diane Keaton, Reds

 

Best Supporting Actor

John Gielgud, Arthur*

Jack Nicholson, Reds

 

Best Supporting Actress

Maureen Stapleton, Reds*

Melinda Dillon, Absence of Malice

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Fernando Ramos da Silva gave a splendid performance as the 11-year-old title character in Pixote, Hector Babenco's powerful 1981 film about Brazilian street children. Da Silva was killed aged 19 in a battle with police. 

 

400full-fernando-ramos-da-silva.jpg

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Actor

 

Warren Beatty, Reds
1980 film nominated in 1981, Burt Lancaster, Atlantic City
Harrison Ford, Raiders of the Lost Ark
Sam Neill, Possession
John Heard, Cutter's Way

Substitute for Lancaster: 
Steve Martin, Pennies from Heaven

Runner-ups: Jeff Bridges (Cutter's Way), Treat Williams (Prince of the City), Gerard Depardieu (The Woman Next Door), Nigel Terry (Excalibur), Craig Wasson (Four Friends), Fernando Ramos da Silva (Pixote), Anthony Quinn (Lion of the Desert), Klaus Maria Brandauer (Mephisto), Mel Gibson (The Road Warrior), Albert Brooks (Modern Romance), Mel Gibson (Gallipoli), Jeremy Irons (The French Lieutenant's Woman), Kris Kristofferson (Rollover), Robert De Niro (True Confessions), Frederic Andrei (Diva)

Actress

Isabelle Adjani, Possession
Karen Allen, Raiders of the Lost Ark
Diane Keaton, Reds
1980 film nominated in 1981: Susan Sarandon, Atlantic City
Bernadette Peters, Pennies from Heaven

Substitute for Sarandon
: Fanny Ardant, The Woman Next Door

Runner-ups:  Caitlin Clarke (Dragonslayer), Jodi Thelen (Four Friends), Jane Fonda (Rollover), Meryl Streep (The French Lieutenant's Woman), Barbara Sukowa (Lola), Candice Bergen (Rich and Famous)

Supporting Actor

David Rappaport, Time Bandits
Jack Nicholson, Reds
Nicol Williamson, Excalibur
Jerry Orbach, Prince of the City
Terence Stamp, Superman II

Runner-ups:  Charles Grodin (The Great Muppet Caper), John Rhys Davies (Raiders of the Lost Ark), David Warner (Time Bandits), John Cleese (The Great Muppet Caper), Sean Connery (Time Bandits), Bruce Spence (The Road Warrior), Christopher Walken (Pennies from Heaven), Jerzy Kosinski (Reds), Ralph Richardson (Dragonslayer), Mickey Rourke (Body Heat), Ralph Richardson (Time Bandits), Ted Danson (Body Heat), Hume Cronyn (Rollover), Robert Preston (S.O.B.), Ian Holm (Chariots of Fire)

Supporting Actress

Maureen Stapleton, Reds
Helen Mirren, Excalibur
Lisa Eichorn, Cutter's Way
Marilia Pera, Pixote
Diana Rigg, The Great Muppet Caper

Runner-ups:  Kate Reid (Atlantic City), Katherine Helmond (Time Bandits), Wilhelmina Wiggins (Diva), Clare Grogan (Gregory's Girl), Julia Murray (Four Friends),

Not seen:  On Golden Pond, Arthur, Only When I Laugh, Ragtime

 

--------Interestingly, there were three best actor/actress combinations from the best picture nominees this year.  That's a record, especially since there were only four such combinations over the previous two decades (The Apartment, Who's Afraid of Virginia Wooll, Network and Annie Hall).

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Fernando Ramos da Silva gave a splendid performance as the 11-year-old title character in Pixote, Hector Babenco's powerful 1981 film about Brazilian street children. Da Silva was killed aged 19 in a battle with police. 

 

400full-fernando-ramos-da-silva.jpg

 

efe1ec2976c8c4da7aaf8573ff4fc013.jpg

My favourite juvenile performance in Pixote was a supporting one by Gilberto Moura (on the right) as Dito.

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Here are my choices of the 101 films I've seen from 1981 for…

 

Best Actress of 1981

 

1.  KATHARINE HEPBURN (Ethel Thayer), On Golden Pond

2.  DIANE KEATON (Louise Bryant), Reds

3.  JESSICA LANGE (Cora Popadakis), The Postman Always Rings Twice

4.  SISSY SPACEK (Nita Longley), Raggedy Man

5.  ISABELLE HUPERT (Rose), Coup de Torchon

 

6.  ELLEN BURSTYN (Olive Frederickson), Silence of the North

7.  SALLY FIELD (Megan Carter), Absence of Malice

8.  ANNIE POTTS (Bonnie Howard), Heartaches

9.  KATHLEEN TURNER (Matty Walker), Body Heat

10. MERYL STREEP (Anna/Sarah Woodruff/”Mrs. Roughwood”), The French Lieutenant's Woman

 

and ...

