List of American films of 1981

A list of American films released in 1981.
The Academy Award winner of Best Picture of 1981 was Chariots of Fire.
The highest grossing film of 1981 was Raiders of the Lost Ark.
__TOC__
==A-C==
Title 	Director 	Cast 	Genre 	Note
Absence of Malice 	Sydney Pollack 	Paul Newman, Sally Field, Bob Balaban, Wilford Brimley 	Drama 	3 Oscar nominations
All Night Long 	Jean-Claude Tramont	Gene Hackman, Barbra Streisand, Dennis Quaid 	Comedy 	
...All the Marbles 	Robert Aldrich 	Peter Falk 	Comedy, Drama 	Aldrich's final film
American Pop 	Ralph Bakshi 	Lisa Jane Persky, Ron Thompson 	Drama, Animated	
An American Werewolf in London 	John Landis 	David Naughton, Griffin Dunne 	Horror, Comedy 	won Saturn Award
Amy 	Vincent McEveety 	Jenny Agutter, Barry Newman 	Family 	
Arthur 	Steve Gordon 	Dudley Moore, Liza Minnelli, John Gielgud 	Romantic comedy	Oscar for Gielgud
Back Roads 	Martin Ritt 	Sally Field, Tommy Lee Jones 	Romantic comedy	
Blow Out 	Brian De Palma 	John Travolta, Nancy Allen, John Lithgow 	Thriller 	
Body Heat 	Lawrence Kasdan 	William Hurt, Kathleen Turner, Richard Crenna, Ted Danson, J.A. Preston, Mickey Rourke 	Suspense 	first film for Kasdan, Turner
Body and Soul 	George Bowers 	Leon Isaac Kennedy, Jayne Kennedy, Michael V. Gazzo 	Sports drama 	
Buddy Buddy 	Billy Wilder 	Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau, Paula Prentiss, Klaus Kinski 	Comedy 	Wilder's final film
The Burning 	Tony Maylam 	Brian Matthews, Holly Hunter, Jason Alexander 	Horror 	
Bustin' Loose 	Oz Scott 	Richard Pryor, Cicely Tyson 	Comedy 	
The Cannonball Run 	Hal Needham 	Burt Reynolds, Dom DeLuise, Farrah Fawcett, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., Roger Moore, Jackie Chan	Comedy, Action 	20th Century Fox; followed by Cannonball Run II
Carbon Copy 	Michael Schultz 	George Segal, Susan Saint James, Denzel Washington 	Comedy 	Washington's debut
Cattle Annie and Little Britches 	Lamont Johnson 	Burt Lancaster, Amanda Plummer, Diane Lane 	Drama 	
Caveman 	Carl Gottlieb 	Ringo Starr, Dennis Quaid, Shelley Long 	Comedy 	United Artists
Charlie Chan and the Curse of the Dragon Queen	Clive Donner 	Peter Ustinov, Angie Dickinson 	Mystery 	
The Chosen 	Jeremy Kagan 	Maximilian Schell, Rod Steiger, Robby Benson 	Drama 	
Chu Chu and the Philly Flash 	David Lowell Rich 	Alan Arkin, Carol Burnett, Jack Warden 	Comedy 	
Clash of the Titans 	Desmond Davis 	Laurence Olivier, Harry Hamlin, Maggie Smith, Ursula Andress, Judi Bowker, Claire Bloom 	Fantasy 	remade in 2010
Condorman 	Charles Jarrott 	Michael Crawford, Oliver Reed, Barbara Carrera 	Adventure 	
Continental Divide 	Michael Apted 	John Belushi, Blair Brown 	Romantic comedy	Belushi's next-to-last film
Cutter's Way 	Ivan Passer 	Jeff Bridges, John Heard, Lisa Eichhorn 	Mystery, Drama 	aka Cutter and Bone
==D-G==
Title 	Director 	Cast 	Genre 	Note
Dead & Buried 	Gary Sherman 	Melody Anderson, Jack Albertson 	Horror 	
