1981--The Year in Review

Another great year. Again, the top 30 films listed here are absolutely essential viewing (and proof that the 1970s are still going on, really). My top choice, Warren Beatty's Reds, has been a favorite of mine since its release, so I cannot abandon its sweeping romanticism and its epic peer at world history (plus its remarkable blending of the documentary and narrative styles of filmmaking; I love, too, how fiercely Beatty fought to get this difficult, extremely political yet massively tender movie made--and by a major capitalistic film outfit!). But Wolfgang Petersen's Das Boot (which wouldn't hit US shores until 1983) comes REAL close to besting it with its crushing suspense and atmosphere, and its equally challenging worldview (which makes us actually root for the Nazis!). Then, Lumet’s Prince of the City, with its 200 speaking parts and its own oppressive tension, also hits big (it was a tight race between Treat Williams' lead and John Heard's snarling, eye-patched performance in Cutter's Way, but I had to go for the latter; still, I could not ignore Prince of the City's sweeping screenplay). World cinema was re-awakened with movies like Pixote, Coup de Torchon, Mephisto, Diva, Christiane F, Man of Iron, Beau Père, Montenegro and two from the extremely prolific Rainer Werner Fassbinder Lili Marleen and Lola. It's a landmark year for the burgeoning genres of fantasy, sci-fi and horror, with Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Road Warrior, An American Werewolf in London, Excalibur, Time Bandits, The Evil Dead, Escape from New York, Dragonslayer, Quest for Fire, Possession, Scanners, The Howling, Shock Treatment, Caveman, Strange Behavior, Outland, Looker, For Your Eyes Only, Clash of the Titans, Dead and Buried, Heavy Metal, and The Beyond (geez, this seems like Year Zero for the present obsession with these genres). Comedy, too, reaches deep importance with Modern Romance, Gregory’s Girl, Arthur, They All Laughed, S.O.B., Continental Divide, The Four Seasons, Polyester, Stripes, Neighbors, and, yes, even Mommie Dearest. But then there are so many dramatic films I love: Blow Out (my favorite De Palma), Pixote, Gallipoli, Ragtime, Smash Palace, Southern Comfort, Thief, Body Heat, Sharky's Machine, Raggedy Man, Chariots of Fire (the surprise winner of the Best Picture award, via the Academy), Whose Life Is It, Anyway?, Ticket to Heaven, and Ms. 45. I have to laud the best musical of the year, a highly unique vision from director and former choreographer Herbert Ross (and writer Dennis Potter) called Pennies From Heaven--one of the most daring movies of the decade. And, finally, and unbelievably (since it's an art that has been so important from the beginning of cinema, as I have detailed in past years), it's the first year the Academy gave an Oscar to makeup artists, and of course Rick Baker had to win the award for the primo of his many masterpiece efforts. Ahh, it's insane how much I adore the pictures from 1981. It seems like a really unique period for movie history--one that's still ringing strongly to the present. 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: REDS (US, Warren Beatty)
(2nd: Das Boot (West Germany, Wolfgang Petersen)
followed by: Prince of the City (US, Sidney Lumet)
Raiders of the Lost Ark (US, Steven Spielberg)
Pennies from Heaven (US, Herbert Ross)
Cutter’s Way (US, Ivan Passer)
Modern Romance (US, Albert Brooks)
Gregory’s Girl (UK, Bill Forsyth)
Pixote (Brazil, Hector Babenco)
Gallipoli (Australia, Peter Weir)
My Dinner With André (US, Louis Malle)
Vernon, Florida (US, Erroll Morris)
Thief (US, Michael Mann)
The Road Warrior (Australia, George Miller)
An American Werewolf in London (US/UK, John Landis)
Excalibur (UK, John Boorman)
Smash Palace (New Zealand, Roger Donaldson)
Arthur (US, Steve Gordon)
Southern Comfort (US, Walter Hill)
Blow Out (US, Brian de Palma)
Coup de Torchon (France, Bertrand Tavernier)
Ragtime (US, Milos Forman)
Mephisto (Hungary, Istvan Szabo)
Time Bandits (UK, Terry Gilliam)
The Evil Dead (US, Sam Raimi)
Body Heat (US, Lawrence Kasdan)
Escape from New York (US, John Carpenter)
The Decline of Western Civilization (US, Penelope Spheeris)
Sharky's Machine (US, Burt Reynolds)
They All Laughed (US, Peter Bogdanovich)
Raggedy Man (US, Jack Fisk)
Chariots of Fire (UK, Hugh Hudson)
S.O.B. (US, Blake Edwards)
Christiane F (West Germany, Uli Edel)
Diva (France, Jean-Jacques Beineix)
On Golden Pond (US, Mark Rydell)
Dragonslayer (US, Matthew Robbins)
Man of Iron (Poland, Andrzej Wajda)
Whose Life Is It, Anyway? (US/Canada, John Badham)
The Four Seasons (US, Alan Alda)
Ticket to Heaven (Canada, Ralph L. Thomas)
American Pop (US, Ralph Bakshi)
Continental Divide (US, Michael Apted);
Ms. 45 (US, Abel Ferrara)
The Chosen (US, Jeremy Kagan)
Brooklyn Bridge (US, Ken Burns)
Quest for Fire (France/Canada/US, Jean-Jacques Annaud)
The Day After Trinity (US, Jon Else)
All Night Long (US, Jean-Claude Tramont)
Soldier Girls (US, Nick Broomfield and Joan Churchill)
Nighthawks (US, Bruce Malmuth)
Eye of the Needle (UK, Richard Marquand)
The Postman Always Rings Twice (US, Bob Rafelson)
Polyester (US, John Waters)
Lili Marleen (West Germany, Rainer Werner Fassbinder)
Possession (France/.West Germany, Andzedj Zulawski)
Scanners (Canada, David Cronenberg)
Stripes (US/Canada, Ivan Reitman)
Neighbors (US, John G. Avildsen)
Beau Père (France, Bertrand Blier)
The Howling (US, Joe Dante)
The French Lieutenant’s Woman (UK, Karel Reisz)
True Confessions (US, Ulu Grosbard)
Absence of Malice (US, Sydney Pollack)
Montenegro (Sweden/UK, Dusan Makavejev)
Shock Treatment (UK, Jim Sharman)
First Monday in October (US, Ronald Neame)
Taps (US, Harold Becker)
Lola (West Germany, Rainer Werner Fassbinder)
The Loveless (US, Kathryn Bigelow)
Caveman (US, Carl Gottlieb)
Circle of Two (Canada, Jules Dassin)
Mommie Dearest (US, Frank Perry)
The Fox and the Hound (US, Ted Berman and Richard Rich)
Strange Behavior (US, Michael Laughlin)
Road Games (Australia, Richard Franklin)
Outland (US, Peter Hyams)
Looker (US, Michael Crichton)
For Your Eyes Only (UK, John Glen)
Clash of the Titans (US/UK, Desmond Davis)
Dead and Buried (US, Gary Sherman)
Heavy Metal (Canada, Gerald Potterton)
History of the World, Part I (US, Mel Brooks)
Wolfen (US, Michael Wasleigh)
Porky's (Canada, Bob Clark)
Roar (US, Noel Marshall)
The Beyond (Italy, Lucio Fulci)
Evilspeak (US, Eric Weston))

