Films of 1978

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Last Updated: 7/3/25
Total Films: 49
Note: The year of each film is according to IMDb. It sometimes changes without my knowledge. When I become aware, I will make adjustments. Like the Oscars, I select the best for each category: picture, actor, actress, supporting actor, supporting actress, director, cinematography, editing, original screenplay, adapted screenplay, and documentary. This is based on the movies I've actually seen, and miniseries and telefilms are fair game. Each winner is named along with the next four ordered runner-ups (which may be less) and honorable mentions (if any). These categories may be left blank if I feel there's no deserving winner. A ranked list of films is presented afterwards.



Best Picture
Grease

2. Coming Home
3. Midnight Express
4. King
5. The Betsy
Honorable Mentions: None


Best Actor
Paul Winfield (King)

2. Jon Voight (Coming Home)
3. Gary Busey (The Buddy Holly Story)
4. Michael Moriarty (Holocaust)
5. Brad Davis (Midnight Express)
Honorable Mentions: James Caan (Comes a Horseman), Robert De Niro (The Deer Hunter), Tommy Lee Jones (The Betsy), Harvey Keitel (Fingers), Laurence Olivier (The Betsy), Eric Roberts (King of the Gypsies), John Travolta (Grease), and Peter Ustinov (Death on the Nile)


Best Actress
Jane Fonda (Coming Home and Comes a Horseman)

2. Jamie Lee Curtis (Halloween)
3. Camille Keaton (I Spit on Your Grave)
4.
5.
Honorable Mentions: None


Best Supporting Actor
Michael Caine (California Suite)

2. Richard Farnsworth (Comes a Horseman)
3. Jeff Conaway (Grease)
4. David Warner (Holocaust)
5. Bruce Dern (Coming Home)
Honorable Mentions: Hal Holbrook (Capricorn One) and Jason Robards (Comes a Horseman)


Best Supporting Actress
Stockard Channing (Grease)

2. Penelope Milford (Coming Home)
3. Ruth Gordon (Every Which Way But Loose)
4.
5.
Honorable Mentions: None


Best Director
Randal Kleiser (Grease)

2. Alan Pakula (Comes a Horseman)
3. Hal Ashby (Coming Home)
4. Alan Parker (Midnight Express)
5. Abby Mann (King)
Honorable Mentions: James Fargo (Every Which Way But Loose), Peter Hyams (Capricorn One), and Daniel Petrie (The Betsy)


Best Cinematography
Gordon Willis (Comes a Horseman)

2. Michael Seresin (Midnight Express)
3. John F. Burnett (Grease)
4. Mario Tosi (The Betsy)
5. Jack Cardiff (Death on the Nile)
Honorable Mentions: None


Best Editing
Charles Bornstein and Tommy Lee Wallace (Halloween)

2. James Mitchell (Capricorn One)
3. John F. Burnett (Grease)
4.
5.
Honorable Mentions: None


Best Original Screenplay
Abby Mann (King)

2. Peter Hyams (Capricorn One)
3. Dennis Lynton Clark (Comes a Horseman)
4.
5.
Honorable Mentions: None


Best Adapted Screenplay
Anthony Shaffer (Death on the Nile)

2. Neil Simon (California Suite)
3. Bronte Woodard (Grease)
4. Oliver Stone (Midnight Express)
5.
Honorable Mentions: None


Best Documentary
Scared Straight!

2.
ScSt 3.
4.
5.
Honorable Mentions: None


Films Rated '10'
  1. Grease

Films Rated '9'
  1. Coming Home

  2. Midnight Express

  3. King

  4. The Betsy

  5. Every Which Way But Loose

  6. I Spit on Your Grave

Films Rated '8'
  1. Comes a Horseman

  2. Halloween

  3. Capricorn One

  4. Death on the Nile

  5. The Buddy Holly Story

  6. Faces of Death

  7. The Swarm

  8. The Boys from Brazil

  9. Fingers

Films Rated '7'
  1. Holocaust

  2. F.I.S.T.

  3. Straight Time

  4. Go Tell the Spartans

  5. Pretty Baby

  6. The Cheap Detective

Films Rated '6'
  1. California Suite

  2. The Deer Hunter

  3. Hooper

  4. Heaven Can Wait

  5. The Great Train Robbery

  6. Someone's Watching Me!

  7. The Legacy

  8. Coma

Films Rated '5'
  1. The Driver

  2. Dawn of the Dead

  3. Invasion of the Body Snatchers

Films Rated '4'
  1. Jaws 2

  2. King of the Gypsies

  3. The Fury

  4. Oliver's Story

  5. Eyes of Laura Mars

Films Rated '3'
  1. Superman

  2. Who'll Stop the Rain

  3. The Big Sleep

  4. The Wiz

Films Rated '2'
  1. Damien: Omen II

  2. The Toolbox Murders

  3. Days of Heaven

  4. Foul Play

Films Rated '1'
  1. The Bad News Bears Go to Japan

  2. National Lampoon's Animal House

  3. The Hound of the Baskervilles