1983--The Year in Review

The top five pictures of 1983 are easily a few of the 1980s most stellar titles, and the subsequent fifteen titles are also essential viewing. But there is a general drop-off in quality this year, and it’ll be a while before we see anything like 1967-82 again. Still, I treasure my top pick, Local Hero, like a precious jewel; I deeply feel that it is my movie, made with love and care just for my adoration. I had been a fan of Scottish director Bill Forsyth for a few years before seeing this masterpiece that, with its gorgeous lensing, gently funny screenplay, and stunning Mark Knopfler score, urges its viewers to stop the hubbub in their lives and admire the beauty of the world that surrounds us. Of course, its nearest competitor. Philip Kaufman's The Right Stuff is clearly the American movie of the year--a movingly patriotic epic about the nascent days of the U.S. space program that's irreverent, accurate, and remarkable in its perfect production and inventive casting. Two movies with venal lead characters dancing around the edges of the entertainment industry vied most closely for Best Actor this year: Robert De Niro's Rupert Pupkin is an unforgettable invention (as is Sandra Bernhard's nutty superfan), but it is Eric Roberts' murderous, painfully tortured Paul Snider in Bob Fosse's sleazy take on Hollywood that had to take the prize (the Academy went with another, more likable industry outlier played by Robert Duvall). At the Oscars, TV veteran James L. Brooks dominated with his adaptation of Larry McMurtry's Terms of Endearment (which finally netted an award for Shirley MacLaine, rightfully so, as well as a second Oscar for Jack Nicholson, hilarious as a hard-partying retired astronaut). Comedy as a whole made terrific strides this year with movies like Zelig, Trading Places, Monty Python's The Meaning of Life, The Big Chill, Educating Rita, Risky Business, The Man with Two Brains, Valley Girl, Strange Brew, National Lampoon's Vacation, and that holiday perennial A Christmas Story. But in all it was a pretty serious film output this year, as screens were studded with such downbeat tales as The Dresser, Entre Nous, Silkwood, The Ballad of Narayama, Betrayal, Under Fire, Daniel, Scarface, Bad Boys, and two devastating looks at the effects of nuclear war on average citizens, Testament and The Day After (to that time, the highest rated TV movie ever). On the short film front, I had to give the live action award to what is in the running for the best music video of all time, while the animation spot goes to one of the indisputable masters of Czech cinema. NOTE: These are MY choices for each category, and are only occasionally reflective of the selections made by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (aka The Oscars). When available, the nominee that actually won the Oscar will be highlighted in bold.