ACTOR: John Heard, CUTTER'S WAY (2nd: Treat Williams, Prince of the City, followed by: Dudley Moore, Arthur; Albert Brooks, Modern Romance; Warren Beatty, Reds; Henry Fonda, On Golden Pond; Bruno Lawrence, Smash Palace; Nick Mancuso, Ticket to Heaven)



ACTRESS: Diane Keaton, REDS (2nd: Sissy Spacek, Raggedy Man, followed by: Kathleen Turner, Body Heat; Katherine Hepburn, On Golden Pond; Isabelle Huppert, Coup De Torchon; Meryl Streep, The French Lieutenant’s Woman; Kate Nelligan, Eye of the Needle)



SUPPORTING ACTOR: John Gielgud, ARTHUR (2nd: Christopher Walken, Pennies from Heaven, followed by: Jack Nicholson, Reds; Griffin Dunne, An American Werewolf in London; Howard E. Rollins Jr., Ragtime; Nicol Williamson, Excalibur; Robert Preston, S.O.B.; Eric Roberts, Raggedy Man) 


 
SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Maureen Stapleton, REDS (2nd: Lisa Eichorn, Cutter’s Way, followed by: Jessica Harper, Pennies from Heaven; Elizabeth McGovern, Ragtime; Melinda Dillon, Absence of Malice; Kathryn Harrold, Modern Romance; Jane Fonda, On Golden Pond; Cathy Moriarty, Neighbors) 



DIRECTOR: Warren Beatty, REDS (2nd: Sidney Lumet, Prince of the City, followed by: Wolfgang Petersen, Das Boot; Steven Spielberg, Raiders of the Lost Ark; Albert Brooks, Modern Romance; Brian De Palma, Blow Out; Hector Babenco, Pixote; Bill Forsyth, Gregory's Girl)

