The 80s in examination are a lot like this past decade – short on “masterpieces,” but long on “very good, well-made movies.”
Raging Bull (1980)
then …
The Right Stuff (1983)
Ran (1985)
Do the Right Thing (1989)
Fanny and Alexander (1983)
The Big Red One (1980)
The Official Story (1985)
Terms of Endearment (1983)
Au Revir, Les Enfants (1987)
Tootsie (1982)
… without discounting fine work like Missing, The Shining, Tess, The Elephant Man, The King of Comedy, Tender Mercies, Hannah and Her Sisters, Reds, Atlantic City, Broadway Danny Rose, The Verdict, Pelle the Conqueror, Salaam Bombay!, Another Woman, The Stunt Man, After Hours, Tucker: The Man and His Dream, A Room With a View, The Mission, Blue Velvet, Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, Crimes and Misdemeanors, Dream Child, Hope and Glory, The Purple Rose of Cairo, The Last Emperor, The Killing Fields, several of those you mentioned, Joey, and, of course, the amazing Ordinary People.
In that you’re 12, Joey, and maybe haven’t seen many of these, but also in full knowledge that you have quite the cinephile’s avid curiosity, get your hands on copies of Ordinary People, Au Revoir, Les Enfants, Hope and Glory, Tender Mercies, The Elephant Man, definitely The Right Stuff, and I’ll even say The Verdict, just because it’s so good. I think these films will appeal to you, and I’ll be happy to have a conversation about them with you.
For me:
1. Dekalog (1989) – Krzysztof Kieslowski
2. Shoah (1985) – Claude Lanzmann
3. Berlin Alexanderplatz (1980) – R. W. Fassbinder
4. Blue Velvet (1986) – David Lynch
5. Fanny och Alexander (1982) – Ingmar Bergman
6.Idi i Smotri (1985) – Elem Klimov
7. Das Boot (1981) – Wolfgang Petersen
8. The Shining (1980) – Stanley Kubrick
9. Do the Right Thing- (1989) Spike Lee
10. Pelle Erobreren (1987) – Bille August
I actually think the 80’s was a great decade for film, though it’s most popular movies are probably the worst of any other.
My top ten:
1. Brazil-Gilliam (1985) [The Final Cut, 142 min]
2. Nostalghia-Tarkovsky (1983)
3. Possession-Zulawksi (1981)
4. Landscape in the Mist-Angelopoulos (1988)
5. The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover-Greenaway (1989)
6. Blade Runner-Scott (1982) [The Final Cut, 117 min]
7. Blue Velvet-Lynch (1986)
8. Aliens-Cameron (1986) [Theatrical Cut, 137 min]
9. Wings of Desire-Wenders (1987)
10. Come & See-Klimov (1985)
In no particular order…
Blood Simple (1984)
Koyaanisqatsi (1982)
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
The Cook the Thief His Wife & Her Lover (1989)
Die Hard (1988)
A Fish Called Wanda (1988)
Raising Arizona (1987)
Chameleon Street (1989)
Sherman’s March (1986)
Damnation (1988)
Top Ten (Double Features as a way to get 20)
1. Vagabond (Agnes Varda- 1985)
Yeelen (Souleymane Cisse- 1987)
2. Grave of the Fireflies (Isao Takahata- 1988)
Videodrome (David Cronenberg- 1983)
3. The Horse Thief (Tian Zhaungzhaung 1986)
The Last of England (Derek Jarman- 1988)
4. Peggy Sue Got Married (1986) Francis Ford Coppola
Veronika Voss (Rainer Werner Fassbinder- 1982)
5. Born In Flames (Lizzie Borden- 1983)
Love Streams (John Cassavettes- 1984)
6. Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean (Robert Altman- 1982)
Diva (Jean-Jacques Beineix- 1981)
7. Fanny and Alexander (Ingmar Bergman- 1982)
Marianne and Julianne (Margarethe Von Trotta- 1981)