 

MONIQUE SPAZIANI (Marie), Les Beaux Souvenirs

BERNADETTE PETERS (Eileen/“Lulu”), Pennies From Heaven

MARY STEENBURGEN (“the Mother”), Ragtime

KATHRYN HARROLD (Mary Harvard), Modern Romance

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Here are my choices of the 101 films I've seen from 1981 for…

 

Best Actor of 1981

 

1.  ROBERT DUVALL (Det. Sgt. Thomas Spellacy), True Confessions

2.  KLAUS MARIA BRANDAUER (Heinz “Hendrik” Hofgen), Mephisto

3.  ALBERTO SORDI (Marquis Onofrio Del Grillo/Gasperino, the coal man), The Marquis of Grillo

4.  JURGEN PROCHNOW (Kapitanleutnant/Captain/“the Old Man"), Das Boot

5.  PHILIPPE NOIRET (Lucien Cordier), Coup de Torchon

 

6.  TREAT WILLIAMS (Detective Daniel Ciello), Prince of the City

7.  JOHN HEARD (Alexander Cutter), Cutter’s Way

8.  JACK NICHOLSON (Frank Chambers/”Phil”), The Postman Always Rings Twice

9.  NICK MANCUSO (David Kappel), Ticket to Heaven

10. HENRY FONDA (Norman Thayer, Jr.), On Golden Pond

 

and ...

 

WARREN BEATTY (John Reed), Reds

DONALD SUTHERLAND (Dr. Thomas Vrain), Threshold

PAUL NEWMAN (Michael Collin Gallagher), Absence of Malice

HOWARD E. ROLLINS, JR., (Coalhouse Walker, Jr.), Ragtime

WILLIAM HURT (Ned Racine), Body Heat

DUDLEY MOORE (Arthur Bach), Arthur

ALBERT BROOKS (Robert Cole), Modern Romance

JEREMY IRONS (Charles/Michael Smithson), The French Lieutenant’s Woman

JAMES OLSON (“the Father”), Ragtime

GORDON JOHN SINCLAIR (Gregory Underwood), Gregory's Girl

DAVID NAUGHTON (David Kessler), An American Werewolf In London

BOGUSLAW LINDA (Witek Dlugosz), Blind Chance

ROBERT DE NIRO (Monsignor Desmond Spellacy), True Confessions

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1. Klaus Maria Brandauer - Mephisto


2. Paul Newman - Absence of Malice


3. Armin Mueller-Stahl - Lola


4. John Travolta - Blow Out


5. Wallace Shawn - My Dinner with Andre


6. Andre Gregory - My Dinner with Andre


7. James Caan - Thief


8. Harrison Ford - Raiders of the Lost Ark


 


1. Barbara Sukowa - Lola


2. Sally Field - Absence of Malice


3. Kathleen Turner - Body Heat


4. Nancy Allen - Blow Out


5. Liza Minnelli - Arthur


6. Hanna Schygulla - Lili Marleen


7. Isabelle Adjani - Possession


8. Diane Keaton - Reds


 


1. Mario Adorf - Lola


2. Bob Balaban - Absence of Malice


3. John Gielgud - Arthur


4. Ted Danson - Body Heat


5. Rolf Hoppe - Mephisto


6. John Lithgow - Blow Out


7. John Gielgud - Chariots of Fire


8. Willie Nelson - Thief


 


1. Anne-Laure Meury - The Aviator's Wife


2. Karin Boyd - Mephisto


3. Lynn-Holly Johnson - For Your Eyes Only


4. Helga Feddersen - Lola


5. Melinda Dillon - Absence of Malice


6. Christine Dejoux - La Soupe aux choux


7. Pamela Stephenson - History of the World, Part I


8. Karen Allen - Raiders of the Lost Ark


 



BEST JUVENILE PERFORMANCE: Ulrike Vigo - Lola

BEST EXTRA: István Szábo - Mephisto


BEST ORIGINAL SCORE: 

1. Vangelis - Chariots of Fire

2. Tangerine Dream - Thief

BEST ORIGINAL SONG: 

