The1980swere an extremely transformative decade in the history of cinema. After the creative highs of the 1970s under the New Hollywood system, studios began to turn their eyes towards blockbuster titles and began developing more franchise properties. These films began to dominate the box office, bringing in large crowds to the movie theaters on a weekly basis. The focus on blockbusters, however, didn’t mean that Hollywood turned its back completely on creative filmmaking. Just the opposite:These films really hit home with audiences and critics alike; and by looking at the movies that took home the Best Picture award at the Academy Awards during the age of big hair and neon, the creativity that dominated 70s Hollywood was still alive and well.
Granted, while the 80s was not a great decade for the Oscars, the decade did produce a few genuine masterpieces that were more than worth the honor; from a sentimental movie about an elderly woman and her driver, to a riveting look at one of the most important figures in human history. So, how do all the Best Picture winners from this period rank? Let’s take a look at each winner and see.
10’Driving Miss Daisy' (1989)
Directed by Bruce Beresford
Driving Miss Daisyisn’t just the worst Best Picture winner of the 1980s, but one of the weakest in the entire history of the award ceremony. While there are some Best Picture winners who undeservedly took home the prize over other masterpieces,Driving Miss Daisymissed a critical opportunity to have a meaningful discussion about racism.
It was that missed opportunity that led many to be borderline offended atDriving Miss Daisywhen it was released; and seeing it take home the award overOliver Stone’s brilliantBorn on the Fourth of JulyorPeter Weir’s rivetingDead Poets Societywas fairly infuriating to some. WhileDriving Miss Daisyhas gotten a more positive appraisal over the years since it was first released in theaters, the movieis one of the few Best Picture winners that some still feel didn’t deserve that honor.
Driving Miss Daisy
An old Jewish woman and her African-American chauffeur in the American South have a relationship that grows and improves over the years.
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9’Out of Africa' (1985)
Directed by Sydney Pollack
Sydney Pollack’s romantic epicOut of Africais not a bad movie in the slightest. It’s sweet, and the chemistry between Robert Redford and Meryl Streep was a joy to watch. That doesn’t necessarily pave over its one, noticeable flaw: the movie simply hasn’t aged that well. Looking atOut of Africathrough modern-day lenses, the film certainly could have done more to detail the plight of the native African villagers that it seems so keen to victimize.Nonetheless, Pollack is a traditionalist in his filmmaking techniques, and the sappy, old-fashioned romance between Redford’s Denys Finch Hatton and Streep’s Karen Blixen is quite charming.
It’s an incredible production that features amazing imagery, but with a three-hour runtime, that is an incredibly long time for first-time viewers to watch a sappy melodrama play out in full. Again,Out of Africais a solid movie, but the truth must be said: this film isn’t among Pollack’s strongest works, and the passage of time has only dated what was once a strong drama.
Out of Africa
In 20th-century colonial Kenya, a Danish baroness/plantation owner has a passionate love affair with a free-spirited big-game hunter.
8’Chariots of Fire' (1981)
Directed by Hugh Hudson
Chariots of Fireis a good, old-fashioned crowd-pleaser that just happened to win the top Oscar prize in a year when there was both a political film (Warren Beatty’sReds) and a transformative blockbuster (Steven Spielberg’sRaiders of the Lost Ark) that would have been more exciting choices. However,Chariots of Firedid inspire significant turnoutamong British audiences, and, even in today’s polarizing times,Chariots of Firehas steadfastly retained its patriotic value.
The film tells the story of the British runners Harold Abrahams (Ben Cross) and Eric Lidell (Ian Charelson) as they work together to take home a U.K. victory at the 1924 Olympics. In addition to taking home the grandaddy Oscar,Chariots of Fireabsolutely cleaned up at the 1982 Academy Awards, including taking home Oscars for Best Original Screenplay and Best Original Score.
Chariots of Fire
Two British track athletes, one a determined Jew and the other a devout Christian, are driven to win in the 1924 Olympics as they wrestle with issues of pride and conscience.
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7’Gandhi' (1982)
Directed by Richard Attenborough
Gandhiis the type of film often shown in schools for its educational value, and it certainly takes a certain amount of patience to watch in its entirety, with a runtime of over three hours.
While it may be more of a straightforward history lesson than anything else, directorRichard Attenboroughassembled an incredible production that perfectly uses its massive runtime to dive into nearly every aspect of Gandhi’s life, and the countless people that his movement touched. The greatSir Ben Kingsleydeservedly took home the Academy Award for Best Actor for his riveting portrayal of one of the most important figures in history, andGandhi, as a whole, was deserving of taking home the Oscar for Best Picture at the 55th Academy Awards.
