Movies of 1986
by jeanhueston | created - 7 months ago | updated - 7 months ago | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. Hellfire: A Journey from Hiroshima (1986)
Not Rated | 58 min | Documentary
A Journey from Hiroshima captures the artists Iri and Toshi Maruki in their decades-long collaboration to create a testament to the effects of the atomic bomb- the Hiroshima Murals.
Directors: Michael Camerini, John Junkerman, James MacDonald
Votes: 48
2. Platoon (1986)
R | 120 min | Drama, War
Chris Taylor, a neophyte recruit in Vietnam, finds himself caught in a battle of wills between two sergeants, one good and the other evil. A shrewd examination of the brutality of war and the duality of man in conflict.
Director: Oliver Stone | Stars: Charlie Sheen, Tom Berenger, Willem Dafoe, Keith David
Votes: 439,420 | Gross: $138.53M
3. Children of a Lesser God (1986)
R | 119 min | Drama, Romance
A new speech teacher at a school for the deaf falls in love with the janitor, a deaf woman speechless by choice.
Director: Randa Haines | Stars: William Hurt, Marlee Matlin, Piper Laurie, Philip Bosco
Votes: 18,667 | Gross: $31.85M
4. Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)
PG-13 | 107 min | Comedy, Drama
Between two Thanksgivings two years apart, Hannah's husband falls in love with her sister Lee, while her hypochondriac ex-husband rekindles his relationship with her sister Holly.
Director: Woody Allen | Stars: Mia Farrow, Dianne Wiest, Michael Caine, Barbara Hershey
Votes: 76,764 | Gross: $40.08M
5. The Mission (1986)
PG | 125 min | Adventure, Drama, History
Eighteenth-century Spanish Jesuits try to protect a remote South American tribe in danger of falling under the rule of pro-slavery Portugal.
Director: Roland Joffé | Stars: Robert De Niro, Jeremy Irons, Ray McAnally, Aidan Quinn
Votes: 65,681 | Gross: $17.22M
6. The Assault (1986)
PG | 144 min | Drama, History, Romance
A Dutch doctor, haunted by grueling childhood memories of World War II, struggles to find peace as he spends his life looking for answers about the tragic night that shaped him.
Director: Fons Rademakers | Stars: Derek de Lint, Marc van Uchelen, Monique van de Ven, John Kraaijkamp Sr.
Votes: 3,402 | Gross: $0.20M
7. 38 (1986)
97 min | Drama
In 1938, Austria is about to become a part of the Third Reich. A theater actress and a Jewish journalist fall in love and spend time together, completely ignoring the political turmoil of the time despite friendly warnings.
Director: Wolfgang Glück | Stars: Tobias Engel, Sunnyi Melles, Heinz Trixner, Romuald Pekny
Votes: 190
8. Betty Blue (1986)
Unrated | 119 min | Drama, Romance
A lackadaisical handyman and aspiring novelist tries to support his younger girlfriend as she slowly succumbs to madness.
Director: Jean-Jacques Beineix | Stars: Jean-Hugues Anglade, Béatrice Dalle, Gérard Darmon, Consuelo De Haviland
Votes: 23,342 | Gross: $2.00M
9. The Decline of the American Empire (1986)
R | 101 min | Comedy, Drama
Sexual revelations emerge when a group of academics and their partners spend a weekend at a country retreat.
Director: Denys Arcand | Stars: Dominique Michel, Dorothée Berryman, Louise Portal, Pierre Curzi
Votes: 8,697 | Gross: $1.90M
10. Down and Out in America (1985 TV Movie)
Unrated | 57 min | Documentary
A recession in the mid-1980s affects Minnesota farm workers, unemployed urban workers and the newly homeless in Los Angeles and New York.
Director: Lee Grant | Stars: Lee Grant, Jeff Farmer, Bob Hanson, Robert Hayes
Votes: 241
11. Chile: Hasta Cuando? (1986)
57 min | Documentary
Filmmakers enters Chile in 1985, one of the cruelest years of Augusto Pinochet right-wing military dictatorship. With the excuse of documenting religion and Viña del Mar Festival, they witness the truth about Chile under Pinochet.
