There were several major events from around the world that could be seen as important context behind the ten essential movies of 1981.
The Berlin Wall marked its twentieth anniversary in a divided Germany, and two West German films would confront their country’s past. The “wedding of the century” between Prince Charles and Lady Diana was declared a national holiday in the United Kingdom, infamously known now to have been doomed from the start. Yet an uglier marriage story would be seen in a horror-drama that starred the late Sam Neill.
There is much more to discover in the following movies that go from claustrophobic submarine battles to a visually stunning retelling of an old legend. They are the feature debuts of directors before they went on to make bigger Hollywood movies. John Travolta and Isabelle Adjani give intense performances as characters who are losing control over their lives.
It’s because of this and more that the following ten entries are the essential movies of 1981.
1. Thief
Release date: March 27, 1981
Frank (James Caan) is a lonely jewel thief eager to start a family, but his new employer won’t let him leave his old life behind in this slick crime drama that is also Michael Mann’s directorial debut.
‘Thief’ (1981)Credit: United Artists
The atmospheric imagery of rainy city streets or sparks flying into the camera from tools during a heist is beautiful, and it gets paired excellently with a synth score by Tangerine Dream. The scenes of breaking into vaults are meticulous, and the gun fights are tense, but Thief is stronger for how it explores Frank, with a tragic, lone wolf performance by Caan. Frank is someone who craves an idealized family home life, but he is unable to attain it as the only life he knows how to live is that of a thief.
2. Excalibur
Release date: April 10, 1981
‘Excalibur’ (1981)Credit: Warner Bros.
The legend of King Arthur and the knights of the Round Table is reimagined by director John Boorman (Point Blank), who brings a stylized medieval world to the dark fantasy Excalibur, with early career roles for Liam Neeson and Patrick Stewart.
Boorman was originally going to adapt The Lord of the Rings, and he co-wrote a script with Rospo Pallenberg, but the film never went further. He moved on to Excalibur for another screenplay collaboration with Pallenberg, and the fantasy world Boorman creates should leave you wondering what his take on The Lord of the Rings could have been. There is a glossy shine off the knight’s armour and the artificial green lighting that makes the landscape or the titular “sword of power” glow. Excalibur is all the more magical for these creative details that leave behind grounded realism.
3. Mephisto
Release date: April 29, 1981
The Hungarian winner of the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, Mephisto charts the career of Hendrik Hoefgen (Klaus Maria Brandauer), who rejects his morals as he embraces the stardom he finds within the Nazi regime.
‘Mephisto’ (1981)Credit: Analysis Film Releasing Corporation
Without ever judging Hendrik, Mephisto and Brandauer’s erratic performance lets his selfishness and insecurities condemn him. Rolf Hoppe is chilling as the General, a high-ranking Nazi who loves theatre and wishes to use Hendrik’s talents to represent Germany. As Hendrik sacrifices anything and anyone for his success, Mephisto becomes a scathing takedown of someone becoming complicit in the Nazi regime, while they claim to be apolitical.
4. Chariots of Fire
Release date: May 15, 1981
Set in the 1920s, this sports drama is based on the true story of two young athletes, Eric Liddell (Ian Charleson), a Scottish man who is a devout Christian, and Harold Abrahams (Ben Cross), an English Jew who is facing antisemitism, both of whom use competitive running to overcome personal battles.
‘Chariots of Fire’ (1981)Credit: 20th Century Fox
The sound in Chariots of Fire that puts you in the headspace of its two protagonists is, by far, what makes it unforgettable. When a worker lifts wooden benches, each slam becomes a bruising noise as Abrahams sits nearby after a loss. Then there is the stirring score by Vangelis that won the Academy Award for Best Original Score, along with additional Academy Award wins for Best Costume Design, Best Writing, and Best Picture.
5. Possession
Release date: May 27, 1981
Part Cold War movie, part marriage drama, and part surreal nightmare, Possession brings you into a couple’s disturbing breakup.