PICTURE: LOCAL HERO (Scotland, Bill Forsyth)
(2nd: The Right Stuff (US, Philip Kaufman), followed by:
The King of Comedy (US, Martin Scorsese)
Star 80 (US, Bob Fosse)
Entre Nous (France, Diane Kurys)
Zelig (US, Woody Allen)
The Dresser (UK, Peter Yates)
Silkwood (US, Mike Nichols)
Terms of Endearment (US, James L. Brooks)
Marvin and Tige (US, Eric Weston)
The 4th Man (Netherlands, Paul Verhoeven)
Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life (UK, Terry Jones and Terry Gilliam)
Lianna (US, John Sayles)
Tender Mercies (US, Bruce Beresford)
Sans Soleil (France, Chris Marker)
Careful, He Might Hear You (Australia, Carl Schultz)
The Dead Zone (Canada, David Cronenberg)
Betrayal (UK, David Hugh Jones)
El Norte (US, Gregory Nava)
Testament (US, Lynne Littman)
Rumble Fish (US, Francis Ford Coppola)
Educating Rita (UK, Lewis Gilbert)
Never Cry Wolf (US, Carroll Ballard)
Trading Places (US, John Landis)
Man of Flowers (Australia, Paul Cox)
Risky Business (US, Paul Brickman)
Videodrome (Canada, David Cronenberg)
Marlene (West Germany, Maximilian Schell)
Pauline at the Beach (France, Eric Rohmer)
Under Fire (US, Roger Spottiswoode)
L’Argent (France, Robert Bresson)
Nostalghia (Italy/USSR, Andrei Tarkovsky)
Made in Britain (UK, Alan Clarke)
Valley Girl (US, Martha Coolidge)
The Big Chill (US, Lawrence Kasdan)
The Day After (US, Nicholas Meyer)
The Outsiders (US, Francis Ford Coppola)
The Ballad of Narayama (Japan, Shohei Imamura)
Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (UK/Japan/New Zealand, Nagisa Oshima)
Sugar Cane Alley (France/Martinique, Euzhan Palcy)
Of Unknown Origin (Canada, George Pan Cosmatos)
Daniel (US, Sidney Lumet)
Le Bal (France/Italy, Ettore Scola)
WarGames (US, John Badham)
Return of the Jedi (US, Richard Marquand)
Yentl (US, Barbra Streisand)
À Nos Amours (France, Maurice Pialat)
He Makes Me Feel Like Dancin' (US, Emile Ardalino)
Twice Upon a Time (US, John Korty and Charles Swenson)
Scarface (US, Brian de Palma)
And the Ship Sails On (Italy, Federico Fellini)
All the Right Moves (US, Michael Chapman)
A Christmas Story (Canada, Bob Clark)
Something Wicked This Way Comes (US, Jack Clayton)
Cross Creek (US, Martin Ritt)
Heart Like a Wheel (US, Jonathan Kaplan)
Utu (New Zealand, Geoff Murphy)
The Man with Two Brains (US, Carl Reiner)
Wild Style (US, Charlie Ahearn)
Bad Boys (US, Rick Rosenthal)
Reuben, Reuben (US, Robert Ellis Miller)
Strange Invaders (US, Michael Laughlin)
To Be or Not To Be (US, Alan Johnson)
Max Dugan Returns (US, Herbert Ross)
The Star Chamber (US, Peter Hyams)
Strange Brew (Canada, Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas)
Hanna K. (Israel/France, Costa-Gavras)
Octopussy (UK, John Glen)
Brainstorm (US, Douglas Trumbull)
Christine (US, John Carpenter)
Cujo (US, Lewis Teague)
National Lampoon's Vacation (US, Harold Ramis)
Eddie and the Cruisers (US, Martin Davidson)



ACTOR: Eric Roberts, STAR 80 (2nd: Robert De Niro, The King of Comedy, followed by: Robert Duvall, Tender Mercies; John Cassavetes, Marvin and Tige; Tom Courteney, The Dresser; Albert Finney, The Dresser; Christopher Walken, The Dead Zone; Al Pacino, Scarface; Peter Riegert, Local Hero)



ACTRESS: Shirley MacLaine, TERMS OF ENDEARMENT (2nd: Julie Walters, Educating Rita, followed by: Debra Winger, Terms of Endearment; Meryl Streep, Silkwood; Isabelle Huppert, Entre Nous; Jane Alexander, Testament; Bonnie Bedelia, Heart Like A Wheel; Wendy Hughes, Careful, He Might Hear You) 


 
SUPPORTING ACTOR: Jack Nicholson, TERMS OF ENDEARMENT (2nd: John Lithgow, Twilight Zone: The Movie, followed by: Guy Marchand, Entre Nous; Jerry Lewis, The King of Comedy; Fred Ward, The Right Stuff; Sam Shepard, The Right Stuff; Denis Lawson, Local Hero; Ed Harris, The Right Stuff) 


 
SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Sandra Bernhard, THE KING OF COMEDY (2nd: Amanda Plummer, Daniel, followed by: Cher, Silkwood; Veronica Cartwright, The Right Stuff; Tess Harper, Tender Mercies; Alfre Woodard, Cross Creek; Jamie Lee Curtis, Trading Places; Michelle Pfeiffer, Scarface)