Deadly Blessing 	Wes Craven 	Maren Jensen, Sharon Stone, Susan Buckner 	Horror 	
Death of a Centerfold: The Dorothy Stratten Story	Gabrielle Beaumont 	Jamie Lee Curtis, Bruce Weitz, Robert Reed 	Biography 	Made for TV
Death Hunt 	Peter R. Hunt 	Charles Bronson, Lee Marvin, Angie Dickinson 	Adventure 	
The Decline of Western Civilization 	Penelope Spheeris 	Black Flag, Circle Jerks, X 	Documentary 	
The Devil and Max Devlin 	Steven Hilliard Stern	Elliott Gould, Bill Cosby, Susan Anspach 	Comedy 	
Dragonslayer 	Matthew Robbins 	Peter MacNicol, Ralph Richardson 	Fantasy, Adventure	
Endless Love 	Franco Zeffirelli 	Brooke Shields, Martin Hewitt, Don Murray, Shirley Knight, Richard Kiley, Beatrice Straight, Penelope Milford	Drama 	From Scott Spencer novel; 6 Razzie nominations; remade in 2014
Escape from New York 	John Carpenter 	Kurt Russell, Lee Van Cleef, Isaac Hayes 	Action, Thriller 	Followed by Escape from L.A.
Escape to Victory 	John Huston 	Sylvester Stallone, Michael Caine, Max von Sydow 	P.O.W. 	aka Victory
The Evil Dead 	Sam Raimi 	Bruce Campbell, Ellen Sandweiss 	Horror 	Followed by 2 sequels
An Eye for an Eye 	Steve Carver 	Chuck Norris, Christopher Reeve, Richard Roundtree 	Action 	
Eye of the Needle 	Richard Marquand 	Donald Sutherland, Kate Nelligan, Christopher Cazenove 	Spy film 	From Ken Follett novel
Eyewitness 	Peter Yates 	William Hurt, Sigourney Weaver, James Woods 	Mystery, Thriller 	Written by Steve Tesich
The Fan 	Edward Bianchi 	Lauren Bacall, James Garner, Maureen Stapleton 	Thriller 	
The Final Conflict 	Graham Baker 	Sam Neill, Rossano Brazzi, Don Gordon 	Horror 	Second sequel to The Omen
First Monday in October 	Ronald Neame 	Walter Matthau, Jill Clayburgh, Barnard Hughes 	Drama 	Based on Broadway play
Fort Apache, the Bronx 	Daniel Petrie 	Paul Newman, Edward Asner, Ken Wahl, Pam Grier 	Crime drama 	
Four Friends 	Arthur Penn 	Craig Wasson, Jodi Thelen 	Drama 	Written by Steve Tesich
The Four Seasons 	Alan Alda 	Alan Alda, Carol Burnett, Rita Moreno 	Comedy, Drama 	Alda's directorial debut
The Fox and the Hound 	Richard Rich 	voices of Pearl Bailey, Mickey Rooney 	Animated film 	Walt Disney
Friday the 13th Part 2 	Steve Miner 	Adrienne King, Amy Steel 	Horror 	Sequel to Friday the 13th
Full Moon High 	Larry Cohen 	Adam Arkin, Ed McMahon 	Comedy horror 	
The Funhouse 	Tobe Hooper 	Elizabeth Berridge, Jack McDermott 	Horror 	
Galaxy of Terror 	Bruce D. Clark 	Edward Albert, Erin Moran, Ray Walston 	Science fiction 	
Gangster Wars 	Richard C. Sarafian 	Michael Nouri, Joe Penny, Madeleine Stowe 	Crime 	
Ghost Story 	John Irvin 	Fred Astaire, John Houseman, Melvyn Douglas 	Drama, Horror 	Final film for Astaire and Douglas
Going Ape! 		Jeremy Joe Kronsberg	Tony Danza, Jessica Walter, Danny DeVito 	Comedy 	
Graduation Day 	Herb Freed 	Christopher George, Michael Pataki 	Horror 	
The Great Muppet Caper 	Jim Henson 	Diana Rigg, Charles Grodin 	Comedy, Family 	
