1980 1981 198219831984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989

1983 Movies

Take a nostalgic look back at the top movies of 1983, celebrating the films, directors and actors that defined the year and left a lasting legacy in the world of entertainment.

1983 Academy Awards

Trading Places
Written by: Timothy Harris, Herschel Weingrod
Directed by: John Landis
Starring: Dan Aykroyd, Eddie Murphy, Jamie Lee Curtis, Don Ameche, Ralph Bellamy
Country: United States of America
Outline: A wealthy commodities broker and a streetwise con artist find their lives reversed as part of a bet by two callous millionaire brothers.
source: imdb.com
Terms of Endearment
Written by: James L. Brooks
Directed by: James L. Brooks
Starring: Shirley MacLaine, Debra Winger, Jack Nicholson, Danny DeVito, Jeff Daniels
Country: United States of America
Outline: The complex relationship between a mother and her daughter is explored over three decades, highlighting love, loss, and personal growth.
source: imdb.com
WarGames
Written by: Lawrence Lasker, Walter F. Parkes
Directed by: John Badham
Starring: Matthew Broderick, Ally Sheedy, John Wood
Country: United States of America
Outline: A young computer whiz kid accidentally connects into a top secret super-computer which has complete control over the U.S. nuclear arsenal. He challenges it to a game between America and Russia, and he innocently starts the countdown to World War III.
source: imdb.com
Risky Business
Written by: Paul Brickman
Directed by: Paul Brickman
Starring: Tom Cruise, Rebecca De Mornay, Joe Pantoliano
Country: United States of America
Outline: A Chicago teenager is looking for fun at home while his parents are away, but the situation quickly gets out of hand.
source: imdb.com
Octopussy
Written by: George MacDonald Fraser, Richard Maibaum, Michael G. Wilson
Directed by: John Glen
Starring: Roger Moore, Maud Adams, Louis Jourdan
Country: United States of America
Outline: James Bond investigates the mysterious murder of a fellow agent and uncovers a plot to smuggle a nuclear bomb into the Soviet Union.
source: imdb.com
Sudden Impact
Written by: Joseph Stinson
Directed by: Clint Eastwood
Starring: Clint Eastwood, Sondra Locke, Geoffrey Lewis
Country: United States of America
Outline: Dirty Harry Callahan uncovers a web of crime and corruption in a small town while investigating a series of murders.
source: imdb.com
Mr. Mom
Written by: John Hughes
Directed by: Stan Dragoti
Starring: Michael Keaton, Teri Garr, Frederick Koehler
Country: United States of America
Outline: After losing his job, a man becomes a stay-at-home dad and discovers the challenges of domestic life.
source: imdb.com
Flashdance
Written by: Tom Hedley, Joe Eszterhas
Directed by: Adrian Lyne
Starring: Jennifer Beals, Michael Nouri
Country: United States of America
Outline: Alex Owens, an eighteen-year-old welder in Pittsburgh, aspires to become a professional dancer. She works as a cabaret performer by night and applies to the Pittsburgh Conservatory of Dance and Repertory.
source: en.wikipedia.org
Staying Alive
Written by: Sylvester Stallone, Norman Wexler
Directed by: Sylvester Stallone
Starring: John Travolta, Cynthia Rhodes, Finola Hughes
Country: United States of America
Outline: Six years after his success in 'Saturday Night Fever', Tony Manero moves to Manhattan to pursue a Broadway dance career. He faces challenges in his personal and professional life as he strives to make it on the stage.
source: en.wikipedia.org
Scarface
Written by: Oliver Stone
Directed by: Brian De Palma
Starring: Al Pacino, Michelle Pfeiffer, Steven Bauer
Country: United States of America
Outline: Tony Montana, an ambitious Cuban immigrant, rises to power in Miami's drug trade, leading to his eventual downfall. The film explores themes of ambition, power, and the American Dream.
source: en.wikipedia.org
Barefoot Gen
Written by: Keiji Nakazawa
Directed by: Mori Masaki
Starring: Issei Miyazaki, Masaki Kōda, Tatsuya Jō
Country: Japan
Outline: An animated film depicting the experiences of a young boy, Gen Nakaoka, in Hiroshima during and after the atomic bombing of 1945.
source: en.wikipedia.org
The Right Stuff
Written by: Philip Kaufman
Directed by: Philip Kaufman
Starring: Sam Shepard, Ed Harris, Scott Glenn, Fred Ward, Dennis Quaid, Barbara Hershey, Kim Stanley
Country: United States of America
Outline: An epic historical drama chronicling the lives of the first seven astronauts selected for the United States' Project Mercury space program.
source: en.wikipedia.org
The Ballad of Narayama
Written by: Shōhei Imamura
Directed by: Shōhei Imamura
Starring: Sumiko Sakamoto, Ken Ogata, Mitsuko Baishō, Tatsuya Fuji, Akira Emoto
Country: Japan
Outline: A drama set in a remote mountain village where the elderly are taken to a mountain to die, focusing on a woman's decision to ascend at the age of 70.
source: en.wikipedia.org
Zelig
Written by: Woody Allen
Directed by: Woody Allen
Starring: Woody Allen, Mia Farrow, Patrick Horgan, John Buckwalter, John Rothman
Country: United States of America
Outline: A mockumentary-style film about a man who can transform his appearance and behavior to blend into any social situation.
source: en.wikipedia.org
The Dresser
Written by: Ronald Harwood
Directed by: Peter Yates
Starring: Albert Finney, Tom Courtenay, Michael Gough, Edward Fox, Eileen Atkins
Country: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Outline: A drama about the relationship between an aging Shakespearean actor and his devoted dresser during a provincial tour.
source: en.wikipedia.org
Monty Python's The Meaning of Life
Written by: Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin
Directed by: Terry Jones
Starring: Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin
Country: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Outline: A series of comedic sketches exploring various stages of life, from birth to death, in the unique style of Monty Python.
source: imdb.com
Never Cry Wolf
Written by: Curtis Hanson, Sam Hamm, Richard Kletter
Directed by: Carroll Ballard
Starring: Charles Martin Smith, Brian Dennehy, Zachary Ittimangnaq
Country: United States of America
Outline: A government biologist is sent to the Canadian Arctic to study the decline of caribou, leading to unexpected discoveries about wolves and the environment.
source: imdb.com
Local Hero
Written by: Bill Forsyth
Directed by: Bill Forsyth
Starring: Peter Riegert, Burt Lancaster, Fulton Mackay, Jenny Seagrove, Peter Capaldi
Country: United States of America
Outline: An American oil company representative is sent to a small Scottish village to purchase the town for a refinery, leading to unexpected cultural clashes.
source: imdb.com
Pauline at the Beach
Written by: Éric Rohmer
Directed by: Éric Rohmer
Starring: Amanda Langlet, Arielle Dombasle, Pascal Greggory, Féodor Atkine, Simon de La Brosse
Country: France
Outline: A young woman and her cousin navigate love and relationships during a summer vacation in Normandy, France.
source: imdb.com
National Lampoon's Vacation
Written by: John Hughes
Directed by: Harold Ramis
Starring: Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo, Anthony Michael Hall, Dana Barron
Country: United States of America
Outline: The Griswold family's cross-country drive to the Walley World theme park proves to be much more arduous than they ever anticipated.
source: imdb.com
Tender Mercies
Written by: Horton Foote
Directed by: Bruce Beresford
Starring: Robert Duvall, Tess Harper, Betty Buckley, Allan Gelfant
Country: United States of America
Outline: An ex-country singer attempts to turn his life around after a series of personal and professional setbacks.
source: imdb.com