Director: David Bradbury | Stars: Salvador Allende, Marion Campbell, John Denver, Berta Echegoyen
Votes: 59
12. American Masters (1985– )
TV-14 | 90 min | Documentary, Biography, History
Documentary series focusing on great American artists and personalities.
Stars: Martin Scorsese, Peter Bogdanovich, Tony Bennett, Dick Cavett
Votes: 1,170
Isaac in America: A Journey with Isaac Bashevis Singer 6.1
13. Witness to Apartheid (1986)
58 min | Documentary
Filmed in secret in 1985 South Africa. Exposes state violence through interviews with victims of and witnesses to atrocities.
Directors: Kevin Harris, Sharon I. Sopher
Votes: 27
14. Women - for America, for the World (1986)
30 min | Documentary, Short
22 prominent American women discuss their activism for nuclear disarmament and their motivations in seeking the end of the arms race.
Director: Vivienne Verdon-Roe | Stars: Joanne Woodward, Jean Shinoda Bolen, Betty Bumpers, Shirley Chisholm
Votes: 63
15. Debonair Dancers (1986)
24 min | Documentary, Short
Produced and directed by Alison Strelich, narrated by Jack Lemmon, about The Debonaire Special Dancers of Bakersfield, CA. This wonderful group was started decades ago by John Soiu and ... See full summary »
Director: Alison Nigh-Strelich | Stars: Jack Lemmon, Dee Olson
Votes: 28
16. The Masters of Disaster (1986)
29 min | Documentary, Short
Follows a gifted teacher in an inner city school who teaches kids to play chess. They are very successful.
Director: Sonya Friedman
Votes: 32
17. Red Grooms: Sunflower in a Hothouse (1986)
21 min | Documentary, Short, Biography
In this vibrant glimpse of the life and work of American artist Red Grooms, he reveals his secret weapon - a hot glue gun - and the sources of inspiration for his life-size three-dimensional works which he has dubbed "picto-sculptoramas."
Director: Thomas L. Neff | Star: Michele Orr
Votes: 18
18. Sam (1986)
22 min | Documentary, Short
Sam Phelps, a New York State farmer takes a stand against the possible destruction of a nearby watershed, pointing out the need for thoughtful planning and careful land management.
Director: Aaron D. Weisblatt | Star: Sam Phelps
Votes: 19
19. Precious Images (1986)
8 min | Documentary, Short
A montage of nearly 500 film clips from eight decades of American movies, made to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Director's Guild of America.
Director: Chuck Workman
Votes: 745
20. Love Struck (1986)
23 min | Short
An awkward, lovable girl goes after her crush.
Director: Richard Masur | Stars: John Simon Jones, Joanna Kerns, Judge Reinhold, Joe Spano
Votes: 16
21. The Frog, the Dog, and the Devil (1986)
8 min | Western, Animation, Short
A frog gets trapped in a liquor bottle.
Director: Bob Stenhouse | Star: Grant Tilly
Votes: 157
22. Luxo Jr. (1986)
G | 2 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
A larger lamp watches while a smaller, younger lamp plays exuberantly with a ball but doesn't pick up the knack of correct handling.
Director: John Lasseter
Votes: 15,517
23. The Fly (1986)
R | 96 min | Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi
A brilliant but eccentric scientist begins to transform into a giant man/fly hybrid after one of his experiments goes horribly wrong.
Director: David Cronenberg | Stars: Jeff Goldblum, Geena Davis, John Getz, Joy Boushel
Votes: 201,851 | Gross: $40.46M
24. Stand by Me (1986)
R | 89 min | Adventure, Comedy, Drama
A writer recounts a childhood journey with his friends to find the body of a missing boy.