==H-M==
Title 	Director 	Cast 	Genre 	Note
Halloween II 	Rick Rosenthal 	Jamie Lee Curtis, Donald Pleasence 	Horror 	Sequel to Halloween
The Hand 	Oliver Stone 	Michael Caine, Andrea Marcovicci 	Horror 	Stone's second film
Hard Country 	David Greene 	Jan-Michael Vincent, Kim Basinger, Michael Parks 	Drama 	
Hardly Working 	Jerry Lewis 	Jerry Lewis, Susan Oliver, Deanna Lund 	Comedy 	
Harry's War 	Kieth Merrill 	Edward Herrmann, Geraldine Page, Karen Grassle, David Ogden Stiers, Salome Jens, Elisha Cook, Jr., Noble Willingham 	Comedy 	
Heartbeeps 	Allan Arkush 	Andy Kaufman, Bernadette Peters, Randy Quaid 	Science fiction Comedy	
Heavy Metal 	Gerald Potterton 	Voices of John Candy, Eugene Levy, Harold Ramis 	Animated 	
Hell Night 	Tom DeSimone 	Linda Blair, Vincent Van Patten, Peter Barton 	Horror 	Blair Razzie nominated
History of the World: Part I 	Mel Brooks 	Mel Brooks, Gregory Hines, Madeline Kahn, Harvey Korman, Cloris Leachman, Pamela Stephenson, Mary-Margaret Humes, Sid Caesar, Dom DeLuise, Orson Welles, Shecky Greene	Comedy 	20th Century Fox
Honky Tonk Freeway 	John Schlesinger 	Beverly D'Angelo, Hume Cronyn, Jessica Tandy, Teri Garr 	Comedy 	
The Howling 	Joe Dante 	Dee Wallace, Patrick Macnee, Christopher Stone, Belinda Balaski 	Horror 	from Gary Brandner novel
The Incredible Shrinking Woman 	Joel Schumacher 	Lily Tomlin, Charles Grodin, Ned Beatty, Henry Gibson, John Glover 	Comedy 	spoof of 1957 film The Incredible Shrinking Man
Knightriders 	George A. Romero 	Ed Harris 	Drama, Action 	
Ladies and Gentlemen, the Fabulous Stains	Lou Adler 	Diane Lane, Laura Dern, Ray Winstone 	Comedy 	
The Last Chase 	Martyn Burke 	Lee Majors, Burgess Meredith 	Science fiction 	
The Legend of the Lone Ranger 	William A. Fraker	Klinton Spilsbury, Michael Horse, Christopher Lloyd, Jason Robards 	Western 	won 3 Razzie awards
Lion of the Desert 	Moustapha Akkad 	Anthony Quinn, Rod Steiger, John Gielgud 	Biography, War 	story of Omar Mukhtar
Looker 	Michael Crichton 	Albert Finney, James Coburn, Susan Dey 	Science fiction 	
The Looney Looney Looney Bugs Bunny Movie	Friz Freleng 	Mel Blanc, June Foray 	Animation 	Compilation
The Man Who Saw Tomorrow 	Robert Guenette 	Orson Welles 	Documentary 	about Nostradamus
Modern Problems 	Ken Shapiro 	Chevy Chase, Dabney Coleman, Nell Carter 	Comedy 	20th Century Fox
Modern Romance 	Albert Brooks 	Albert Brooks, Kathryn Harrold, Bruno Kirby 	Comedy 	Columbia
Mommie Dearest 	Frank Perry 	Faye Dunaway, Diana Scarwid, Mara Hobel, Steve Forrest 	Biography 	Story of Joan Crawford; won 5 Razzie awards
Ms. 45 	Abel Ferrara 	Zoe Tamerlis Lund, Abel Ferrara 	Action 	
My Dinner with Andre 	Louis Malle 	Andre Gregory, Wallace Shawn 	Documentary 	a two-man conversation
==N-S==
Title 	Director 	Cast 	Genre 	Note
Neighbors 	John G. Avildsen 	John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Cathy Moriarty 	Comedy 	From Thomas Berger novel
