Top Ranked Films by Year: the 80s

Based on our compendium of all internet polls
[2011 Edition, updated with polls from 2011]
© William L. Sinclair

This continues our series of top-ranked films by year, based on the Top Ranked 1000 Films on the Net, 2011 Edition that we compiled.

Total Ranked Films in the 80's:  98 (down from 109, -18%)

- [ 1980 ] -
1. Raging Bull #25 - Scorsese, Martin (photo rt)
2. Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back - Lucas, George #90
3. Shining, The - Kubrick, Stanley #94
4. Elephant Man, The - Lynch, David #184
5. Berlin Alexanderplatz - Fassbinder, Rainer Werner #277
6. Atlantic City - Malle, Louis #640
7. Kagemusha - Kurosawa, Akira #680
8. Superman II - Donner, Richard #688
9. Airplane! - Abrahams, Jim #951
10. Sauve qui peut (la vie) - Godard, Jean-Luc #975
[Done: Heaven's Gate, Mon oncle d'Amérique, Bad Timing]
Best Picture: Ordinary People

 - [ 1981 ] -
1. Raiders of the Lost Ark - Spielberg, Steven #33
2. Das Bööt - Peterson, Wolfgang #233
3. Reds - Beatty, Warren #572 (Directing Oscar, photo rt)
4. Blow Out - De Palma, Brian #759
5. Mad Max2 (The Road Warrior) Miller, George #763
[Gone: The Woman Next Door, Gregory's Girl, Chariots of Fire, Mephisto]
Best Picture: Chariots of Fire

- [ 1982 ] -
1. Blade Runner #13 - Scott, Ridley (photo top)
1. Blade Runner - Scott, Ridley #13
2. Fanny and Alexander - Bergman, Ingmar #46
3. E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial - Spielberg, Steven #100
4. Scarface - De Palma, Brian #198
5. Tootsie - Pollack, Sydney #282
6. Diner - Levinson, Barry #376
7. Gandhi - Attenborough, Richard #377
8. King of Comedy, The - Scorsese, Martin #390
9. Fitzcarraldo - Herzog, Werner #422
10. Thing, The - Carpenter, John #477
11. Passion - Godard, Jean-Luc #950
[Gone: The Night of the Shooting Stars, The Verdict]
Best Picture: Gandhi

- [ 1983 ] -
1. Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi - Marquand, Richard #394
2. Videodrome - Cronenberg, David #480
3. Nostalghia - Tarkovsky, Andrei #575
4. Argent, L' - Bresson, Robert #591
5. Local Hero - Forsyth, Bill #704
6. Right Stuff, The - Kaufman, Philip #717
7. Zelig - Allen, Woody #737
[Gone: Sugar Cane Alley (Rue case negres)]
Best Picture: Terms of Endearment

- [ 1984 ] -
1. Amadeus - Forman, Milos #70
2. Terminator, The - Cameron, James #128
2. Once Upon a Time in America #152 (long version) - Leone, Sergio (photo rt)
4. This is Spinal Tap - Reiner, Rob #208
5. Paris, Texas - Wenders, Wim #315
6. Stranger Than Paradise - Jarmusch, Jim #461
7. Blood Simple - Coen Bros. #713
8. Stop Making Sense - Demme, Jonathan #720
9. Love Streams - Cassavetes, John #806
[Gone: Heimat (Homeland), Yellow Earth]
Best Picture: Amadeus

- [ 1985 ] -
1. Ran - Kurosawa, Akira #39
2. Shoah - Lanzmann, Claude #98
3. Brazil - Gilliam, Terry #145 (photo rt)

4. Back to the Future - Zemeckis, Robert #279
5. Come and See - Klimov, Elem #489
6. After Hours - Scorsese, Martin #529
7. Time to Live and the Time to Die, The - Hou Hsiao-Hsien #655
8. My Life as a Dog - Hallström, Lasse #808
9. Room with a View, A - Ivory, James #869
10. Purple Rose of Cairo, The - Allen, Woody #885
[Gone: Vagabond (Santoit ni loi), Witness]
Best Picture: Out of Africa

- [ 1986 ] -
1. Aliens - Cameron, James #75 (photo rt)
2. Blue Velvet - Lynch, David #193
3. Hannah and Her Sisters - Allen, Woody #215
4. Sacrifice, The - Tarkovsky, Andrei #469
5. Ferris Bueller's Day Off - Hughes, John #533
6. Platoon - Stone, Oliver #542
7. Down by Law - Jarmusch, Jim #568
8. Stand by Me - Reiner, Rob #569
9. Castle in the Sky - Miyazaki, Hayao #666
10. Fly, The - Cronenberg, David #942
Best Picture: Platoon