Director: Rob Reiner | Stars: Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, Jerry O'Connell
Votes: 441,508 | Gross: $52.29M
25. The Color of Money (1986)
R | 119 min | Drama, Sport
Fast Eddie Felson teaches a cocky but immensely talented protégé the ropes of pool hustling, which in turn inspires him to make an unlikely comeback.
Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Paul Newman, Tom Cruise, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Helen Shaver
Votes: 93,248 | Gross: $52.29M
26. 'Round Midnight (1986)
R | 133 min | Drama, Music
A troubled, but talented musician flees the US to escape his problems, finding refuge and support in Paris.
Director: Bertrand Tavernier | Stars: Dexter Gordon, François Cluzet, Gabrielle Haker, Sandra Reaves-Phillips
Votes: 5,863 | Gross: $3.27M
27. Peggy Sue Got Married (1986)
PG-13 | 103 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
Peggy Sue faints at a high school reunion. When she wakes up, she finds herself in her own past, just before she finished school.
Director: Francis Ford Coppola | Stars: Kathleen Turner, Nicolas Cage, Barry Miller, Catherine Hicks
Votes: 40,809 | Gross: $41.38M
28. Otello (1986)
PG | 118 min | Drama, Music
Verdi's famous opera is brought to life in this production. The immortal tale of the noble Moor and his beautiful young wife, and of his lieutenant, whose jealousy and lust for power lead him to commit the ultimate treason.
Director: Franco Zeffirelli | Stars: Plácido Domingo, Katia Ricciarelli, Justino Díaz, Petra Malakova
Votes: 616 | Gross: $0.19M
29. Miss Mary (1986)
R | 100 min | Drama
A young British woman is hired as a governess by a wealthy Argentine family. Through her position, she slowly sees how the upper class of society is slowly crumbling, and how a popular movement is preparing to install itself in power.
Director: María Luisa Bemberg | Stars: Julie Christie, Nacha Guevara, Eduardo Pavlovsky, Gerardo Romano
Votes: 348 | Gross: $0.27M
30. Ginger & Fred (1986)
PG-13 | 127 min | Comedy, Drama
Amelia and Pippo are reunited after several decades to perform their old music-hall act on a TV variety show.
Director: Federico Fellini | Stars: Marcello Mastroianni, Giulietta Masina, Franco Fabrizi, Friedrich von Ledebur
Votes: 5,544 | Gross: $0.84M
31. Ménage (1986)
84 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
A bisexual petty criminal named Bob encounters a married couple arguing in a bar. Bob breaks up the fight and proceeds to seduce first the wife and then the husband. Then Bob teaches the ... See full summary »
Director: Bertrand Blier | Stars: Gérard Depardieu, Michel Blanc, Miou-Miou, Michel Creton
Votes: 3,611 | Gross: $0.93M
32. Jean de Florette (1986)
PG | 120 min | Comedy, Drama
A greedy landowner and his backward nephew conspire to block the only water source for an adjoining property in order to bankrupt the owner and force him to sell.
Director: Claude Berri | Stars: Yves Montand, Gérard Depardieu, Daniel Auteuil, Elisabeth Depardieu
Votes: 27,542 | Gross: $4.94M
33. Manon of the Spring (1986)
PG | 113 min | Drama
A beautiful but shy shepherdess plots vengeance on the men whose greedy conspiracy to acquire her father's land caused his death years earlier.
Director: Claude Berri | Stars: Yves Montand, Emmanuelle Béart, Daniel Auteuil, Hippolyte Girardot
Votes: 23,949 | Gross: $3.94M
34. Mona Lisa (1986)
R | 104 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
A man recently released from prison manages to get a job driving a call girl from customer to customer.
Director: Neil Jordan | Stars: Bob Hoskins, Cathy Tyson, Michael Caine, Robbie Coltrane
Votes: 18,700 | Gross: $5.79M
35. Crimes of the Heart (1986)
PG-13 | 105 min | Comedy, Drama
Three southern sisters try to come to grips with the meaning of their mother's suicide.