DIRECTOR: Bill Forsyth, LOCAL HERO (2nd: Philip Kaufman, The Right Stuff, followed by: Martin Scorsese, The King of Comedy; Diane Kurys, Entre Nous; Woody Allen, Zelig; Bob Fosse, Star 80; Mike Nichols, Silkwood; Peter Yates, The Dresser)

NON-ENGLISH LANGUAGE FILM: ENTRE NOUS (France, Diane Kurys) (2nd: The 4th Man (The Netherlands, Paul Verhoeven), followed by: Pauline at the Beach (France, Eric Rohmer); Marlene (West Germany, Maximilian Schell); L’Argent (France, Robert Bresson); Nostalghia (Italy/USSR, Andrei Tarkovsky); The Ballad of Narayama (Japan, Shohei Imamura); Sugar Cane Alley (France/Martinique, Euzhan Palcy); Le Bal (France/Italy, Ettore Scola); À Nos Amours (France, Maurice Pialat); And the Ship Sails On (Italy, Federico Fellini))

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE: SANS SOLEIL (France, Chris Marker) (2nd: He Makes Me Feel Like Dancin' (US, Emile Ardalino), followed by: Wild Style (US, Charlie Ahearn))

ANIMATED FEATURE: TWICE UPON A TIME (US, John Korty and Charles Swenson)



LIVE ACTION SHORT: THRILLER (US, John Landis) (2nd: Down to the Cellar (Czechoslovakia, Jan Svankmajer), followed by: Rockit (US/UK, Kevin Godley and Lol Creame); Every Breath You Take (UK, Kevin Godley and Lol Creame); Passionless Moments (Australia, Jane Campion and Gerard Lee)


ANIMATED SHORT: THE VANISHED WORLD OF GLOVES (Czechoslovakia, Jiri Barta) (2nd: A Ballad About Green Wood (Czechoslovakia, Jiri Barta), followed by: Sundae in New York (US, Jimmy Picker); Mickey's Christmas Carol (US, Burney Mattinson))



ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: Paul D. Zimmerman, THE KING OF COMEDY (2nd: Bill Forsyth, Local Hero, followed by: Horton Foote, Tender Mercies; Woody Allen, Zelig; Terry Jones, Terry Gilliam, Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Michael Palin and Eric Idle, Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life; John Sayles, Lianna)



ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: Philip Kaufman, THE RIGHT STUFF (2nd: Diane Kurys and Alain Le Henry, Entre Nous, followed by: Ronald Harwood, The Dresser; Harold Pinter, Betrayal; James L. Brooks, Terms of Endearment; Nora Ephron and Alice Arlen, Silkwood)

CINEMATOGRAPHY: Chris Menges, LOCAL HERO (2nd: Caleb Deschanel, The Right Stuff, followed by: Gordon Willis, Zelig; Stephen Burum, Rumble Fish; Hiro Narita, Never Cry Wolf)

ART DIRECTION: THE RIGHT STUFF, Return of the Jedi, The Dresser, Local Hero, Something Wicked This Way Comes

COSTUME DESIGN: ZELIG, The Right Stuff, The King of Comedy, The Dresser, Something Wicked This Way Comes

FILM EDITING: THE RIGHT STUFF, Silkwood, Star 80, The King of Comedy, Flashdance

SOUND: THE RIGHT STUFF, Return of the Jedi, Never Cry Wolf, WarGames, The King of Comedy

SOUND EFFECTS: THE RIGHT STUFF, WarGames, Return of the Jedi





ORIGINAL SCORE: (TIE) Mark Knopfler, LOCAL HERO and Stewart Copeland, RUMBLE FISH (2nd: Bill Conti, The Right Stuff, followed by: Patrick Williams, Marvin and Tige; John Barry, High Road to China; Jerry Goldsmith, Under Fire)