‘Possession’ (1981)Credit: Gaumont Distribution
Mark (Sam Neill) is a spy who has completed a mission and is ready to come home to his family, but his wife Anna (Isabelle Adjani) upends his plans with her announcement that she wants a divorce. Set in West Berlin, everything is awash in gray and brown colors to symbolize the central decaying romance. It doesn’t take long for the domestic conflict of Possession to careen into psychological horror, bizarre comedy, and sudden violence.
6. Raiders of the Lost Ark
Release date: June 12, 1981
‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ (1981)Credit: Paramount Pictures
The archaeologist Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) is in a race against time to locate the Ark of the Covenant before the Nazis weaponize the Biblical power for evil. Raiders of the Lost Ark wasn’t just the creative collaboration between Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, two of the biggest names in Hollywood at the time. The story was by Lucas, but the screenplay was written by Lawrence Kasdan, with exposition dialogue that is as riveting as the set pieces.
The adventure that goes from South America to Egypt is filled with explosions and car chases, but not every moment is bombastic. An underrated scene is when Indiana Jones must place a staff in the correct place so the sun hits it just right. The music by John Williams during this scene summons the ancient mystery behind the Ark as the sunlight gets closer to revealing the location.
7. Blow Out
Release date: July 24, 1981
‘Blow Out’ (1981)Credit: Filmways Pictures
Jack (John Travolta) is a sound technician for cheap slasher movies, who accidentally records the audio of a political assassination. With an assassin tying up loose ends, the only person Jack can trust is Sally (Nancy Allen), a young woman who had been with the slain presidential candidate.
The stylish visuals that director Brian De Palma is known for make Blow Out a paranoid thriller that is a feast for the eyes. One fantastic effect uses the split diopter, where both the foreground and the background of a shot are in focus, ensuring you see the full perspective (and danger) of the environment. Blow Out goes on to have one of Travolta’s best performances, as the guilt-ridden, obsessive Jack, who can’t stop himself from getting deeper into a conspiracy until it leads him to a shocking and haunting finale.
8. Body Heat
Release date: August 28, 1981
A sweltering Floridian heatwave leaves everyone sweaty, horny, and murderous in Lawrence Kasdan’s directorial debut that updates Film Noir for the ‘80s.
‘Body Heat’ (1981)Credit: Warner Bros.
Lawyer Ned Rancine (William Hurt) and unhappy wife Matty (Kathleen Turner) engage in an affair that eventually pushes them into plotting the murder of Matty’s husband. Supporting roles from Ted Danson and Mickey Rourke add an extra injection of corruption into the sordid world of Body Heat. The moodiness of this neo-noir becomes almost suffocating during a lengthy sequence when Ned drives through a thick fog that blankets the town, and any wrong move he makes will bring his downfall.
9. Das Boot
Release date: September 17, 1981
‘Das Boot’ (1981)Credit: Neue Constantin Film
The German-language Das Boot confines you to a U-boat during WWII. Jürgen Prochnow plays the stern captain leading a crew who don’t support the Nazi propaganda, and become cynical about their purpose in the war the longer their mission keeps them out at sea.
For long stretches of time, the crew live in the crammed quarters of the submarine with nothing but the churning ocean outside, where underwater shots are given a sickly, green hue. When they engage in battle, their heroic pride to serve their country deteriorates as the reality of dying at sea becomes a real, horrifying possibility. Nothing is romanticized in this anti-war film directed by Wolfgang Petersen, who went on to make the cult classic fantasy, The NeverEnding Story, and the historical epic, Troy.
10. The Evil Dead
Release date: October 15, 1981
Hacked limbs, demonic possession, and excessive gore make for a very bad vacation when a group of friends heads to an isolated cabin.
‘The Evil Dead’ (1981)Credit: New Line Cinema
This is the splatter film that launched Sam Raimi’s career as a filmmaker, with an absolutely dedicated Scream King performance by Bruce Campbell. Maybe the gallons of blood and goo aren’t for everyone, but The Evil Dead is a prime example of creating a big hit from very little. Its low budget meant there was creative problem-solving, which resulted in a cheap invention that became the Shaky Cam to represent the unseen demonic presence before it nabbed an unlucky human host.
