1980s

Sarrouina (Keïta), a young warrior queen of the Azna tribe well-schooled in the arts of herbalism and warfare, leads her people to victory against a neighboring tribe. But the real trial of strength for her comes when the French army marches south to widen its colonial grip on the African continent. The second half of the film focuses on the French, acidly but plausibly satirized as little tyrants whose megalomania swells in proportion with their failure to grasp the realities of the culture they are trying to crush. Grounded in careful historical research, Sarraounia is a superbly crafted and expansive film that strikes a celebratory, assertive tone.Read More »

New York Times:
THE setting is a rather grand English country home on the Isle of Wight. Two women are bickering as they play lawn tennis. An elderly man reading beneath a tree spots a fly on his hand and begins having an odd attack. A young stranger suddenly appears and gives the man mouth-to-mouth resuscitation or, so to speak, a kiss of life. Later, the victim will thank him for having braved not only the garlic on his breath but ”an old man’s slack mouth.”Read More »

Two college students decide to take a vacation to the Amazon. After renting a boat and sailing down the river in search of some good scenery, the two kids become lost.Read More »

Cream in My Coffee is a television drama by Dennis Potter, broadcast on ITV on 2 November 1980 as the last in a loosely connected trilogy of plays exploring language and betrayal. A juxtaposition between youth and old age, the play combines a non-linear narrative with the use of popular music to heighten dramatic tension, a feature of much of Potter’s work. Cream in My Coffee was awarded the Prix Italia for best drama in 1981 and Peggy Ashcroft gained a BAFTA Best Actress award in 1981. The play’s title is taken from the popular song “You’re the Cream in My Coffee”, from the 1929 Broadway musical Hold Everything!Read More »

Quote:
Gothic nightmares collide with gritty realism in this “stylish horror thriller [that] pulls you in and makes you pay attention“ (Los Angeles Times)! Laced with sly humor, this “imaginative, scary“ gem packs “a wow of an ending“ (Leonard Maltin)! After a spine-tingling paperback captures the imagination of bookstore clerk Virginia (Jenny Wright), she seeks out the author`s second book, I, Madman. But once she opens the cover, its eerie tale of obsessive love comes to life,catapulting a disfigured, scalpel-wielding killer from the world of fiction onto the streets of Hollywood with one demented goal: to win Virginia`s love, one murder at a time!Read More »

Mark Cunliffe:
“You don’t know how low I was, how down. Everything was like it was raining all the time. The way the rain sort of glints all dull like on the slates. On the roof”

In 1978, tired of and frustrated by not having the power over the BBC’s drama department Dennis Potter went some way to realise his dream of being a writer with total control over his work by forming the independent production company Pennies From Heaven (or PFH) Ltd with producer Kennith Trodd and his agent Judy Daish. Two years later, the companies independent nature came to fruition thanks to a deal with BBC rival, LWT to produce six new plays by Potter along with three other plays comprising of two from Salford socialist Jim Allen and one writer/performer Ken Campbell.Read More »

Synopsis:
The troubled life of French sculptor Camille Claudel and her long relationship with legendary sculptor Auguste Rodin are portrayed in this passionate biographical drama, featuring an acclaimed performance by Isabelle Adjani. Beginning in the 1880s with a young Claudel’s first meeting with Rodin, the film traces the development of their intense romantic bond. The growth of this relationship coincides with the rise of Claudel’s career, helping her overcome prejudices against female artists. However, their romance soon sours, due to the increasing pressures of Rodin’s fame and his love for another woman. These difficulties combine with her increasing doubts about the value of her work to drive Claudel into an emotional tumult that threatens to become insanity.Read More »

This is a story of Protestant pioneers, a single family that travels into the wilderness following the prophetic misguidance of a single man whose desires outweigh his prudence. At the height of the witch terrors, this historical horror is more accurate than many another film, and does not overstretch its portrayals to suit audience expectation.Read More »

Quote:
In Dangling by Their Mouths, Campbell casts himself as the female lead named Anna. At first, the obvious image of the cross-dressing Campbell playing the part of Anna is quite displacing. However, by avoiding the “camp” aspects of gender bending (quite often found in videos from the 1980s), Campbell’s performance allows the viewer to suspend their disbelief until, midway through the tape, Campbell has successfully transformed into Anna.Read More »