- [ 1987 ] -
1. Full Metal Jacket - Kubrick, Stanley #135
2. Wings of Desire - Wenders, Wim #165
3. Princess Bride, The - Reiner, Rob #320
4. Evil Dead II - Raimi, Sam #496
5. Dead, The - Huston, John #615
6. Raising Arizona - Coen, Joel and Ethan Coen #625
7. Au Revoir, Les Enfants - Malle, Louis #871
8. Last Emperor, The - Bertolucci, Bernardo #899
9. Where is the Friend's Home? - Kiarostami, Abbas #947
[Gone: Law of Desire, Red Sorghum, Yeelen]
 Best Picture: The Last Emperor

- [ 1988 ] -
1. Cinema Paradiso - Tornatore, Giuseppe #118
2. Die Hard - McTiernan, John #220
3. Hotaru no Hakaa (Grave/Fireflies,1988) Takahata, Isao #228
4. Dead Ringers - Cronenberg, David #307
5. Dekalog - Kieslowski, Krszystof #359
6. Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown - Almodóvar, Pedro #367
7. My Neighbour Totoro - Miyazaki, Hayao #379
8. Landscape in the Mist - Angelopoulos, Theo #438
9. Who Framed Roger Rabbit - Zemeckis, Robert #467
10. Last Temptation of Christ, The - Scorsese, Martin #492
11. Thin Blue Line, The - Morris, Errol #689
12. Frantic - Polanski, Roman #721
13. Midnight Run - Brest, Martin #746
14. Fish Called Wanda, A - Crichton, Charles #753
15. Short Film About Killing, A - Kieslowski, Krszystof #768
16. Distant Voices, Still Lives - Davies, Terence #855
17. Akira (anime,1988) Ôtomo, Katsuhiro #905
18. Time of the Gypsies - Kusturica, Emir #922
[Gone: Hôtel Terminus, Dangerous Liaisons, Midnight Run]
Best Picture: Rain Man

- [ 1989 ] -
1. Do The Right Thing - Lee, Spike #105
2. Crimes and Misdemeanors - Allen, Woody #269
3. Dead Poets Society - Weir, Peter #532
4. sex, lies, and videotape - Soderberg, Steve #563
5. Killer, The - Woo, John #668
6. City of Sadness, A - Hou Hsiao-Hsien #670
7. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade - Spielberg, Steven #677
8. Say Anything… - Crowe, Cameron #861
9. Black Rain - Scott, Ridley #988
[Gone: When Harry Met Sally, Glory]
Best Picture: Driving Miss Daisy

[Note: Where the heck is Gus van Sant's Drugstore Cowboy?]

All Ranked Films of the Decade (80s)
(5 more of this decade moved into the top 100 since 2009

