# List of British films of 1981

A list of films produced in the United Kingdom in 1981 (see 1981 in film):

## 1981

| Title | Director | Cast | Genre | Notes |
| 1981 |||||||
| An American Werewolf in London | John Landis | Jenny Agutter, Griffin Dunne | Comedy/horror | |
| The Appointment | Lindsey C. Vickers | Edward Woodward, Jane Merrow | Horror | |
| Burning an Illusion | Menelik Shabazz | Cassie McFarlane, Victor Romero | Drama | |
| Bushido Blade | Shusei Kotani | Richard Boone, Toshirō Mifune, Sonny Chiba | Historical drama | |
| Carbon Copy | Michael Schultz | Denzel Washington, George Segal | Comedy | Co-production with the US |
| Chanel Solitaire | George Kaczender | Marie-France Pisier, Timothy Dalton, Rutger Hauer | Biopic | |
| Chariots of Fire | Hugh Hudson | Ben Cross, Ian Charleson, Nigel Havers | Biopic | Winner of four Academy Awards including Best Picture |
| Clash of the Titans | Desmond Davis | Laurence Olivier, Harry Hamlin, Judi Bowker | Fantasy | |
| Concert for Kampuchea | Keith McMillan | Wings, The Clash | Musical documentary | |
| Condorman | Charles Jarrott | Michael Crawford, Oliver Reed, Barbara Carrera | Action/adventure/comedy | |
| Dance Craze | Joe Massot | The Specials, The Beat, Bad Manners | Musical documentary | |
| Emmanuelle in Soho | David Hughes | Angie Quick, Julie Lee and John M. East | Sex comedy | |
| Excalibur | John Boorman | Nigel Terry, Helen Mirren, Nicol Williamson, Nicholas Clay, Cherie Lunghi, Paul Geoffrey, Robert Addie, Gabriel Byrne, Liam Neeson, Patrick Stewart | Epic medieval fantasy | |
| Eye of the Needle | Richard Marquand | Donald Sutherland, Kate Nelligan | World War II | |
| For Your Eyes Only | John Glen | Roger Moore, Julian Glover, Carole Bouquet | Spy/action | |
| The French Lieutenant's Woman | Karel Reisz | Meryl Streep, Jeremy Irons, Hilton McRae | Drama | |
| The Good Soldier | Kevin Billington | Robin Ellis, Vickery Turner, Jeremy Brett, Susan Fleetwood | Drama | |
| The Great Muppet Caper | Jim Henson | Jim Henson, Frank Oz | Comedy | |
| Gregory's Girl | Bill Forsyth | John Gordon Sinclair, Dee Hepburn, Clare Grogan | Comedy | |
| Green Ice | Ernest Day | Ryan O'Neal, Anne Archer, Omar Sharif | Adventure | |
| Inseminoid | Norman J. Warren | Robin Clarke, Jennifer Ashley | Sci-fi | |
| Lady Chatterley's Lover | Just Jaeckin | Sylvia Kristel, Nicholas Clay | Drama Romance |
| The Legend of the Lone Ranger | William A. Fraker | Klinton Spilsbury, Michael Horse | Western | Co-production with the US |
| Looks and Smiles | Ken Loach | Graham Green, Carolyn Nicholson | Drama | Entered into the 1981 Cannes Film Festival |
| Loophole | John Quested | Albert Finney, Martin Sheen | Thriller | |
| Memoirs of a Survivor | David Gladwell | Julie Christie, Christopher Guard | Sci-fi | Screened at the 1981 Cannes Film Festival |
| The Monster Club | Roy Ward Baker | Vincent Price, David Carradine, Donald Pleasence, Stuart Whitman | Comedy horror | |
| Omen III: The Final Conflict | Graham Baker | Sam Neill, Lisa Harrow, Rossano Brazzi | Horror | |
| Outland | Peter Hyams | Sean Connery, Peter Boyle, Frances Sternhagen | Science fiction | |
| Priest of Love | Christopher Miles | Ian McKellen, Janet Suzman, Ava Gardner | Biopic | |
| Quartet | James Ivory | Alan Bates, Isabelle Adjani, Maggie Smith | Period | |
| Riding High | Ross Cramer | Eddie Kidd, Irene Handl | Drama | |
| Time Bandits | Terry Gilliam | John Cleese, Sean Connery, Shelley Duvall | Fantasy | |
| Urgh! A Music War | Derek Burbidge | Various rock groups of the time | Music documentary | |