6’Terms of Endearment' (1983)
Directed by James L. Brooks
James Brooksprobably should have won a few years later forBroadcast News, butTerms of Endearmentis still a terrific summation of the unique mix of comedy, drama, and romance that he was able to capture in all of his best films. While its competitorsThe Big ChillandTender Merciesmay have been stronger movies overall,Terms of Endearment’s victory represented the Oscars’ interest in rewarding audience favorites, for a change.
Terms of Endearmentis a melodrama, yes, but it’s one that is so finely acted and assembled that the tearjerking final moments don’t feel saccharine, but genuinely heartfelt. BothShirley MacLaineandan excellentJack Nicholsondeservedly took home trophies for their performances, and there is no question thatTerms of Endearmentwas the right pick to take home the Oscar.
Terms of Endearment
Follows hard-to-please Aurora looking for love and her daughter’s family problems.
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5’The Last Emperor' (1987)
Directed by Bernardo Bertolucci
Some may consider watchingThe Last Emperorto be a challenge similar to viewingGandhi(both of these films are nearly three hours long),butBernardo Bertolucciwas a far more experimental filmmaker than Attenborough, andThe Last Emperorproved this to great effect. The epic moviechronicles the life of Puyi, the Xuantong Emperor of China, from his young transition to the throne to his exile as a political prisoner.
Bertolucci was unafraid to delve into the hot-button political issues involved with the dissolution of the Chinese Empire. He transformed the initially tender approach into a surprisingly exciting one as Puyi struggles through imprisonment to tell his story; and it was a story that was impressive to critics, taking home the Oscar for Best Picture at the 60th Academy Awards.
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4’Rain Man' (1988)
Directed by Barry Levinson
Hollywood simply doesn’t make movies likeBarry Levinson’sRain Mananymore. The film was unique among the Best Picture winners of the 1980s; it wasn’t a historical epic or a seemingly “important” work, but rather a solid dramedy about brothers separated by circumstances beyond their control.
The chemistry betweenDustin HoffmanandTom Cruise was truly memorizing, and his portrayal as Charlie Babbitt is considered by many to be among his best roles.Watching Charlie and Raymond Babbitt (Hoffman) is delightful, touching, and hilarious, and Hoffman’s portrayal as the autistic Raymond earned him the Best Actor award; although, in hindsight, it may have been a case where Cruise was equally worthy of a nomination.
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3’Ordinary People' (1980)
Directed by Robert Redford
Ordinary Peopletends to get criticized for its victory overMartin Scorsese’sRaging Bull, which is considered to be one of the best films ever made. WhileRaging Bullis indeed a masterpiece, it was one of two masterpieces released in the same year.Ordinary Peopleis an extraordinary exploration of grief that does not sanitize the complexities that death can cause within a family dynamic.
It’s not an easy film to watch by any stretch of the imagination.Ordinary Peoplewill have viewers feeling a wide range of powerful emotions; and that is the true beauty of the film. Robert Redford showed a tremendous amount of patience and restraint with his directorial debut, and he delivered a stand-out drama that was worthy of an Oscar.
2’Platoon' (1986)
Directed by Oliver Stone
Hollywood had been reckoning with the Vietnam War for well over a decade thanks to the success ofThe Deer HunterandApocalypse Now, butOliver Stone’s masterpiecePlatoonwas still a sensational achievement in 1986. The film did not mince words when it came to its hostility towards the American war effort.
Stone saw the United States’ military campaign in Vietnam to be truly wicked, and he captured the intensity of the conflict itself by showing the ruthless action that American soldiers were willing to take. The image ofWillem Dafoesinking in the rain is one of the saddest in cinematic history; and that scene, alone, madePlatoonthe movie to beat at the Oscars for Best Picture.
Chris Taylor, a neophyte recruit in Vietnam, finds himself caught in a battle of wills between two sergeants, one good and the other evil. A shrewd examination of the brutality of war and the duality of man in conflict.
1’Amadeus' (1984)
Directed by Milos Forman
There was only ever going to be one film that would dominate the decade, and that film was a movie about one of the greatest composers of all-time.Milos Forman’sAmadeusis one of the greatest films of all time and one of the most intoxicating films about the relationships between artists.
F. Murray Abraham’s portrayal of the obsessive composer Antonio Salieri won him the top acting prize; it’s the only award Salieri would ever receive over his greatest rival, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Tom Hulce, who was also nominated in the lead acting category). It’s a rousing and highly entertaining film. Despite its three-hour runtime, it seems as if the film flies by as viewers are simply in awe of Abraham’s performance.
The life, success and troubles of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, as told by Antonio Salieri, the contemporary composer who was deeply jealous of Mozart’s talent and claimed to have murdered him.