1. Blade Runner (1982) Scott, Ridley #13
2. Raging Bull (1980) Scorsese, Martin #25
3. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) Spielberg, Steven #33
4. Ran (1985) Kurosawa, Akira #39
5. Fanny and Alexander (1982) Bergman, Ingmar #46
6. Amadeus (1984) Forman, Milos #70
7. Aliens (1986) Cameron, James #75
8. Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980) Lucas, George #90
9. Shining, The (1980) Kubrick, Stanley #94
10. Shoah (1985) Lanzmann, Claude #98
11. E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982) Spielberg, Steven #100
12. Do The Right Thing (1989) Lee, Spike #105
13. Cinema Paradiso (1988) Tornatore, Giuseppe #118
14. Terminator, The (1984) Cameron, James #128
15. Full Metal Jacket (1987) Kubrick, Stanley #135
16. Brazil (1985) Gilliam, Terry #145
17. Once Upon a Time in America (1984) Leone, Sergio #152
18. Wings of Desire (1987) Wenders, Wim #165
19. Elephant Man, The (1980) Lynch, David #184
20. Blue Velvet (1986) Lynch, David #193
21. Scarface (1982) De Palma, Brian #198
22. This is Spinal Tap (1984) Reiner, Rob #208
23. Hannah and Her Sisters (1986) Allen, Woody #215
24. Die Hard (1988) McTiernan, John #220
25. Hotaru no Hakaa (Grave/Fireflies, 1988) Takahata, Isao #228
26. Das Boot (1981) Peterson, Wolfgang #233
27. Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989) Allen, Woody #269
28. Berlin Alexanderplatz (1980) Fassbinder, Rainer Werner #277
29. Back to the Future (1985) Zemeckis, Robert #279
30. Tootsie (1982) Pollack, Sydney #282
31. Dead Ringers (1988) Cronenberg, David #307
32. Paris, Texas (1984) Wenders, Wim #315
33. Princess Bride, The (1987) Reiner, Rob #320
34. Dekalog (1988) Kieslowski, Krszystof #359
35. Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988) Almodóvar, Pedro #367
36. Diner (1982) Levinson, Barry #376
37. Gandhi (1982) Attenborough, Richard #377
38. My Neighbour Totoro (1988) Miyazaki, Hayao #379
39. King of Comedy, The (1982) Scorsese, Martin #390
40. Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983) Marquand, Richard #394
41. Fitzcarraldo (1982) Herzog, Werner #422
42. Landscape in the Mist (1988) Angelopoulos, Theo #438
43. Stranger Than Paradise (1984) Jarmusch, Jim #461
44. Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) Zemeckis, Robert #467
45. Sacrifice, The (1986) Tarkovsky, Andrei #469
46. Thing, The (1982) Carpenter, John #477
47. Videodrome (1983) Cronenberg, David #480
48. Come and See (1985) Klimov, Elem #489
49. Last Temptation of Christ, The (1988) Scorsese, Martin #492
50. Evil Dead II (1987) Raimi, Sam #496
51. After Hours (1985) Scorsese, Martin #529
52. Dead Poets Society (1989) Weir, Peter #532
53. Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986) Hughes, John #533
54. Platoon (1986) Stone, Oliver #542
55. sex, lies, and videotape (1989) Soderberg, Steve #563
56. Down by Law (1986) Jarmusch, Jim #568
57. Stand by Me (1986) Reiner, Rob #569
58. Reds (1981) Beatty, Warren #572
59. Nostalghia (1983) Tarkovsky, Andrei #575
60. Argent, L' (1983) Bresson, Robert #591
61. Dead, The (1987) Huston, John #615
62. Raising Arizona (1987) Coen, Joel and Ethan Coen #625
63. Atlantic City (1980) Malle, Louis #640
64. Time to Live and the Time to Die, The (1985) Hou Hsiao-Hsien #655
65. Castle in the Sky (1986) Miyazaki, Hayao #666
66. Killer, The (1989) Woo, John #668
67. City of Sadness, A (1989) Hou Hsiao-Hsien #670
68. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) Spielberg, Steven #677
69. Kagemusha (1980) Kurosawa, Akira #680
70. Superman II (1980) Donner, Richard #688
71. Thin Blue Line, The (1988) Morris, Errol #689
72. Local Hero (1983) Forsyth, Bill #704
73. Blood Simple (1984) Coen Bros. #713
74. Right Stuff, The (1983) Kaufman, Philip #717
75. Stop Making Sense (1984) Demme, Jonathan #720
76. Frantic (1988) Polanski, Roman #721
77. Zelig (1983) Allen, Woody #737
78. Midnight Run (1988) Brest, Martin #746
79. Fish Called Wanda, A (1988) Crichton, Charles #753
80. Blow Out (1981) De Palma, Brian #759
81. Mad Max 2 (The Road Warrior, 1981) Miller, George #763
82. Short Film About Killing, A (1988) Kieslowski, Krszystof #768
83. Love Streams (1984) Cassavetes, John #806
84. My Life as a Dog (1985) Hallström, Lasse #808
85. Distant Voices, Still Lives (1988) Davies, Terence #855
86. Say Anything… (1989) Crowe, Cameron #861
87. Room with a View, A (1986) Ivory, James #869
88. Au Revoir, Les Enfants (1987) Malle, Louis #871
89. Purple Rose of Cairo, The (1985) Allen, Woody #885
90. Last Emperor, The (1987) Bertolucci, Bernardo #899
91. Akira (anime, 1988) Ôtomo, Katsuhiro #905
92. Time of the Gypsies (1988) Kusturica, Emir #922
93. Fly, The (1986) Cronenberg, David #942
94. Where is the Friend's Home? (1987) Kiarostami, Abbas #947
95. Passion (1982) Godard, Jean-Luc #950
96. Airplane! (1980) Abrahams, Jim #951
97. Sauve qui peut (la vie) (1980) Godard, Jean-Luc #975
98. Black Rain (1989) Scott, Ridley #988

Unranked Best Pictures: Ordinary People, Terms of Endearment, Out of Africa, Chariots of Fire, Rain Man, Driving Miss Daisy (wow – easily the most, that's 6 of out 10 not ranked)

My Favorites
1-Cinema Paradiso, 2-Hannah and Her Sisters, 3-Once Upon a Time in America, 4-Parenthood, 5-Dangerous Liaisons, 6-Aliens, 7-Field of Dreams, 8-Raging Bull, 9-When Harry Met Sally, 10-Drugstore Cowboy, 11-Gandhi, 12-The Empire Strikes Back, 13-Raiders of the Lost Ark, 14-E.T., 15-Mad Max 2 (Road Warrior), 16-Amadeus, 17-Blade Runner, 18-Fitzcarraldo, 19-Atlantic City, 20-Platoon, 21-Mephisto, 22-The Right Stuff, 23-The Last Emperor, 24-Reds, 25-Das Bööt, 26-Back to the Future

To me, this was a pretty good decade, with lots of classics, especially in science fiction (and I think Blade Runner is way overrated, good but not top 25 all-time – it’s a slow detective story, not much SF in it, I have it ranked 6th among the decades SF; P.K. Dick's novel is much better). Not sure why there are so few rated highly. Why does no one rank Drugstore Cowboy, Field of Dreams and Parenthood? (which was inspired by Hannah and Her Sisters) I have not yet seen the director's cut of The Last Emperor, running four hours.