NON-ENGLISH LANGUAGE FILM: DAS BOOT (West Germany, Wolfgang Petersen) (2nd: Pixote (Brazil, Hector Babenco), followed by: Coup de Torchon (France, Bertrand Tavernier); Mephisto (Hungary, Istvan Szabo); Christiane F (West Germany, Uli Edel); Diva (France, Jean-Jacques Beineix); Man of Iron (Poland, Andrzej Wajda); Lili Marleen (West Germany, Rainer Werner Fassbinder); Beau Père (France, Bertrand Blier); Montenegro (Sweden/UK, Dusan Makavejev); Lola (West Germany, Rainer Werner Fassbinder))

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE: VERNON, FLORIDA (US, Errol Morris) (2nd: The Decline of the Western Civilization (US, Penelope Spheeris), followed by: Brooklyn Bridge (US, Ken Burns); The Day After Trinity (US, Jon Else); Soldier Girls (UK/US, Nick Broomfield and Joan Churchill))



ANIMATED FEATURE: AMERICAN POP (US, Ralph Bakshi) (2nd: The Fox and the Hound (US, Ted Berman and Richard Rich), followed by: Heavy Metal (Canada, Gerald Potterton))

LIVE ACTION SHORT: TANGO (Poland, Zbigniew Rybczynski) (2nd: L'Avant Dernier (France, Luc Besson), followed by: The Bunker of the Last Gunshots (France, Marc Caro and Jean-Pierre Jeunet); Pikoo's Diary (India, Satyajit Ray))



ANIMATED SHORT: CRAC (Canada, Frederic Back) (2nd: The Tender Tale of Cinderella Penguin (Canada, Janet Perlman). followed by: Projekt (Czechoslovakia, Jiri Barta); The Garden of Earthly Delights (US, Stan Brakhage); E (USSR, Bretislav Pojar))



ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: Albert Brooks and Monica Johnson, MODERN ROMANCE (2nd: Steve Gordon, Arthur, followed by Lawrence Kasdan, Body Heat; Warren Beatty and Trevor Griffiths, Reds; Bill Forsyth, Gregory’s Girl; Andre Gregory and Wallace Shawn, My Dinner with Andre)



ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: Jay Presson Allen and Sidney Lumet, PRINCE OF THE CITY (2nd: Jeffery Alan Fiskin, Cutter’s Way, followed by: Wolfgang Petersen, Das Boot; Dennis Potter, Pennies From Heaven; Michael Mann, Thief; Michael Weller, Ragtime)

CINEMATOGRAPHY: Vittorio Storaro, REDS (2nd: Alex Thomson, Excalibur, followed by: Jost Vacano, Das Boot; Vilmos Zsigmond, Blow Out; Gordon Willis, Pennies From Heaven; Douglas Slocombe, Raiders of the Lost Ark)

ART DIRECTION: RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, Das Boot, Pennies from Heaven, Reds, Excalibur, Ragtime

COSTUME DESIGN: EXCALIBUR, Pennies from Heaven, Reds, Ragtime, Chariots of Fire, The Road Warrior

EDITING: RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, Das Boot, Reds, Prince of the City, The Road Warrior, An American Werewolf in London 

SOUND: DAS BOOT, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Reds, The Road Warrior, Dragonslayer, Blow Out



ORIGINAL SCORE: John Williams, RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (2nd: Vangelis, Chariots of Fire, followed by: Ry Cooder, Southern Comfort; Randy Newman, Ragtime; Dave Grusin, On Golden Pond; Colin Tully, Gregory's Girl)



ADAPTATION SCORE/SCORING OF A MUSICAL: Ralph Burns and Billy May, PENNIES FROM HEAVEN (2nd: Trevor Jones, Excalibur, followed by: Richard O'Brien, Shock Treatment)



ORIGINAL SONG: “Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do)” from ARTHUR (Music and lyrics by Carole Bayer Sager, Burt Bacharach, Christopher Cross and Peter Allen) (2nd: “In My Own Way” from Shock Treatment (Music and lyrics by Richard O‘Brien) followed by: “One More Hour” from Ragtime (Music and lyrics by Randy Newman); “For Your Eyes Only” from For Your Eyes Only (Music by Bill Conti, lyrics by Mick Leeson); “Dream Away” from Time Bandits (Music and lyrics by George Harrison); “Never Say Goodbye” from Continental Divide (Music by Michael Small, lyrics by Carole Bayer Sager); "Endless Love" from Endless Love (Music and lyrics by Lionel Richie); "Looker" from Looker (Music and lyrics by Barry DeVorzon and Mike Tower))