1. Endless Love (Lionel Richie & Diana Ross in Endless Love)

2. For Your Eyes Only (Sheena Easton in For Your Eyes Only)


3. Arthur's Theme (Christopher Cross in Arthur)

BEST NON-ORIGINAL SONG: Lili Marleen (Hanna Schygulla in Lili Marleen)

BEST QUOTE: "The only thing we don't have a god for is premature ****. But I hear that's coming quickly." (History of the World: Part I)


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The Boston Society of Film Critics Awards for 1981 were…

 

Best Actor

Burt Lancaster, Atlantic City (80)

 

Best Actress

Marilla Pera, Pixote

 

Best Supporting Actor

Jack Nicholson, Reds

 

Best Supporting Actress

Mona Washbourne, Stevie (78)

 

——————————————————————————————

 

The National Board of Review Awards for 1981 were…

 

Best Actor

Henry Fonda, On Golden Pond

 

Best Actress

Glenda Jackson, Stevie (78)

 

Best Supporting Actor

Jack Nicholson, Reds

 

Best Supporting Actress

Mona Washbourne, Stevie (78)

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The National Society of Film Critics Awards for 1981 were …

 

Best Actor

Burt Lancaster, Atlantic City, USA*

Gene Hackman, All Night Long

Henry Fonda, On Golden Pond

 

Best Actress

Marilla Pera, Pixote*

Faye Dunaway, Mommie Dearest

Diane Keaton, Reds

 

Best Supporting Actors

Robert Preston, S.O.B.*

Jerry Orbach, Prince of the City

Jack Nicholson, Reds

 

Best Supporting Actresses

Maureen Stapleton, Reds*

Mona Washbourne, Stevie (78)

Lisa Eichhorn, Cutter’s Way

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1980

 

BEST PICTURE

 

Airplane!

The Blue Lagoon

The Blues Brothers

Caddyshack

Coal Miner's Daughter

Friday the 13th

Little Darlings

The Shining

Star Wars V: The Empire Strikes Back

Xanadu (I don't care, this is my favorite 1980 film!) 

9 to 5

 

BEST ACTOR

 

Leslie Nielsen, Airplane!

John Belushi, The Blues Brothers

Dan Aykroyd, The Blues Brothers

Chevy Chase, Caddyshack

Rodney Dangerfield, Caddyshack

Tommy Lee Jones, Coal Miner's Daughter

Jack Nicholson, The Shining

Mark Hamill, Star Wars V: The Empire Strikes Back

James Earl Jones' Voice, Star Wars V: The Empire Strikes Back

Harrison Ford, Star Wars V: The Empire Strikes Back

 

BEST ACTRESS

 

Brooke Shields, The Blue Lagoon

Sissy Spacek, Coal Miner's Daughter 

Adrienne King, Friday the 13th 

Kristy McNichol, Little Darlings

Tatum O'Neal, Little Darlings

Shelley Duvall, The Shining

Carrie Fisher, Star Wars V: The Empire Strikes Back

Olivia Newton-John, Xanadu

Jane Fonda, 9 to 5

Lily Tomlin, 9 to 5

 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

 

Ted Knight, Caddyshack

Bill Murray, Caddyshack

Kevin Bacon, Friday the 13th

Matt Dillon, Little Darlings

Billy Dee Williams, Star Wars V: The Empire Strikes Back

Gene Kelly, Xanadu

 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

 

Beverly D'Angelo, Coal Miner's Daughter

Betsy Palmer, Friday the 13th

The Creepy Twin Girls, The Shining

Dolly Parton, 9 to 5

 

BEST ROLLER DISCO SCENE

 

Gene Kelly on roller skates at the opening of the Xanadu club, Xanadu

 

BEST ON LOCATION SCENERY

 

Timberline Lodge on Mt. Hood outside of Portland, OR in The Shining. 

 

BEST MUSIC

 

The soundtrack to Xanadu.  Though I also really liked Loretta Lynn and Patsy Cline's music from Coal Miner's Daughter.  I also love 9 to 5 by Dolly Parton.

 

BEST QUOTES:

 

"RedRum! RedRum!" Danny in The Shining

 

"Surely you can't be serious....I am serious and don't call me Shirley." Airplane!

 

"Luke.  I am your father." Star Wars V: The Empire Strikes Back

 

"It's a trap!" Star Wars V: The Empire Strikes Back

 

BEST UNINTENTIONALLY FUNNY SCENE

 

All the deaths in Friday the 13th.  Kevin Bacon is killed in bed after an arrow (shot from underneath the bed) impales him. 