ADAPTATION SCORE/SCORING OF A MUSICAL: Michel Legrand, Alan and Marilyn Bergman, YENTL (2nd: William Elliott, The Pirates of Penzance, followed by: Elmer Bernstein, Trading Places)



ORIGINAL SONG: “Galaxy Song” from MONTY PYTHON’S THE MEANING OF LIFE (Music by Eric Idle and John Du Prez, lyrics by Eric Idle) (2nd: “Don’t Box Me In” from Rumble Fish (Music and lyrics by Stewart Copeland and Stan Ridgway), followed by: "I’ve Decided to Leave Here Forever" from Tender Mercies (Music and lyrics by Robert Duvall); "Holiday Road" from National Lampoon's Vacation (Music and lyrics by Lindsay Buckingham); "The Meaning of Life" from Monty Python's The Meaning of Life (Music by Eric Idle and John Du Prez, lyrics by Eric Idle); "If You'll Hold the Ladder (I'll Climb to the Top)" from Tender Mercies (Music and lyrics by Buzz Rabin and Sara Busby); "Easy Money" from Easy Money (Music and lyrics by Billy Joel); “Stay Gold” from The Outsiders (Music by Carmine Coppola, lyrics by Stevie Wonder); “Papa, Can You Hear Me?” from Yentl (Music by Michel Legrand, lyrics by Alan and Marilyn Bergman); "Flashdance...What A Feeling" from Flashdance (Music by Giorgio Moroder, lyrics by Irene Cara and Keith Forsey); “It Hurts to Face Reality” from Tender Mercies (Music and lyrics by Lefty Frizzell); "Maniac" from Flashdance (Music by Michael Sembello and Dennis Matkosky); "The Way He Makes Me Feel" from Yentl (Music by Michel Legrand, lyrics by Alan and Marilyn Bergman); "All The Right Moves" from All the Right Moves (Music by Tom Snow, lyrics by Barry Alfonso); "On The Dark Side" from Eddie and the Cruisers (Music and lyrics by John Cafferty); "All Time High" from Octopussy (Music by John Barry, lyrics by Tim Rice))

SPECIAL EFFECTS: RETURN OF THE JEDI, The Right Stuff, Zelig

MAKEUP: THE DRESSER, Videodrome, Twilight Zone: The Movie

Film #21: Gregory's Girl

Scottish filmmaker Bill Forsyth specializes in what I call "Saturday Afternoon Movies." You know how you feel on a Saturday afternoon...as if everything is in store for you, as if the air is cleaner than the days before, excitement is flooding your veins and all your stresses have dissipated into the past? Most of Forsyth's films make you feel like that, even on non-Saturdays. But catch them on that weekend day, at 2 or 3 PM, and the effect is palpably overpowering. You feel like you've been shot in the butt by a cherub, you're so feathery-light.

I saw my first Bill Forsyth movie in 1981, when I was at the perfect age of 14. My sense of romance was just blossoming and I stepped hopeful into Gregory's Girl on that--yes--Saturday afternoon completely unaware of what joy I was soon to have. I remember being immediately won over by the film, even though the American print I was watching was obviously overdubbed to mask the players' thick Scottish accents. But somehow this made the film funnier. I've seen the original Scot version of the film, and I still prefer the American prints. They have an odd faceitiousness about them, as if made in another dimension right next door to our own. The movie itself has this asset, too. It's a warm film--very warm. But Gregory's hometown looks strange and sterile, his parents are almost never seen, his friends have more than the average number of quirks, his little sister seems to have sexual knowledge way beyond her ken, and his teachers are baldfaced goofs. Hell, this kid can't even walk right.


But this is the way it feels to by young and in love for the first time--you see the alien lurking through your insides. Gregory's Girl captures the reality of our naive romantic yearnings, but it does so via surprise. This is evident from the very beginning, as Gregory and crew lose their shit over catching a naked woman through their binoculars, only to be followed by some younger boys who take a gander through the glasses and knowingly comment "All that fuss over a bit of tit?"

