Tag Archives: 1980s

Skyggen af Emma / Emma’s Shadow (1988) Søren Kragh-Jacobsen, Line Kruse, Börje Ahlstedt, Erik Wedersøe, Comedy, Drama

Skyggen af Emma aka Emma's Shadow (1988)
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

King Lear (1987)
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

The Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu (1980)
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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Medea (1988) Lars von Trier, Udo Kier, Kirsten Olesen, Henning Jensen, Drama

Medea (1988)
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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Kingsajz / King Size (1988) Juliusz Machulski, Jacek Chmielnik, Jerzy Stuhr, Katarzyna Figura, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy

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A comedy. The story follows a young scientist in the contemporary world, who actually came from the world of dwarves, thanks to a magic potion, held by the Big Eater, ruler of the dwarves. The dwarf kingdom, Shuflandia, exists in a cellar of a library, and only the most obedient get the chance to grow to king size and inhabit the larger world. Once there, nobody wants to return to Shuflandia. Also, there are no women in Shuflandia.
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Prom Night (1980) Paul Lynch, Leslie Nielsen, Jamie Lee Curtis, Casey Stevens, Horror

Prom Night (1980)
For six long years, Hamilton High School seniors Kelly Lynch, Jude Cunningham, Wendy Richards and Nick McBride have been hiding the truth of what happened to ten-year-old Robin Hammond the day her broken body was discovered near an abandoned convent. The foursome kept secret of how they taunted Robin – backed her into a corner until, frightened, she stood on a window ledge… and fell to her death. Though an accident, the then-twelve-year-olds feared they would be held responsible and vowed never to tell. But someone else was there that day… watching, and now, that someone is ready to exact murderous revenge on prom night.
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Attention bandits! / Bandits (1986) Claude Lelouch, Jean Yanne, Marie-Sophie L., Patrick Bruel, Drama

Attention bandits! (1986)
On the day Jean Gabin dies, a kidnaper who also takes a fortune in jewels heisted from Cartiers murders Simon Verini’s wife. (Simon was fencing the jewels for a youthful gang who robbed Cartiers; he suspects them of the murder.) He’s framed for the theft and spends ten years in prison, writing to his daughter, Marie-Sophie, who’s 11 when he’s sent away. Released, he reconnects to Marie-Sophie and to the young thieves, seeks revenge, and is quickly arrested again. She doesn’t know what to make of her father, retreats to her Swiss fiancé, and is flummoxed when one of the young thieves falls for her. Is resolution possible when crime cuts across families and romance?
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