 

BEST CLARINET SCENE

 

Gene Kelly playing clarinet in Xanadu

 

BEST GOLF MOVIE

 

Caddyshack.  Bill Murray's crazy groundskeeper is what makes it. 

 

BEST TEEN MOVIE

 

I was hard to decide between The Blue Lagoon and Little Darlings.  I'll have to go with Little Darlings--even though it wasn't as scandalous as I had hoped.

 

BEST CAMEO

 

Barbara Billingsley as the "Jive Lady" in Airplane!

 

1980 FILMS I MOST WANT TO SEE:

 

Ordinary People.  RIP MTM.  I wanted to see this film prior to MTM's passing, but I especially want to see it now.

 

The Elephant Man

 

Foxes

 

The Jazz Singer

 

The Mirror Crack'd

 

Popeye

 

Urban Cowboy

 

SPEEDRACER'S TAKEAWAY FROM "XANADU"

 

How can this movie be considered one of the worst movies ever made? It's got everything you could want in a film: great music, neon, roller disco, Gene Kelly rollerskating, Gene Kelly playing clarinet, flashback fantasy scenes, Greek Gods...this movie has everything! 

 

---

 

1981

 

BEST PICTURE

 

The Fox and the Hound

Mommie Dearest

On Golden Pond

Raiders of the Lost Ark

 

BEST ACTOR

 

Henry Fonda, On Golden Pond

Steve Martin, Pennies From Heaven

Harrison Ford, Raiders of the Lost Ark

 

BEST ACTRESS

 

Faye Dunaway, Mommie Dearest

Katharine Hepburn, On Golden Pond

Bernadette Peters, Pennies From Heaven

Karen Allen, Raiders of the Lost Ark

 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

 

Christopher Walken, Pennies From Heaven

 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

 

Jane Fonda, On Golden Pond

 

I apparently haven't seen enough from 1981 to make a very long list.

 

MOST OVER THE TOP PERFORMANCE THAT I LOVE

 

Faye Dunaway's portrayal of Joan Crawford in Mommie Dearest.  She was so campy, it was amazing.

 

MOST DISAPPOINTING FILM

 

Pennies From Heaven.  I liked the individual performances, but for a film that sounded so promising and checked off all the boxes in things that I like in movies... and this movie just didn't work for me.  I think it would have been better if the actors were just singing the old songs with fresh 1980s recordings and not lip syncing to the tinny sounding music tracks from the 30s.  It was very jarring and off putting.

 

MOVIE THAT IS FEATURED IN MY FAVORITE TCM INTRO

 

The scene of Bernadette Peters and Steve Martin in Pennies From Heaven is featured at the end of the "Late Night" introduction that TCM uses for their late movies.  I love the music and the grittiness of the scene.

 

MOST HEARTWARMING FILM

 

On Golden Pond.  I just love Katharine Hepburn. 

 

BEST MUSIC

 

The Indiana Jones theme from Raiders From the Lost Ark

 

MOST BIZARRE MUSICAL NUMBER

 

Christopher Walken's number in Pennies From Heaven

 

GREATEST QUOTE

 

"No wire hangers...ever!" Mommie Dearest

 

FILMS FROM 1981 THAT I WANT TO SEE

 

Absence of Malice

 

An American Werewolf in London

 

Body Heat, it's described on Wikipedia as a "neo-noir erotic thriller." Sounds like something I need to watch

 

The Fan.  I like Lauren Bacall.

 

Ghost Story.  The cast of Fred Astaire, Melvyn Douglas and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. sounds interesting. 

 

The Postman Always Rings Twice.  I heard that this remake is a lot racier than the 1946 original.

 

Ragtime.  James Cagney's last film.

 

Reds.  I always like journalism movies.

 

Stripes.  I haven't seen this Bill Murray comedy.

 

SPEEDRACER'S TAKEAWAY FROM "MOMMIE DEAREST"  

 

I don't blame Joan Crawford for her behavior.  Christina Crawford sucked! 

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The BAFTA winners for 1981 were ….