8. Sans Soliel (Chris Marker- 1982)
A Tale of the Wind (Joris Ivens- 1988)
9. Distant Voices, Still Lives (Terrence Davies- 1988)
Three Crowns of the Sailor (Raoul Ruiz- 1983)
10. Hail Mary (Jean Luc-Godard- 1985)
Passion (Jean-Luc Godard- 1982)
1. Once Upon a Time in America (Sergio Leone, 1984)
2. The Shining (Stanley Kubrick, 1980)
3. Hannah and Her Sisters (Woody Allen, 1986)
4. After Hours (Martin Scorsese, 1985)
5. Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (Irvin Kershner, 1980)
6. Raiders of the Lost Ark (Steven Spielberg, 1981)
7. Brazil (Terry Gilliam, 1985)
8. Do the Right Thing (Spike Lee, 1989)
9. Born on the Fourth of July (Oliver Stone, 1989)
10. Midnight Run (Martin Brest, 1988)
1. Fanny & Alexander (Bergman, 1982)
2. Berlin Alexanderplatz (Fassbinder, 1980)
3. Ran (Kurosawa, 1985)
4. A Short Film About Killing (Kieslowski, 1988)
5. Tetsuo: The Iron Man (Tsukamoto, 1989)
6. The Cook, The Thief his Wife and Her Lover (Greenaway, 1989)
7. Damnation (Tarr, 1988)
8. The Decalogue (Kieslowsky, 1989)
9. Nostalghia (Tarkovsky, 1983)
10. The Shining (Kubrick, 1980)
Ran (Akira Kurosawa)
Interrogation (Ryszard Bugajski)
Come And See (Elem Klimov)
A Buddhist Ascetic Mandara (Im Kwon-taek)
My Dinner With Andre (Louis Malle)
The Sacrifice (Andrei Tarkovsky)
Fanny & Alexander (Ingmar Bergman)
Fitzcarraldo (Werner Herzog)
Shoah (Claude Lanzmann)
Damnation (Bela Tarr)
Had to snip far too many to get it down to 10:
Crimes & Misdemeanors, Elephant Man, Nostalghia, Das Boot, Wings of Desire, Paris Texas, Brazil, Midnight Run, Secret Honor, Die Hard, Amadeus, Raging Bull, Blue Velvet…and on and on. Damn.
The Charles Bukowski Tapes is the best film of the 80s
other than that
I would find room for
Reds
Sleepaway Camp
Godard’s King Lear
Pauline at the Beach
Kinjite
Broadway Danny Rose
Tough Guys Don’t Dance
Nekromantik
1. Paris, Texas (Wenders)
2. Blade Runner (Scott)
3. Wings Of Desire (Wenders)
4. The Shining (Kubrick)
5. Come and See (Klimov)
6. Blue Velvet (Lynch)
7. Le Rayon Vert (Rohmer)
8. Down By Law (Jarmusch)
9. The Sacrifice (Tarkovski)
10. Fanny & Alexander (Bergman)
Honorable mention: Stranger Than Paradise, Landscape In the Mist, Element of Crime, Atlantic City, Full Metal Jacket
Blue Velvet
Come and See
Dead Ringers
Is It Easy To Be Young?
A Short Film About Killing
Broadway Danny Rose
The Time to Live and the Time to Die
Ariel
Burden of Dreams
Yeelen
1. Three Crowns Of The Sailor (1983)
2. Peking Opera Blues (1986)
3. The Draughtsman’s Contract (1982)
4. Grave Of The Fireflies (1988)
5. My Life As A Dog (1985)
6. Ariel (1989)
7. A Summer At Grandpa’s (1984)
8. Tampopo (1985)
9. Wings Of Desire (1987)
10. Distant Voices, Still Lives (1988)
Honorable mention: Sans Soleil (1983)
off the top of my head…
The Elephant Man (1980)
Blow Out (1981)
Reds (1981)
Diner (1982)
The Right Stuff (1983)
Ran (1985)
Blue Velvet (1986)
The Last Temptation of Christ (1988)
The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988)
Casualties of War (1989)
Raging Bull(1980,Martin Scorsese)
Fanny and Alexander – The Television Version(1982,Ingmar Bergman) – I love the theatrical too of course
Once Upon a Time in America(1984,Sergio Leone)
Ran(1985,Akira Kurosawa)
Blade Runner(1982,Riddley Scott)
The South(1983,Victor Erice)
Cinema Paradiso(1988,Giuseppe Tornatore)
