British film of the 1980s
Trends of the 70s Extend Into the 80s: The decade of the 1980s tended to consolidate the means made in the seventies rather than to initiate any new trends equal to the large number of disaster movies, buddy movies, or "rogue cop" movies that characterized the previous decade. Designed for mass audience appeal, few 80s films became what could be called 'classics'. By the end of the 80s era, most films were not designed for adult audiences (such as Driving Miss Daisy (1989)), but for teen audiences (for example, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989)).
After the innovations of the 70s, films in the 80s were less experimental and original, although there was a burst of films eager to capitalize on new special effects techniques - now available. Predictions were grim for the industry - production costs were soaring while ticket prices were declining. The average ticket price at the beginning of the decade was about $3, and over $4 by the end of the decade, while the average film budget was over $18 million.
Following the production slump of the 1970s, it was perhaps inevitable that the Oscar triumph of Chariots of Fire (1981) was taken as a sign of a resurgence in British Cinema. At the 1982 Oscar ceremony Colin Welland optimistically announced that 'the British are coming'.
The number of films Britain produced increased in the latter half of the decade. In terms of style, British film won many international awards. In terms of cinema attendance, this too rose from 1985 onwards.
1980 Sir Alfred Hitchcock ,,the master of horror” died
The Shining Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson), becomes the caretaker of the Overlook Hotel in up in the secluded mountains of Colorado. Jack, being a family man, takes his wife (Shelley Duvall) and son (Danny Lloyd) to the hotel to keep him company throughout the long, isolated nights. During their stay, strange things occur when Jack's son Danny sees gruesome images powered by a force called 'the shining' and Jack is heavily effected by this. Along with writer's block and the demons of the hotel haunting him, Jack has a complete mental breakdown and the situation takes a sinister turn for the worse.
The Elephant Man A Victorian doctor comes to care for a man catastrophically deformed with Proteous Syndrome. Cast: Anthony Hopkins
1982 Gandhi Many of the major awards among 1982 films were swept by director Sir Richard Attenborough's earnest, conventional three-hour long, costume epic biography/story of the life of the great, noble and venerable Indian leader, the Mahatma Gandhi (with eleven nominations and eight wins). It won the largest number of awards for any British film up to that time - although the film was financed by Columbia Studios. (The year before, the British film Chariots of Fire was also honoured with many accolades - seven nominations and four wins.)
The film's eight awards were for Best Actor (Ben Kingsley in a debut lead performance), Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Art/Set Direction, Best Film Editing, Best Costume Design - and director Attenborough won two Oscars - for Best Picture (as producer), and Best Director. Ben Kingsley deservedly won the Best Actor Oscar (with his first nomination and first Oscar) for his intelligent, sensitive, and realistic portrayal of Mohandas Gandhi's life and his doctrine of non-violent civil disobedience in Gandhi
Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life This is a narrative film of the British group of comedians. In seven chapters Monty Python deals with a meaning of life from the birth till the death. At the same time he is mostly focusing on different governmental institutions and on the guard of ethics. Of course with acrid mockery and sarcastic allusion characteristic for himself. Naturally, he even does not reprieve Catholic Church with its attitude towards the question of the contraception. The rough humour of this group is traditionally not afraid of attacking any taboo and it does not avoid any odiousness. Film shows an intelligent fun and there is nothing to reproach as for its technical elaboration and performance.
Gulliver in Lilliput Ivanhoe This is a remake of Walter Scott's Ivanhoe. Ivanhoe, a worthy and noble knight, the champion of justice returns to England after the holy wars...
1984 1984 - based on George Orwell´s novel 1984
The Killing Fields An American citizen is trapped in Cambodia during tyrant Pol Pot's bloody "Year Zero" ethnic cleansing campaign, which claimed the lives of two million "undesirable" civilians. Cast: Sam Waterston, John Malkovich
1985 Brazil An offbeat, satirical ultra-dark comedy of an oppressive, alternative future, with visually-imaginative references to Kafka's The Trial, Orwell's 1984 and A Clockwork Orange. A bureaucrat in a retro-future world tries to correct an administrative error and himself becomes an enemy of the state Academy Award Nominations: 2, Best Original Screenplay, Best Art Direction/Set Decoration. Cast: Jonathan Pryce, Robert De Niro, Katherine Helmond, Ian Holm, Bob Hoskins, Kim Greist
1986 Blue Velvet (1986) A controversial, disturbing, off-beat cult film drama that explores the corrupt, malevolent under-side of small town, suburban Americana. Academy Award Nominations: 1, Best Director. Cast: Isabella Rossellini, Kyle MacLachlan, Dennis Hopper, Dean Stockwell, Laura Dern
Aliens The planet from Alien (1979) has been colonized, but contact is lost. This time, the rescue team has impressive firepower, enough? Cast: Sigourney Weaver
Clockwise An uncompromising British school headmaster finds himself beset by one thing going wrong after another.
1989 Henry V The gritty adaption of William Shakespeare's play about the English King's bloody conquest of France Cast: Derek Jacobi, Kenneth Branagh, Simon Sheperd
Zdroje:
Film site - www.filmsite.org Britannia - www.britannia.com Britishfilm - www.britishfilm.org.uk
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