 

Best Actor

Burt Lancaster, Atlantic City (80)

Jeremy Irons, The French Lieutenant’s Woman

Bob Hoskins, The Long Good Friday (80)

Robert De Niro, Raging Bull (80)

 

Best Actress

Meryl Streep, The French Lieutenant’s Woman

Sissy Spacek, Coal Miner’s Daughter (80)

Mary Tyler Moore, Ordinary People (80)

Maggie Smith, Quartet

 

Best Supporting Artist

Ian Holm, Chariots of Fire

John Gielgud, Arthur

Nigel Havers, Chariots of Fire

Denholm Elliott, Raiders of the Lost Ark

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Best Supporting Actor of 1981

 

7.  JAMES CAGNEY (New York Police Commissioner, Rheinlander Waldo), Ragtime

 

18957522.jpg

Somehow, James Cagney was convinced to come out of retirement to appear in Ragtime (1981).  He made the most of this small part and elevated it above stunt-casting.   Here he is below with co-star and friend, Pat O'Brien.

edmund-obrien-james-cagney-ragtime-1981-

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Best Actor of 1981

 

3.  ALBERTO SORDI (Marquis Onofrio Del Grillo/Gasperino, the coal man), The Marquis of Grillo

 

marchese-del-grillo.jpg

I believe I've read somewhere that Alberto Sordi is Robert De Niro's favourite actor.  I saw his Italian comedy The Marquis of Grillo about a year ago and now I am eager to see even more Sordi.  The Marquis is complete on youtube with English subtitles at the moment so hurry if you would like to see it too.

Sordi, plays two characters: the Marquis who enjoys elaborate practical jokes and Gasperino, the alcoholic hen pecked coal man.  When the Marquis discovers he has an exact doppelgänger he kidnaps him when he is in a drunken stupor and deposits him in his own luxurious bed and disappears.  Gasperino is awakened by the servants and family who think the Marquis is just becoming a little more eccentric and rude.  Gasperino thinks he is living a dream.  Sordi is terrific as both characters.

Part of acting well for film is technique.  I saw Michael Caine do a demonstration of how to make the most of acting for the camera.  Audio is another part of the craft too.  Like many Italian films, the Marquis of Grillo is totally post-sync.  All of its production dialogue has been binned and the actors have replaced it all in the a post-sync recording studio.  Italian films once had a bad reputation for their sync dialogue.  That is mainly because the actors originally spoke in Italian and the film was subsequently dubbed in English.  The Marquis is Italian all the way and it is probably the finest example of an actor doing post-sync that I have ever come across.  And you must keep in mind that the Italians rarely cut the post sync as it is done in English language films.  So it is either performed in sync or it isn't.  In The Marquis Sordi plays a character who is a motor-mouth and the film is often wall to wall rapid fire dialogue.  It is an amazing technical acting achievement.  North American actors are notoriously loathe to do post-sync.  "I could never recreate that breath or that 'yes' again like I did on location!"  They should watch The Marquis of Grillo and see a real professional at work.

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Here are Danny Peary’s Alternate Oscar choices for 1981.  Winners in bold.  

 

Best Actor

John Heard, Cutter’s Way*

Warren Beatty, Reds

Albert Brooks, Modern Romance

Henry Fonda, On Golden pond

Harrison Ford, Raiders of the Lost Ark

Burt Lancaster, Atlantic City (80)

Steve Martin, Pennies From Heaven

Donald Sutherland, Eye of the Needle

Treat Williams, Prince of the City

 

Best Actress

Sissy Spacek, Raggedy Man*

Diane Keaton, Reds

Margot Kidder, Heartaches

Susan Sarandon, Atlantic City (80)

Meryl Streep, The French Lieutenant’s Woman

 

 

And here are Michael Gerbert’s Golden Armchair choices for 1981:

 

Best Actor

Burt Lancaster, Atlantic City* (80)

 

Best Actress

Karen Allen, Raiders of the Lost Ark*

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The Golden Globe Awards for 1981 were …

 

Best Actor in a Drama

Henry Fonda, On Golden Pond*

Warren Beatty, Reds

Timothy Hutton, Taps

Burt Lancaster, Atlantic City (80)

Treat Williams, Prince of the City

 

Best Actress in a Drama

Meryl Streep, The French Lieutenant’s Woman* 

Sally Field, Absence of Malice

Katharine Hepburn, On Golden Pond

Diane Keaton, Reds

Sissy Spacek, Raggedy Man

 

Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical

Dudley Moore, Arthur*

Alan Alda, The Four Seasons

George Hamilton, Zorro: The Gay Blade

Steve Martin, Pennies From Heaven

Walter Matthau, First Monday In October

 

Best Actresses in a Comedy or Musical

Bernadette Peters, Pennies From Heaven*

Blair Brown, Continental Divide

Carol Burnett, The Four Seasons

Jill Clayburgh, First Monday In October

Liza Minnelli, Arthur

 