Possession(1981,Andrzej Zulawski)
A Time to Live and a Time to Die(1986,Hou Hsiao-hsien)
Morning Patrol(1987,Nikos Nikolaidis)
Just under:
After Hours(1985,Martin Scorsese)
Blue Velvet(1986,David Lynch)
Alexander the Great(1980,Theodoros Angelopoulos)
The Sacrifice(1986,Andrei Tarkovsky)
A City of Sadness(1989,Hou Hsiao-hsien)
Voyage to Cythera(1984,Theodoros Angelopoulos)
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Winds(1984,Hayao Miyazaki)
The Color Of Money – Martin Scorsese, United States, 1986
Scarface – Brian De Palma, United States, 1983
Cinema Paradiso – Giuseppe Tornatore, Italy, 1988
Dead Poets Society – Peter Weir, United States, 1989
Raging Bull – Martin Scorsese, United States, 1980
Mystery Train – Jim Jarmusch, United States, 1989
Platoon – Oliver Stone, United States, 1986
Tin Men – Barry Levinson, United States, 1987
Loafing And Camouflage – Nicos Perakis, Greece, 1984
Splendor – Ettore Scola, Italy, 1989
Raging Bull
Blade Runner
Last Exit to Brooklyn
Elephant Man
Adventures of Baron Munchausen
Broadcast News
Last Temptation of Christ
Fast Times at Ridgemont High
Another Woman
Princess Bride
Raging Bull (Scorsese)
The King of Comedy (Scorsese)
Videodrome David Cronenberg)
Stranger Than Paradise (Jarmusch)
The Asthenic Syndrome (Kira Muratova)
L’argent (Bresson)
Three Crowns of the Sailor (Ruiz)
A Time to Live and a Time to Die (Hou)
Walker (Alex Cox)
Where Is the Friend’s House? (Kiarostami)
À nos amours (1983)
The Aviator’s Wife (1981)
L’argent (1983)
Poto and Cabengo (1980)
They All Laughed (1981)
Comrades (1986)
Cutter’s Way (1981)
Deprisa, deprisa (1981)
The Right Stuff (1983)
Under the Volcano (1984)
Possession ( Andrzej Zulawski ) 1981
The Terrorizers ( Edward Yang ) 1986
The Boys from Fengkuei ( Hou Hsiao-Hsien ) 1983
Dust in the Wind ( Hou Hsiao- Hsien ) 1985
The Age of the Earth ( Glauber Rocha ) 1980
The City of Pirates ( Raul Ruiz) 1983
Batch 81 ( Mike de Leon) 1982
Come and See ( Elem Klimov ) 1985
Silvestre ( Joao Cesar Monteiro ) 1981
The Eye Above the Well ( Johan van der Keuken ) 1988
Blood Wedding – C. Saura
Colonel Redl — I. Szabó
Crimes and Misdemeanors — W. Allen
Down by Law — J. Jarmusch
Fanny and Alexander — I. Bergman
Midnight Run — M. Brest
Sans Soleil — C. Marker
Sur — Fernando Solanas
A Time to Live and a Time to Die — H.H. Hou
Tree of Knowledge — N. Malmros
1. Distant Voices, Still Lives (Terence Davies)
2. The Shining (Stanley Kubrick)
3. Blade Runner (Ridley Scott)
4. The Gold Diggers (Sally Potter)
5. The Last Emperor (Bernardo Bertolucci)
6. Damnation (Bela Tarr)
7. Full Metal Jacket (Stanley Kubrick)
8. E.T: The Extra Terrestrial (Steven Spielberg)
9. Down By Law (Jim Jarmusch)
10. My Neighbor Totoro (Hayao Miyazaki)
Not yet mentioned:
Diary for My Children / Mészáros Márta
Elephant / Alan Clarke
The End of the World / Dorota Kędzierzawska
Hovering Over the Water / João César Monteiro
A Japanese Village / Ogawa Shinsuke
Kuei-mei, a Woman / Chang Yi
Prince of the City / Sidney Lumet
The Ruins / Mrinal Sen
Utopia / Sohrab Shahid Saless
When the Tenth Month Comes / Đặng Nhật Minh
No Rank or Order:
-Heaven’s Gate -Michael Cimino
-Berlin Alexanderplatz -Rainer Werner Fassbinder
-Mauvais sang -Leos Carax
-Modern Romance -Albert Brooks
-Prenom: Carmen -Jean-Luc Godard
-Predator -John McTiernan
-Excalibur -John Boorman
