This wasn't always considered a classic.
It did fairly well for the budget and had a cult following, but I don't think this was considered a bonafide horror classic until about a decade later.
shareIt was pretty popular, given that they released another Nightmare film the following year and didn't really stop releasing them up until the mid-90s. But nothing really becomes a classic right away, does it? I'm sure people who watched the first Indiana Jones movie didn't think they'd still be making them today when they first viewed the film, however much they loved it.
shareFunny, I was surprised a few years ago when I found out Raiders of the Lost Ark was nominated for best picture at the Oscars when it came out. I love that movie and have since I was a kid but to be fair it isn't really the typical movie that gets nominated for best picture at the Oscars. So it was loved even by the academy at the time.
shareYeah but thats because the Oscars are wrong, not Indy!
Frankly I don't disagree with their nominating that. My least favorite Academy Award decisions are Sean Connery winning for the Untouchables, Jack Palance winning for City Slickers, Tommy Lee Jones winning for the Fugitive, Kim Basinger winning for L.A Confidential, and the fact that Morgan Freeman didn't win an Oscar until Million Dollar Baby.
shareI dont really follow them,
but i was pleased to hear Mad Max 4 picked up a few in the technical fields.
" Jack Palance winning for City Slickers"
That does sound odd, did he have any already?
maybe it was a "lets throw him one before he dies" kinda deal
a below the counter lifetime acheive gong
No he didn't have one. Only nominated once in the 50s for a movie called Shane. But it is as you say. They should be about what the best actor is and not making up for past snubs.
shareThat is surprising, not only because of the type of movie it is, but also given how many influential films came out in '81. To be fair, it did make a lot of money, but still it's not really a typical Oscar winner.
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