SPECIAL EFFECTS: RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, Dragonslayer, Clash of the Titans

MAKEUP: AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON, Quest for Fire (won in 1982), Heartbeeps, The Evil Dead, Mommie Dearest

My Movie Poster Collection: C

As always, click on the poster for a larger image: 

THE CANDIDATE (Michael Richie, 72). Folded, F
Terrific image, with political newcomer Robert Redford having his face obscured by bubble gum. Still one of the most intelligent movies about politics around (perhaps even more relevant today), with an Oscar-winning script by Jeremy Larner. I love this poster, too, for its lack of a tagline, though its notation at the bottom is memorable enough: "This advertisement has been paid for by Warner Brothers, who would love for The Candidate to be a winner." Brilliant.

CANDY STRIPE NURSES (Alan Holleb, 74). Folded, G
A "sexy" movie I remember seeing at the drive-in as a kid. May have been my first glimpse of some tit. The crazy explosion between the woman's legs (with the guy on the motorcycle flying) makes me smile!

CAPE FEAR (Martin Scorsese, 91). Rolled, P
The artwork, by John Alvin, may be a tad overdone (something about those eyes, which are obviously not De Niro's), but still, I think this remake is one of the few that actually betters the original, because the conflict between Cady and the family he's terrorizing is made more primal and moralistic.

CAPRICORN ONE (Peter Hyams, 77). Folded, VG
A great poster for those moon landing deniers. Not a movie that holds up, though. My second poster with a boxed-in image of unusually self-satisfied co-star O.J. Simpson, who's now quite literally boxed in, thankfully.

CAREFUL, HE MIGHT HEAR YOU (Carl Schultz, 83). Folded, VG
A low-key little Australian movie that I have a little affection for. Great title, by the way.

CARNY (Robert Kaylor, 80). Folded, G
One of the most unfairly overlooked movies of the 1980s. Gary Busey's performance out of clown makeup is highly amusing, and IN the clown makeup, is radically frightening. Great supporting cast in this one--Elisha Cook, Meg Foster, Craig Wasson, Kenneth MacMillan, Tim Thomerson, Woodrow Parfrey, Burt Remsen, Teddy Wilson and George Emerson as the unforgettable Fat Man. Plus, this is probably the only time you'll get to see Jodie Foster in a corset, and Robbie Robertson in a lead role. The director has disappeared but, boy, does he have a handle on this grimy world.

CARRIE (Brian De Palma, 76). Rolled/folded, G
A classic poster, because it knew what the film's classic images would be. I like, too, that it mirrors the split screen in the equal-measures sweet and horrifying central prom sequence.

CASUALTIES OF WAR (Brian De Palma, 89). Rolled, VG
Not a classic, either as a poster or as a film. Sean Penn's face here is ridiculous.

THE CELEBRATION (Thomas Vinterberg, 98). Rolled, VG
I usually don't like these faces-only posters, but somehow this one works (maybe because of its jagged quality). Or maybe it's because I love this movie beyond words.

CHANDLER (Paul Magwood, 71). Folded, VG
Warren Oates looks like a donkey here, and that's why I bought it.

THE CHANGELING (Peter Medak, 79). Folded, G
A terrific horror film, with a memorable tagline. I only wish the art was a little sharper, but it'll do.

CHILLY SCENES OF WINTER (Joan Micklin Silver, 81). Folded, VG
You can really feel United Artists, nearing Heaven's Gate bankruptcy, scrambling to get this poster out there. The inset photo of Charles and Laura together looks sloppily pasted on. In reality, the poster doesn't look as bad as it does here. But, as this is one of my top 20 movies of all time (and the first one I chose to review on this blog), I have to love, love, love it.

CISCO PIKE (Bill L. Norton, 72). Folded, VG
This is a prime example of great 70s graphic design. The colors, the layout, the type, the writing, and the movie itself (nearly) are all perfect.

CITIZEN'S BAND (A.K.A. HANDLE WITH CARE) (Jonathan Demme, 77). Folded, VG
All-type posters are extremely rare and extremely strange, and attractive, to me. This is one of the strangest out there, particularly since the movie has an incredible cast (Paul Le Mat, Candy Clark, Charles Napier, Ann Wedgeworth, Roberts Blossom, Bruce Magill, Marcia Rodd, and Harry Northup) and an equally terrific Altman-esque sweep. Another forgotten movie I wish more people would see. How ANYONE went to see it, with this poster, is a mystery.