The Nesting 	Armand Weston 	Robin Groves, Christopher Loomis, John Carradine 	Horror 	
Nice Dreams 	Tommy Chong 	Cheech Marin, Tommy Chong 	Comedy 	
The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia	Ronald F. Maxwell 	Kristy McNichol, Dennis Quaid, Mark Hamill 	Musical 	based on the song by Vicki Lawrence
Nighthawks 	Bruce Malmuth 	Sylvester Stallone, Rutger Hauer, Billy Dee Williams 	Crime drama 	Hauer's first U.S. film
Nobody's Perfekt 	Peter Bonerz 	Gabe Kaplan, Alex Karras, Susan Clark 	Comedy 	
On Golden Pond 	Mark Rydell 	Henry Fonda, Katharine Hepburn, Jane Fonda, Dabney Coleman 	Drama 	10 Oscar nominations
On the Right Track 	Lee Philips 	Gary Coleman, Michael Lembeck, Lisa Eilbacher 	Comedy 	
Only When I Laugh 	Glenn Jordan 	Marsha Mason, Joan Hackett, James Coco 	Drama 	Based on Neil Simon play
Paternity 	David Steinberg 	Burt Reynolds, Beverly D'Angelo, Elizabeth Ashley 	Comedy 	
Pennies from Heaven 	Herbert Ross 	Steve Martin, Bernadette Peters, Jessica Harper 	Musical, Drama 	Remake of 1978 BBC film
Piranha II: The Spawning 	James Cameron 	Tricia O'Neil, Lance Henriksen 	Horror 	sequel
Polyester 	John Waters 	Divine, Tab Hunter 	Comedy 	
The Postman Always Rings Twice 	Bob Rafelson 	Jack Nicholson, Jessica Lange, John Colicos, Michael Lerner, John P. Ryan, Anjelica Huston 	Crime drama 	based on James M. Cain novel, remake of 1946 film
Prince of the City 	Sidney Lumet 	Treat Williams, Jerry Orbach, Lindsay Crouse, Bob Balaban, James Tolkan, Lane Smith, Lance Henriksen, Carmine Caridi 	Crime drama 	Based on Robert Daley book; 3 Golden Globe nominations
Private Lessons 	Alan Myerson 	Sylvia Kristel, Howard Hesseman, Ed Begley, Jr. 	Comedy 	
The Prowler 	Joseph Zito 	Vicky Dawson, Christopher Goutman 	Horror 	
The Pursuit of D. B. Cooper 	Roger Spottiswoode 	Treat Williams, Robert Duvall, Kathryn Harrold 	True crime 	
Raggedy Man 	Jack Fisk 	Sissy Spacek, Eric Roberts, Sam Shepard 	Drama 	
Ragtime 	Miloš Forman 	Elizabeth McGovern, Howard Rollins, James Cagney, Pat O'Brien, Kenneth McMillan, Mary Steenburgen, James Olson, Mandy Patinkin, Brad Dourif, Moses Gunn, Robert Joy, Norman Mailer	Drama 	Based on E.L. Doctorow novel; 8 Oscar nominations
Raiders of the Lost Ark 	Steven Spielberg 	Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Denholm Elliott, Paul Freeman, John Rhys-Davies, Ronald Lacey, Alfred Molina 	Adventure 	First Indiana Jones adventure; 8 Oscar nominations
Reds 	Warren Beatty 	Warren Beatty, Diane Keaton, Gene Hackman, Maureen Stapleton, Jerzy Kosinski, Edward Herrmann, Paul Sorvino, Jack Nicholson 	Epic, Biography	based on the life of John Reed; 12 Oscar nominations
Rich and Famous 	George Cukor 	Jacqueline Bisset, Candice Bergen, Hart Bochner 	Drama 	
Rollover 	Alan J. Pakula 	Jane Fonda, Kris Kristofferson, Hume Cronyn 	Thriller 	
Ruckus 	Max Kleven 	Dirk Benedict, Linda Blair, Richard Farnsworth 	Action comedy 	
