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.
Mommie Dearest (1981)
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.
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.
Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
Everyone knows the story of the young and in-love couple who went on a crime spree in the 1930s that ended in a blaze of gunfire, and the death of both parties. The 1967 film’s directed by Arthur Penn and is regarded as a landmark in Hollywood history, marking the beginning of the New Hollywood era.
Bonnie and Clyde were one of the first 100 films preserved in the U.S. National Film Registry for being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” It was up for 10 Academy Awards, winning two, including Best Supporting Actress for Estelle Parsons.
Malcolm X (1992)
Denzel Washington stars as minister and human rights activist, Malcolm X, who is best remembered for his work for the Nation of Islam, in this 1992 biographical drama. The film follows X through his teachings, until his religious conversion, and right through until his 1965 assassination. Malcolm X became an iconic figure in pan-Africanism during the civil rights struggle. He was tragically shot dead (in front of his bodyguards) while preparing to address a crown at OAAU in Manhattan's Audubon Ballroom.
Roger Ebert ranked the film as his favorite of the year, and Washington’s performance was praised by critics everywhere. Washington was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor, but lost to Al Pacino, a decision that was criticized by more than a few people.