THE CITY OF LOST CHILDREN (Marc Caro & Jean-Pierre Jeunet, 95). Rolled, VG
Absolutely gorgeous one-sheet for an absolutely stunning film. No complaints here.

CLAIRE'S KNEE (Eric Rohmer, 70). Folded, VG
A treasure. Not only is this my second favorite Rohmer (after The Green Ray/Summer), the one-sheet perfectly illustrates its subject's premise better than any other poster I can think of, at least at this moment.

THE CLAN OF THE CAVE BEAR (Michael Chapman, 86). Folded, P
Perhaps the best poster ever for the worst movie ever. My copy has a tiny imperfection in it, but I love it just the same. When I look at it, no thoughts of the movie come into my head; it's just simply a fine work of art.

CLUELESS (Amy Heckerling, 95). Rolled, VG
I feel so wistful now, thinking of the relative innocence of this movie. Really, when it came out, I thought Alicia Silverstone was going to be a great movie star. Still, when I look at Heckerling's movie, I wonder why it never happened, cause Alicia is so vibrant in it. Seeing the plumper, cuter Brittany Murphy there makes me sad. I really liked her. RIP.

COAL MINER'S DAUGHTER (Michael Apted, 80). Rolled/folded, G
Perhaps the very best musical biopic ever produced, with Sissy Spacek transformed into Loretta Lynn right before our eyes. As much as I love Tommy Lee Jones in this film, I'm glad he's only slightly included here (even though it's almost as much his movie as it is hers).

THE COLLECTOR (William Wyler, 65). Folded, VG
Creepy poster, creepy film. I admire the simple tagline, and the inventive slicing of the main image.

THE COLOR PURPLE (Steven Spielberg, 85) Rolled, NM
Great poster art by John Alvin! Excellent condition. Wish I loved the movie more! 

COMA (Michael Crichton, 78). Folded, G
I bought this poster simply because I love that shot of Genvieve Bujold wandering amongst all those strung-up coma patients. I do have a deep affection for the film, too--it's Crichton's most suspenseful production. By the way, excellent logo!

CONRACK (Martin Ritt, 74). Folded, G
The young Jon Voight. I still can't understand his genetic connection to Angelina Jolie, beyond those lips. Superb movie, by the way, based on the teaching career of its Georgia-born author, Pat Conroy, as you can discover reading the type on the poster.

CONTACT (Robert Zemeckis, 97). Rolled, G
Not a poster I like--too plain--but I do cherish this brave film...at least, most of it (I dislike the visual treatment of the ending).

THE CONVERSATION (Francis Ford Coppola, 74). Folded, F
Excellent on all counts. I don't think I could ever give this poster up, even if it does have a small tear in it. 

COOKIE'S FORTUNE (Robert Altman, 99). Rolled, VG
Another late-career lamo one-sheet for Robert Altman. Still, it's Altman, and I have to have it. I do like that the late, lamented Patricia Neal is featured on here, though. That might be a first in her career.

COUNTDOWN (Robert Altman, 68). Folded, VG
Still one of the few Altman movies I haven't seen. The poster is extra two-tinted cool, though, and printed on non-glossy paper, which I always find to be a plus. And I love anything to do with astronauts...

CRASH (David Cronenberg, 96). Rolled, G
Again, red and black--always a winner. This very well may be the best Cronenberg poster out there (his one-sheets tend to be on the dull side). That bizarrely censored image of the nude Deborah Kara Unger is enough to take your mind off the less creative four-red-faces design at the top.

CRIES AND WHISPERS (Ingmar Bergman, 73). Folded, review sheet, VG
Unlike many poster collectors, I think review sheets are fun to have, because they can provide you with lots of reading as they're hanging on your wall. And who wouldn't want to read about a great movie like this?

CRY FREEDOM (Richard Attenbourough, 87). Folded, G
I don't care for this film, but somehow the poster's artwork keeps me hanging on.

CUJO (Lewis Teague, 83). Folded, G
Dull coloring for an intermittently effective horror semi-classic.

CURSE OF THE JADE SCORPION (Woody Allen, 2001). Rolled, VG
Ugh. I have this only because I'm a Scorpio.

CUTTER AND BONE (A.K.A. CUTTER'S WAY) (Ivan Passer, 81). Folded, VG
This might be one of the rarest pieces in my collection, since it's for a movie that has a cult following under the title of Cutter's Way. This is a BETTER poster than the Cutter's Way version, which should tell you how much the then-beleaguered United Artists screwed up in promoting this wonderful modern noir title. See this film immediately, if you haven't already.