-A City of Sadness -Hou Hsiao-hsien
-Peggy Sue Got Married -Francis Ford Coppola
-Sudden Impact -Clint Eastwood
Alphabetically:
A City of Sadness (Hou Hsiou-Hsien)
Come and See (Elim Klimov)
Fitzcarraldo (Werner Herzog)
The Last Temptation of Christ (Martin Scorsese)
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (Hayao Myazaki)
Nostalghia (Andrei Tarkovsky)
Sans soleil (Chris Marker)
The Shining (Stanley Kubrick)
The Thing (John Carpenter)
28 Up (Michael Apted)
1. Fanny and Alexander (Bergman)
2. Ran (Kurosawa)
3. Raging Bull (Scorsese)
4. The Dekalog (Kieslowski)
5. Man of Iron (Wajda)
5. Blue Velvet (Lynch)
6. Story of Women (Chabrol)
7. A Nos Amors (Pialat)
8. Radio Days (Allen)
9. Landscape in the Mist (Angelopoulos)
10. Identification of a Woman (Antonioni)
Not a bad decade at all, I’d put any of these up against the best of other decades.
The 80s was as good as any other decade outside of the pinnacles: the 50s, 60s, and 70s.
My top 10 in alphabetical order:
Amadeus
Come and See
The Cook, The Thief, His Wife, & Her Lover
The Empire Strikes Back
The Killer
Koyaanisqatsi
My Neighbor Totoro
Ran
Taipei Story
The Time To Live and the Time To Die
Runners-up:
Atlantic City
Dust in the Wind
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
Fanny and Alexander
Full Metal Jacket
Hail Mary
Hannah and Her Sisters
Hope and Glory
Jean de Florette/Manon of the Spring
The King of Comedy
Kiki’s Delivery Service
Mauvais Sang
My Dinner With Andre
My Life as a Dog
Pelle the Conquerer
Le Pont du Nord
Project A, Part II
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Red Sorghum
The Road Warrior
A Summer at Grandpa’s
Tampopo
Whose Life Is It, Anyway?
I would agree that at the top, the 1980s is as strong as any other decade. But I would also say that there is not the depth of great films that other decades have, IMO. My top 10 looks like this:
1. Raging Bull (Scorsese, 1980)
2. Back to the Future (Zemeckis, 1985)
3. Once Upon a Time in America (Leone, 1984)
4. Fitzcarraldo (Herzog, 1982)
5. Crimes and Misdemeanors (Allen, 1989)
6. The Big Red One (Fuller, 1980)
7. Henry V (Branagh, 1989)
8. Empire of the Sun (Spielberg, 1987)
9. Raiders of the Lost Ark (Spielberg, 1981)
10. Ran (Kurosawa, 1985)
Au Revoir Les Enfants (Malle;1987)
Do the Right Thing (Lee;1989)
Fanny & Alexander (Bergman;1982)
Hannah and Her Sisters (Allen;1986)
’Round Midnight (Tavernier;1986)
Down by Law (Jarmusch;1986)
The Elephant Man (Lynch;1980)
Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (Oshima;1983)
The King of Comedy (Scorsese;1983)
Law of Desire (Almodóvar;1987)
Airplane!
Blow Out
Blue Velvet
Crimes and Misdemeanors
The Empire Strikes Back
E.T., The Extra Terrestrial
Koyaanisqatsi
Raging Bull
Repo Man
Wings of Desire
I guess
joey Noodles
For me, it goes:
10. Born on the Fourth of July
9. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
8. BIG
7. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
6. The Shining
5. Raiders of the Lost Ark
4. The King of Comedy
3. Mississippi Burning
2. Raging Bull
1. Once Upon a Time in America
For me it wasn’t the greatest decade, but it did produce my favourite film of all time and my 5th favourite of all time.
Please do bear in mind that I am only 12 so, I haven’t seen everything yet, although I do like to think that for a 2 year old I have seen some pretty damn good films!