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The Movies of 1981

Trivia, Word Search, and a Quiz

On March 30 of this year, the 53rd Academy Awards are postponed due to the attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan earlier that day. Himself a former actor who appeared in a total of 53 movies, President Reagan gave the opening remarks to the star-studded gala the next day via pre-recorded message. This was more than well-received by most accounts. One media pundit, in fact, found it to be the highlight of the evening, writing how everything about the awards ceremony "seemed an anticlimax to the Reagan opening."

Here's some more trivia from the world of cinema in 1981:

  • Actors born this year include Elijah Wood, Justin Timberlake, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Taylor Kitsch, Michael Pitt, Hayden Christensen, Rami Malek, and Chris Evans.
  • Ben Affleck makes his big screen debut in the little known The Dark End of the Street, as does Kim Basinger in the western Hard Country, Bruce Campbell in the cult favorite The Evil Dead, Tom Cruise in the romantic Endless Love, Dennis Farina in the heist action thriller Thief, Demi Moore in the low budget Choices, Ron Perlman in the prehistoric Quest for Fire, and Kathleen Turner in the sultry, neo-noir thriller Body Heat.
  • Paramount Pictures releases Raiders of the Lost Ark on June 12, setting a major new standard for action-adventure movies.
  • United International Pictures is created on November 1 to handle international distribution of movies for MGM, United Artists, Universal Pictures, and Paramount Pictures.
  • The English actor Bernard Lee, best known for playing M in the first eleven Eon-produced James Bond movies, dies this year. Also dying are American actors William Holden, star of Sunset Boulevard (1950), and Robert Montgomery.

1981 Movies Word Search

The movies in the following two word searches were movies released in 1981. Just like all the movies on this page (unless otherwise noted).

The first word search is easy: 20 movie titles hidden in a small 22 × 20 letter grid. The second is more challenging: 36 movie titles in a large 34 × 32 letter grid.

So load your printer with standard 8.5" × 11" paper, download, hit print and start solving. Our PDF files print out beautifully and are always free to download on our site.

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More Word Searches

These word search puzzles are on particular movies from 1981. They each have 36 terms hidden in a large 34 × 32 letter grid.

Raiders of the Lost Ark Stripes Body Heat Escape from New York

10 Question Quiz on 1981 Movies

How well do you know what came out on the Silver Screen in 1981? Take our quiz and find out. There's no time limit and no scoring. Just have fun!

1. Who directed John Travolta in Blow Out?

A. Stanley Kubrick
B. Brian De Palma
C. Martin Scorsese
D. Oliver Stone

2. The horror comedy An American Werewolf in London was shot exclusively in which country?

A. Czechoslovakia
B. Romania
C. Canada
D. United Kingdom

3. Kurt Russell has stated that of all his movies, Escape from New York is his favorite. The lead character he plays is also his favorite. What is the name of that character?

A. Travis Bickle
B. Dirty Harry
C. Snake Plissken
D. Popeye Doyle

4. Which Terry Gilliam movie was release in 1981?

A. Brazil

5. The four main segments of stories in History of the World: Part I are set during all of the following time periods, except for one. Which one?

A. Stone Age
B. The Roman Empire
C. French Revolution
D. World War II

6. How was the black smoke for Arthur's first siege on the castle in Excalibur created?

A. Burning tires
B. Burning oil
C. Burning trash bags
D. Computers

7. What is Southern Comfort about?

A. Whiskey
B. National Guardsmen
C. Bed and breakfasts
D. Slavery

8. In what state was On Golden Pond made?

A. Connecticut
B. Maine
C. New Hampshire
D. Vermont

9. Which band does NOT appear in the Canadian animated movie Heavy Metal?

A. Pearl Jam
B. Devo
C. Black Sabbath
D. Cheap Trick

10. Which silver screen actress did Faye Dunaway portray in Mommie Dearest?

A. Bette Davis
B. Ingrid Bergman
C. Jean Harlow
D. Joan Crawford

Want more? We have another page on the cinema of 1981

Explore other years in the world of cinema

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