Faye Dunaway stars in this 1981 docudrama, based on the life of abusive mother Joan Crawford. While the film was a huge success at the box office, grossing nearly $40 million against a $5 million budget, it’s based on a sad true story of abuse and manipulation. The memoir and exposé that was written by Christina Crawford, the adopted daughter of actress Joan Crawford was published in 1978.
Unfortunately, the only awards the film won were a number of Razzie awards, including Worst Picture, Worst Screenplay, and Worst Actress for Dunaway, who tied with Bo Derek for her work in Tarzan, The Ape Man. Dunaway later blamed the film for her decline of work in Hollywood.
Born On The Fourth Of July (1989)
Ron Kovic was a young man who served with the U.S Marines in Vietnam. Played by Tom Cruise in the film, his duty turns into a disaster when he accidentally kills his fellow Marine and is later paralyzed from the middle of his chest and down. After writing his book, Kovic became well a known anti-war activist. His memoir published in 1976, Born on the Fourth of July, because the book on which the film is based.
The film was praised by critics, and hit at the box office, cruising over $160 million dollars around the world. It won four Golden Globe Awards, including all of the majors: Best Actor, Best Screenplay, and Best Director for Oliver Stone’s efforts on the picture.
Not Without My Daughter (1990)
Sally Fields plays a distraught wife and mother Betty Mahoody, who’s married to an Iranian doctor, who tricks her and her daughter into staying in Iran after leading them to believe it would be a short trip. Then, after his family is stuck, he becomes abusive, and Betty has to get their daughter and escape back home to the U.S.
Luckily, the two make it back. The film grossed just $15 million at the box office and holds just a 50% approval on esteemed review site, Rotten Tomatoes. Field’s performance got her nominated for the 1991 Razzie for Worst Actress of the year. Yikes.
The Untouchables (1987)
This star-packed film came out in 1987, and stars Kevin Costner as Prohibition agent, Elliot Ness, who worked to bring down Al Capone via his team, The Untouchables. Directed by Brian De Palma, the film was nominated for four Oscars, including a win for Best Supporting Actor for Sean Connery. His co-authorship of a popular autobiography, The Untouchables, which was published soon after his death, propelled many television and motion picture portrayals that established Ness' posthumous reputation as a crime fighter.
As the true story took place in Chicago, the film was shot in and around the city to provide historical accuracy. Aside from the Academy Awards, it received a number of other accolades and nominations. Connery won a whopping nine awards for his role as Jim Malone.
Schindler’s List (1993)
This historical American drama is directed by film icon Steven Spielberg and follows a German businessman, Oskar Schindler, played by Liam Neeson, and his wife as they save more than a thousand people from the Holocaust during WWII, by employing them at his enamelware factory in Poland.
The film won an impressive seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay (it was adapted from the 1982 Austrian novel, Schindler’s Ark.) Neeson was nominated for Best Actor but was beat out by Tom Hanks for his role in Philadelphia.