The 1981 Oscars provides a good microcosm of the awards in general, representing as it does an amalgam of popular and critical favorites among the nominees.

On the popular front, we had both Raiders of the Lost Ark, which appealed to the younger generations and On Golden Pond, which appealed to the older ones. On the other hand we had Reds and Atlantic City, which appealed heavily to the critics. In the middle we had Chariots of Fire, with its popular theme augmenting the fervor with which the U.S. greeted the Olympics in light of the U.S. hockey team’s win at the 1980 winter games in Lake Placid, N.Y. and the anticipation of the 1984 summer games in Los Angeles.

Chariots of Fire, which centered on the 1924 Olympics, also had strong religious themes as its principal characters were a determined Jew and a devout Christian. But, and it’s a big but, the heroes were British, Americans were, if not outright villains, decidedly not the heroes, either. The film, though a runner-up on most critics’ lists, was not thought to be much of a threat to the two Oscar front-runners: the critics’ darling, Reds, and the popular favorite, On Golden Pond. In fact, the only award it was expected to win easily was Best Original Score for Greek composer Vangelis. It was quite a shock when the film won not only that award, but Best Costume Design: Original Screenplay and Picture as well. It had also been nominated for Best Director (Hugh Hudson); Supporting Actor (Ian Holm) and Editing.

Having been nominated for a whopping twelve Oscars, Reds was the prohibitive favorite, but ended up winning only three for Best Director (Warren Beatty); Supporting Actress (Maureen Stapleton) and Cinematography. It had also nominated for Best Actor (Beatty); Actress (Diane Keaton); Supporting Actor (Jack Nicholson); Original Screenplay; Art Direction; Editing; Costume Design and Sound.

The film, which was about the romance of John Reed (Beatty) and Louise Bryant (Keaton) set against the background of the Russian Revolution and its aftermath in America, featured Nicholson as Eugene O’Neill; Stapleton as Emma Goldman and more than thirty living survivors of the times called “witnesses” whose comments were inserted at various points. They included Henry Miller; Adela Rogers St. John; Rebecca West; Will Durant and Roger Baldwin.

With almost as many nominations as Reds, popular favorite On Golden Pond garnered ten including the first for screen legend Henry Fonda in forty-one years. Fonda, who saw his daughter Jane win two Best Actress Oscars, had finally been acknowledged by the Academy with a career achievement award the preceding year, but a competitive Oscar was what he really should have received for one of his great performances over the years. They finally gave him one on his deathbed, ironically, that one, too, accepted by daughter Jane.

The story line of On Golden Pond is somewhat hokey, but Fonda and Katharine Hepburn infuse their elderly characters with a lifetime of screen memories for the audience, making them seem more vital than they might have otherwise.

While Fonda’s Oscar was expected, Hepburn’s win of the Best Actress Oscar, her fourth, was totally unexpected, but nevertheless fitting. The two play off each other as though they have been together for fifty years or more, when in fact they had never met before filming. Jane Fonda as their daughter was nominated and the film picked up an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay as well. It had also been nominated for Best Director (Mark Rydell); Cinematography; Editing; Sound and Score.

A more somber exploration of old age was provided by Atlantic Citywith Burt Lancaster in a late career high triumph as a small time gangster with delusions of grandeur. Lancaster as always, commands the screen, but an emerging Susan Sarandon manages to out-sizzle him in every scene she’s in. Lancaster’s Best Actor nomination was expected, but Sarandon, thought to be a supporting actress contender, surprised with her nomination for Best Actress. The film was also nominated for Best Director (Louis Malle) and Original Screenplay.

Nominated for eight Oscars, Raiders of the Lost Ark was easily the year’s best popcorn movie, which provided star Harrison Ford with the role of his career as Indiana Jones, which he has reprised three times thus far. It was an easy winner for Best Visual Effects as well as for Art Direction; Editing and Sound. It also won a Special Achievement award for sound effects editing. Its other nominations were for Best Director (Steven Spielberg); Cinematography and Score.

Beyond the Best Picture nominees, Oscar also liked Arthur; The French Lieutenant’s Woman; Absence of Malice; Only When I Laugh; Excalibur and Ragtime, but not Gallipoli; Body Heat; Raggedy Man or Mommie Dearest.

Owing much of its success to its infectious theme song and John Gielgud’s line readings as an impervious butler, Arthur easily won Oscars for Best Original Song and Supporting Actor. It had also been nominated for Best Actor (Dudley Moore) and Original Screenplay.

Thought be un-filmable, John Fowles’ best-selling The French Lieutenant’s Woman nevertheless easily negotiated the parallel stories of modern actors (Meryl Streep, Jeremy Irons) and the 19th Century characters they play in a film. It was nominated for five Oscars including Best Actress (Streep); Adapted Screenplay; Editing; Art Direction and Costume Design.

Guilt by association is the theme of the newspaper and politics thriller, Absence of Malice which earned Paul Newman his sixth Best Actor nomination, his first in fourteen years. The film was also nominated for Best Supporting Actress (Melinda Dillon) and Original Screenplay.

The acting was the thing in Neil Simon’s adaptation of his Broadway play, The Gingerbread Lady, re-named Only When I Laugh. It received nominations for Best Actress (Marsha Mason); Supporting Actor (James Coco) and Supporting Actress (Joan Hackett).

An exciting re-telling of the legend of King Arthur, John Boorman’s Excalibur received its only nomination for Best Cinematography.

E.L. Doctorow’s acclaimed novel, Ragtime, later made into a great Broadway musical, was a disappointing film that nevertheless garnered a highly respectable eight nominations for Best Supporting Actor (Howard E. Rollins, Jr.); Supporting Actress (Elizabeth McGovern); Adapted Screenplay; Art Direction; Cinematography; Costume Design; Score and Song.

Far more deserving of Oscar recognition than a Ragtime or an Only When I Laugh, Peter Weir’s magnificent World War I epic, Gallipoli, at least cleaned up at the Australian Film Institute, winning eight out the twelve awards it was nominated for including Best Picture and Actor, Mel Gibson.

Lawrence Kasdan’s scintillating Body Heat greatly advanced the career of William Hurt and introduced one of the 1980s most intriguing actresses, the scintillating Kathleen Turner. Alas, only the Golden Globes recognized her with a Best Newcomer nomination.

Sissy Spacek, under husband Jack Fisk’s direction, gave one of her most effective performances as young divorcee in Raggedy Man, but a Golden Globe nomination was all she, too, could muster, albeit in the Best Actress category.

Although she placed second in the New York Film Critics balloting for Best Actress, Faye Dunaway’s portrayal of Joan Crawford and the film Mommie Dearest are best remembered for their Razzies for Worst Actress and Picture. The film, which is based on Christina Crawford’s scandalous memoir, is actually a lot better than its critics would have you believe.

All films discussed except Only When I Laugh have been released on DVD in the U.S.

This week’s new DVD releases include Tron: Legacy and the Blu-ray debuts of Taxi Driver and A.I.: Artificial Intelligence.