
Elegant and educated bachelor, Charles Swann, moves in the most powerful and fashionable circles of Paris in the 1890’s. When he falls in love with Odette de Crecy, a courtesan, his friends warn him against marriage. Proving himself a silly and socially-foul goose, Swann ducks his social responsibilities, Odette ensnares him, and he is gently but firmly cast out of society amidst everyone’s great politeness.
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Tag Archives: 1980s
Happy Birthday to Me (1981) J. Lee Thompson, Melissa Sue Anderson, Glenn Ford, Lawrence Dane, Horror, Mystery, Thriller

Virginia Wainwright is a spirited young woman who has returned to a private school having survived a deadly accident and regenerative brain surgery. She is proud that she belongs to the Top Ten – the school’s inner circle with the best students – and attempts to resume a normal life. But her friends are falling prey to a grueling series of murders, and soon there will be no one left to attend her 18th birthday party. Could it be her? Striving to rekindle the memory of her nightmarish accident, Virginia suffers from memory loss and traumatic blackouts. We soon learn the horrible truth behind her accident and what is going on before her birthday party…
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Storia di Piera / The Story of Piera (1983) Marco Ferreri, Isabelle Huppert, Hanna Schygulla, Marcello Mastroianni, Biography, Drama, Erotic

This sometimes confusing erotic drama about the incestuous relationship of a mother and daughter is based on the autobiography of Italian theater actress Piera Degli Esposti though it focuses more on her mother Eugenia (Hanna Schygulla).
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Il marchese del grillo / The Marquis of Grillo (1981) Mario Monicelli, Alberto Sordi, Caroline Berg, Andrea Bevilacqua, Comedy, History

The marquess of Grillo is a good-natured, clever and women-loving man who is always inventing stories and cracking all types of jokes. The film tells the story of his life.
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Masques / Masks (1987) Claude Chabrol, Philippe Noiret, Robin Renucci, Bernadette Lafont, Comedy, Crime

Roland Wolf wants to write a book about a TV game-show host, the hail-fellow-well-met Christian Legagneur, who invites Wolf to his country estate, promising several days of lengthy interviews. But Legagneur’s laughter and easy intimacy are empty of content for a book, and he’s constantly dashing off, promising Wolf more time later. Wolf seems to have his own mask: he’s brought a gun with him, and he’s curious about a woman who was a recent guest at the estate. There’s also Legagneur’s godchild, Catherine, recovering from mental illness, and hovered over by Legagneur and his secretary. As Wolf digs through desks, he discovers a murderous plot.
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Skyggen af Emma / Emma’s Shadow (1988) Søren Kragh-Jacobsen, Line Kruse, Börje Ahlstedt, Erik Wedersøe, Comedy, Drama

Emma (Line Kruse) is an eleven year-old only child from a wealthy Danish family. Emma’s parents seem more interested in their own interests than in her. One evening when Emma overhears her mother talking about how tragic it must be to have your child kidnapped, Emma decides to stage her own kidnapping. She soon meets Malthe, a kind-hearted, child-like, naïve sewer cleaner who literally stumbles on to her. She convinces Malthe that she is a Russian princess whose family is being chased by Bolsheviks, so Malthe lets Emma stay with him in his very modest abode. After being “kidnapped” for a few days, Emma decides to return home. But, just as she is about to return, she overhears a couple of servants talking about how her parents don’t seem to be very upset over her dilemma. She then returns to Malthe and a close bond soon develops between Emma and Malthe. Meanwhile, the police are finally called and begin their investigation. Emma writes a ransom note for $2000, and her father pays it.
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King Lear (1987) Jean-Luc Godard, Woody Allen, Freddy Buache, Leos Carax, Comedy, Drama, Sci-Fi

Everything returns to normal after Chernobyl. That is, everything but art. Most of the great works are lost, and it is up to people like William Shakespear Junior the Fifth to restore the lost artwork of the human race. He finds strange goings-on at a resort enough to remind him of all the lines of the play, dealing with mob boss Don Learo and his daughter Cordelia, a strange professor named Jean Luc-Godard (sic), who repeatedly xeroxes his hand for no particular reason. He is followed by four humanoid goblins that keep tormenting Cordelia. There is also the gentleman whose girlfriend, Valerie, isn’t always visible. Then the film is sent off to New York for Mr. Alien to edit.
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The Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu (1980) Piers Haggard, Richard Quine, Peter Sellers, Helen Mirren, David Tomlinson, Comedy

Fu Manchu’s 168th birthday celebration is dampened when a hapless flunky spills Fu’s age-regressing elixir vitae. Fu sends his lackeys to round up ingredients for a new batch of elixir, starting with the Star of Leningrad diamond, nabbed from a Soviet exhibition in Washington. The FBI sends agents Capone and Williams to England to confer with Nayland Smith, an expert on Fu. Nayland suspects Fu will kidnap the king and queen and demand the George V diamond as ransom. Scotland Yard recruits Alice Rage to stand-in for the queen. Fu nabs the “fake” queen; Rage becomes enamored of Fu and aids him in his quest for the George V diamond.
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Orinoco: Prigioniere del sesso / Hotel Paradise (1980) Edoardo Mulargia, Anthony Steffen, Ajita Wilson, Cristina Lay, Action, Adventure, Drama

Girls kept prisoner under appalling conditions to dig emeralds for an evil tyrant are rescued by revolutionaries disguised as soldiers.
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Medea (1988) Lars von Trier, Udo Kier, Kirsten Olesen, Henning Jensen, Drama

Medea is in Corinth with Jason and their two young sons. King Kreon wants to reward Jason for his exploits: he gives the hand of his daughter, Glauce, to Jason as well as the promise of the throne. In exchange, Medea and the boys are to be banished. Jason explains that his actions ensure a rich future for Medea and her sons. She asks that she be allowed to stay; Kreon refuses. She asks for one more day, and begs Jason to seek the king’s permission to allow their sons to stay in Corinth. Jason agrees and Medea prepares a gift for her sons to give to Glauce. Will Medea leave peacefully?
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