The gawky John Sinclair Lewis plays Gregory, the luckless goalie for a suburban high school's soccer team. When Phil, the team's manager (the only regularly-seen adult in the film, played by Jake D'Arcy) puts a call out for new team players, he and his footballers are stunned to discover that the best potential ringer is Dorothy (Dee Hepburn), a self-assured young lady with a killer kick and a body to match. Though her teammates are initially suspicious, she conquers any doubts about her abilities soon after she captures their desires and their first victory.


Gregory resolves to become chief among her suitors and, though she remains cordial, she really doesn't seem at all taken with him. No matter. She agrees to a date anyway, thereby putting a burner under Gregory's hormones and a charitable ulterior plan in motion. The movie hereby becomes a smitten recreation of what it's like to be in love before we even know what love really is. It captures the adolescent rapture in feeling something so endlessly new. And it draws a clean line between young women, who know what the heart wants, and young men, who are bumbling around aimlessly until the opposite sex chooses to take their hands and show them the way.

This is clearly demonstrated not only by the climactic switcheroos involving Gregory's romantic fate, but most memorably by the relationship Gregory has with Madeline, his wiser-than-wise ten-year-old sister (Allison Forster), who opines that love is like a sweet dessert: you want to always cherish the unruined thought of it, to keep it wholly untasted. "But it can't go on like that forever," she says. She's obviously way ahead of everyone in the movie; she knows that romance has just as much potential for heartbreak as joy.


The movie's plot is simple, but its eccentric characters are indeed complex. Forsyth's self-admittedly autobiographical screenplay amasses a lovable but pathetic group of geeks. Gregory's romantically-desparate best friend Andy (Robert Buchanan) insists on spouting off lame trivia about the 100-mile-an-hour speed of a sneeze and the high ratio of women to men in Caracas, Venezuela, all the while never realizing that this trait is exactly what's driving girls away. Steve
(William Greenlees) is the school's dispassionate star home ec student who's more concerned about mixing the perfect batter than picking up women. "Did you wash your hands?" he smirks as sous-chef Gregory goes on, on and over the precipice about his passion for Dorothy (I treasure Gregory's comeback: "Food, food, food. Is that all you ever think about? It's unnatual. You know, you're a freak!"). Eric (Allen Love) is the obsessive photographer hatching sly plans to hawk photos of Dorothy alongside Steve's marzipan treats.

The few adults in Forsyth's world are memorable as well: D'arcy as the put-upon coach (one of my favorite scenes has two fellow teachers making fun of his sorry new mustache by way of deceptive compliments), Chic Murray as the out-to-lunch, whimsically piano-playing headmaster ("Off ya go, ya small boys!"), and Dave Anderson as Gregory's distant driving instructor dad ("And, Gregory...we'll start the driving lessons when you've mastered the walking bit").


And then there are the little details: Gregory's electric toothbrush vibrating wildly on the kitchen counter; a boy in a penguin outfit stumbling his way back to class; a terrible track-and-field hopeful continually making laughable goes at the high jump; Gregory singing happily as he blow-dries his armpit hair; lovely Susan (Claire Grogan) listening intently to Gregory meowing in reply to a nocturnal cat; Andy's determined poetry recitation, which prompts a teacher to literally throw the book at him; Gregory emitting a little yelp after seeing a girl change, in a phone booth, from virginal attire into sexpot duds; the coach ordering the cafeteria's ravioli after we've just heard one kid call it garbage. And there are so many more bits to enjoy.


Forsyth would direct more ambitious films, including 1983's perfect fairy tale Local Hero and the underrated Being Human with Robin Williams (a box-office bomb that effectively stunted Forsyth's career). He even went on to direct a Gregory's Girl sequel. But I refused to see Gregory's Two Girls, because I'm afraid it might sully my devotion to the original. After all, who'd wish that on their truest love?