S.O.B. 	Blake Edwards 	Julie Andrews, William Holden, Richard Mulligan, Robert Preston, Robert Webber, Robert Vaughn, Craig Stevens, Loretta Swit 	Comedy 	nominated for 2 Razzie awards; Holden's final film
The Salamander 	Peter Zinner 	Franco Nero, Anthony Quinn, Sybil Danning 	Thriller 	
Saturday the 14th 	Howard R. Cohen 	Richard Benjamin, Paula Prentiss, Severn Darden 	Comedy horror 	
Sharky's Machine 	Burt Reynolds 	Burt Reynolds, Rachel Ward, Vittorio Gassman, Henry Silva, Charles Durning, Richard Libertini, Earl Holliman, Bernie Casey, Brian Keith 	Crime drama 	Based on William Diehl novel
Shock Treatment 	Jim Sharman 	Cliff DeYoung, Jessica Harper 	Musical 	
Southern Comfort 	Walter Hill 	Powers Boothe, Keith Carradine, Fred Ward, Peter Coyote, Franklyn Seales, Alan Autry, T.K. Carter, Brion James 	Thriller 	20th Century Fox
Sphinx 	Franklin J. Schaffner	Frank Langella, Lesley-Anne Down, John Gielgud 	Adventure 	
Stripes 	Ivan Reitman 	Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, Warren Oates, John Candy, Sean Young, P.J. Soles, Judge Reinhold, John Diehl, John Larroquette 	Comedy 	Columbia Pictures
Student Bodies 	Mickey Rose 	Kristen Riter, Matt Goldsby, Cullen Chambers 	Comedy 	
==T-Z==
Title 	Director 	Cast 	Genre 	Note
Take This Job and Shove It	Gus Trikonis 	Robert Hays, Art Carney, Barbara Hershey 	Comedy 	
Taps 	Harold Becker 	George C. Scott, Timothy Hutton, Sean Penn, Tom Cruise 	Drama 	Penn's first film
Tarzan, the Ape Man 	John Derek 	Bo Derek, Richard Harris, John Phillip Law, Miles O'Keeffe 	Adventure 	Razzie for Bo Derek
Tattoo 	Bob Brooks 	Bruce Dern, Maud Adams, Leonard Frey 	Thriller 	Brooks's only film; final production by Joseph E. Levine; Razzie nomination for Dern
They All Laughed 	Peter Bogdanovich 	Audrey Hepburn, Ben Gazzara, Patti Hansen, Dorothy Stratten, John Ritter 	Romantic comedy	
Thief 	Michael Mann 	James Caan, Tuesday Weld, James Belushi, Robert Prosky, Willie Nelson 	Crime drama 	Mann's first film
This Is Elvis 	Malcolm Leo 	Elvis Presley 	Documentary 	
True Confessions 	Ulu Grosbard 	Robert De Niro, Robert Duvall, Charles Durning, Kenneth McMillan, Cyril Cusack, Burgess Meredith	Crime drama 	from John Gregory Dunne novel
Tuck Everlasting 	Frederick King Keller	Margaret Chamberlain, Paul Fleesa 	Fantasy 	
Under the Rainbow 	Steve Rash 	Chevy Chase, Carrie Fisher, Eve Arden 	Comedy 	based on The Wizard of Oz
Vernon, Florida 	Errol Morris 	Snake Reynolds 	Documentary 	
Whose Life Is It Anyway? 	John Badham 	Richard Dreyfuss, John Cassavetes, Christine Lahti 	Drama 	based on 1972 teleplay
Wolfen 	Michael Wadleigh 	Albert Finney, Gregory Hines 	Horror 	
Zoot Suit 	Luis Valdez 	Edward James Olmos, Daniel Valdez, Tyne Daly 	Drama 	
Zorro, the Gay Blade 	Peter Medak 	George Hamilton, Lauren Hutton 	Comedy 	spoof of Zorro
==External links==
* American films of 1981 at the Internet Movie Database
1981
Films
American