Director: Bruce Beresford | Stars: Diane Keaton, Jessica Lange, Sissy Spacek, Sam Shepard
Votes: 4,422 | Gross: $22.91M
36. Crocodile Dundee (1986)
PG-13 | 97 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
An American reporter goes to the Australian outback to meet an eccentric crocodile poacher and invites him to New York City.
Director: Peter Faiman | Stars: Paul Hogan, Linda Kozlowski, John Meillon, David Gulpilil
Votes: 115,431 | Gross: $174.64M
37. Down and Out in Beverly Hills (1986)
R | 103 min | Comedy
A rich but troubled family find their lives altered by the arrival of a vagrant who tries to drown himself in their swimming pool.
Director: Paul Mazursky | Stars: Nick Nolte, Bette Midler, Richard Dreyfuss, Little Richard
Votes: 20,216 | Gross: $62.13M
38. Little Shop of Horrors (1986)
PG-13 | 94 min | Comedy, Horror, Musical
A nerdy florist finds his chance for success and romance with the help of a giant man-eating plant who demands to be fed.
Director: Frank Oz | Stars: Rick Moranis, Ellen Greene, Vincent Gardenia, Levi Stubbs
Votes: 86,340 | Gross: $38.75M
39. Aliens (1986)
R | 137 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Decades after surviving the Nostromo incident, Ellen Ripley is sent out to re-establish contact with a terraforming colony but finds herself battling the Alien Queen and her offspring.
Director: James Cameron | Stars: Sigourney Weaver, Michael Biehn, Carrie Henn, Paul Reiser
Votes: 762,863 | Gross: $85.16M
40. Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)
PG-13 | 103 min | Comedy
A popular high school student, admired by his peers, decides to take a day off from school and goes to extreme lengths to pull it off, to the chagrin of his Dean, who'll do anything to stop him.
Director: John Hughes | Stars: Matthew Broderick, Alan Ruck, Mia Sara, Jeffrey Jones
Votes: 386,371 | Gross: $70.14M
41. Blue Velvet (1986)
R | 120 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
The discovery of a severed human ear found in a field leads a young man on an investigation related to a beautiful, mysterious nightclub singer and a group of psychopathic criminals who have kidnapped her child.
Director: David Lynch | Stars: Isabella Rossellini, Kyle MacLachlan, Dennis Hopper, Laura Dern
Votes: 215,658 | Gross: $8.55M
42. Cat City (1986)
Unrated | 96 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
An agent delivers plans to save mice from a feline syndicate dedicated to eradicating rodents.
Director: Béla Ternovszky | Stars: Miklós Benedek, Gyula Bodrogi, Ilona Béres, Péter Haumann
Votes: 10,765
43. Castle in the Sky (1986)
PG | 125 min | Animation, Adventure, Family
A young boy and a girl with a magic crystal must race against pirates and foreign agents in a search for a legendary floating castle.
Director: Hayao Miyazaki | Stars: Mayumi Tanaka, Keiko Yokozawa, Kotoe Hatsui, Minori Terada
Votes: 182,304
44. The Sacrifice (1986)
PG | 149 min | Drama
At the dawn of World War III, a man searches for a way to restore peace to the world and finds he must give something in return.
Director: Andrei Tarkovsky | Stars: Erland Josephson, Susan Fleetwood, Allan Edwall, Guðrún Gísladóttir
Votes: 30,973 | Gross: $0.30M
45. Sherman's March (1985)
Not Rated | 157 min | Documentary, Biography, Comedy
Documentary filmmaker Ross McElwee sets out to make a movie about Union General Sherman's March to the Sea towards the end of the American Civil War, but keeps getting sidetracked by his own love life.
Director: Ross McElwee | Stars: Ross McElwee, Dede McElwee, Ross McElwee Jr., Patricia Rendleman
Votes: 2,709
46. Partisans of Vilna (1986)
130 min | Documentary
This film tells the story of the men and women who formed the Jewish partisan movement in Vilna, Lithuania, during World War II.
Director: Joshua Waletzky | Stars: Abba Kovner, Alexander Bogen, Roberta Wallach
Votes: 100
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