Best Supporting Actor

John Gielgud, Arthur*

James Coco, Only When I Laugh

Jack Nicholson, Reds

Howard E. Rollins, Jr., Ragtime

Orson Welles, Butterfly

 

Best Supporting Actress

Joan Hackett, Only When I Laugh*

Jane Fonda, On Golden Pond

Kristy McNichol, Only When I Laugh

Maureen Stapleton, Reds

Mary Steenburgen, Ragtime

 

and I thought this year I would mention this…

New Star of the Year

Pia Zadora, Butterfly*

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The 1981 Berlin International Film Festival winners were…

 

Best Actors

Jack Lemmon, Tribute* (80)

Anatolly Solonitsyn, Twenty Six Days From the Life of Dostoyevsky*

 

Best Actress

Barbara Grabowska, Fever/Goraczka*

 

——————————————————————————————

 

The 1981 Cannes Film Festival winners were…

 

Best Actor

Ugo Tognazzi, Tragedy of a Ridiculous Man

 

Best Actress

Isabelle Adjani, Quartet and Possession

 

Best Supporting Actor

Ian Holm, Chariots of Fire

 

Best Supporting Actress

Elena Solovey, Fact/Faktas

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The 1981 Venice Film Festival winners were:

 

Best Actor

Robert Duvall, True Confessions*

 

Best Actresses

Lil Tersulius, The Witch Hunt*

Jutta Lampa and Barbara Sukowa, Marianne and Juliane

 

—————————————————————————————————

 

The 1981 Moscow International Film Festival winners were …

 

Best Actors

Karl Merkatz, Der Bockerer*

Tito Junco, Guardafronteras*

Roman Wilhelmi, The Moth* (80)

 

Best Actresses

Mercedes Sampletro, Gary Cooper, Who Art In Heaven* (80)

Maya-Gozel Almedova, Derevo Dzhamal*

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Here are some performances from 1981 that will be recognized in subsequent years …

 

Henry Fonda will be nominated for the BAFTA Best Actor Award in 1982 for On Golden Pond (1981).

 

Warren Beatty will be nominated for the BAFTA Best Actor Award in 1982 for Reds (1981).

 

Katharine Hepburn will win the BAFTA Best Actress Award in 1982 for On Golden Pond (1981).

 

Jennifer Kendall will be nominated for the BAFTA Best Actress Award in 1982 for 36 Chowinghee Lane (1981).

 

Diane Keaton will be nominated for the BAFTA Best Actress Award in 1982 for Reds (1981).

 

Jack Nicholson will win the BAFTA Best Supporting Actor Award in 1982 for Reds (1981).

 

Jane Fonda will be nominated for the BAFTA Best Supporting Actress Award in 1982 for On Golden Pond (1981).

 

Michel Piccoli will win the Berlin Film Festival Best Actor Award in 1982 for Strange Affair (1981).

 

Katrin Sab will win the Berlin Film Festival Best Actress Award in 1982 for Burgschaft Fur ein Jahr (1981).

 

Judy Davis will win the Best Actress Award at the Moscow International Film Festival in 1983 for Winter of Our Dreams (1981).

 

Philippe Noiret will win Italy’s Nastro d’Argento Best Foreign Actor Award in 85/86 for Coup de Torchon (1981).

 

Gunn Wallgren won Sweden’s Guldbagge Best Actress Award in 1980 for Sally and Freedom (1981).

 

Donald Sutherland will win the Canadian Genie Best Actor Award in 1982 for Threshold (1981).

 

Rae Dawn Chong will win the Canadian Genie Best Actress Award in 1982 for Quest For Fire (1981).

 

Jill Perryman won the Australian Film Institute Best Supporting Actress Award in 1980 for …Maybe This Time (1981).

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France’s Cesar Awards for 1981 were …

 

Best Actor

Michel Serrault, Garde a Vue 

 

Best Actress

Isabelle Adjani, Possession

 

Best Supporting Actor

Guy Marchand, Garde a Vue

 

Best Supporting Actress

Nathalie Baye, Strange Affair

 

—————————————————————————————

 

The 80/81 Sweden’s Guldbagge Awards for 1981 included…

 

Best Actress

Gunn Wallgren, Sally and Fredom (81)

 

Sweden’s Guldbagge 81/82 Awards for 1981 were…

 

Best Actor

Stellan Skarsgard, The Simple Minded Murderer (82)

 

Best Actress

Sunniva Lindekeiv, Lise Fieldstad, and Ronnaug Alten, Little Ida

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