Starten wir doch einmal eine neue Reihe in diesem Format. Der Liste von zehn in meinen Augen besonders sehenswerten Filmen aus meinem Geburtsjahr 1980 soll dann auch in regelmäßiger Unregelmäßigkeit für jedes weitere Jahr eine solche Liste folgen. Ich habe noch keine Ahnung, worauf genau ich mich damit einlasse, vielleicht kommen Jahre, in denen ich keine zehn Filme zusammen bekomme. Aber das glaube ich nicht. Spannend wird es allemal, und wer weiß, was sich da im Laufe der nächsten Wochen und Monate für ein Bild ergibt und welche vermeintlich vergessenen Perlen der Filmgeschichte zu Tage gefördert werden. Eines jedenfalls kann ich schon einmal verraten: 1980 war zumindest cineastisch kein allzu schlechtes Jahr…

 

 

 

10.

The Blues Brothers (1980)
	Rating: 7.9/10 (139,942 votes) Director: John Landis Writer: Dan Aykroyd, John Landis Stars: John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, James Brown, Cab Calloway Runtime: 133 min Rated: R Genre: Action, Comedy, Crime Released: 20 Jun 1980
Plot: Jake Blues, just out from prison, puts together his old band to save the Catholic home where he and brother Elwood were raised.

 

 

 

9.

The Fog (1980)
	Rating: 6.8/10 (42,697 votes) Director: John Carpenter Writer: John Carpenter, Debra Hill Stars: Adrienne Barbeau, Jamie Lee Curtis, Janet Leigh, John Houseman Runtime: 89 min Rated: R Genre: Horror Released: 08 Feb 1980
Plot: Legend says that Antonio Bay was built in 1880 with blood money obtained from shipwrecked lepers but no one believes it. On the eve of the town's centennial many plan to attend the celebrations, including the murdered lepers.

 

 

 

8.

Friday the 13th (1980)
	Rating: 6.5/10 (80,897 votes) Director: Sean S. Cunningham Writer: Victor Miller, Sean S. Cunningham (story), Victor Miller (story) Stars: Betsy Palmer, Adrienne King, Jeannine Taylor, Robbi Morgan Runtime: 95 min Rated: X Genre: Horror, Mystery, Thriller Released: 09 May 1980
Plot: A group of camp counselors is stalked and murdered by an unknown assailant while trying to reopen a summer camp which, years before, was the site of a child's drowning.

 

 

 

7.

Dressed to Kill (1980)
	Rating: 7.1/10 (23,361 votes) Director: Brian De Palma Writer: Brian De Palma Stars: Michael Caine, Angie Dickinson, Nancy Allen, Keith Gordon Runtime: 105 min Rated: X Genre: Mystery, Thriller Released: 25 Jul 1980
Plot: A mysterious blonde woman kills one of a psychiatrist's patients, and then goes after the high-class call girl who witnessed the murder.

 

 

 

6.

Heaven's Gate (1980)
	Rating: 6.7/10 (9,538 votes) Director: Michael Cimino Writer: Michael Cimino Stars: Kris Kristofferson, Christopher Walken, John Hurt, Sam Waterston Runtime: 325 min Rated: R Genre: Adventure, Drama, Western Released: 19 Nov 1980
Plot: A dramatization of the real-life Johnson County War in 1890 Wyoming, in which a sheriff born into wealth attempts to protect immigrant farmers from rich cattle interests.

 

 

 

5.

Cruising (1980)
	Rating: 6.3/10 (11,235 votes) Director: William Friedkin Writer: William Friedkin, Gerald Walker (novel) Stars: Al Pacino, Paul Sorvino, Karen Allen, Richard Cox Runtime: 102 min Rated: R Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery Released: 1980-02-15
Plot: A police detective goes undercover in the underground S&M gay subculture of New York City to catch a serial killer who is preying on gay men.

 

 

 

4.

The Elephant Man (1980)
	Rating: 8.2/10 (158,090 votes) Director: David Lynch Writer: Christopher De Vore (screenplay), Eric Bergren (screenplay), David Lynch (screenplay), Frederick Treves (book), Ashley Montagu (in part on the book "The Elephant Man: A Study in Human Dignity") Stars: Anthony Hopkins, John Hurt, Anne Bancroft, John Gielgud Runtime: 124 min Rated: PG Genre: Biography, Drama Released: 10 Oct 1980
Plot: A Victorian surgeon rescues a heavily disfigured man who is mistreated while scraping a living as a side-show freak. Behind his monstrous facade, there is revealed a person of intelligence and sensitivity.

 

 

 

3.

The Shining (1980)
	Rating: 8.5/10 (525161 votes) Director: Stanley Kubrick Writer: Stephen King (novel), Stanley Kubrick (screenplay), Diane Johnson (screenplay) Stars: Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Danny Lloyd, Scatman Crothers Runtime: 146 min Rated: R Genre: Horror Released: 23 May 1980
Plot: A family heads to an isolated hotel for the winter where an evil and spiritual presence influences the father into violence, while his psychic son sees horrific forebodings from the past and of the future.

 

 

 

2.

Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
	Rating: 8.8/10 (607,096 votes) Director: Irvin Kershner Writer: Leigh Brackett (screenplay), Lawrence Kasdan (screenplay), George Lucas (story) Stars: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams Runtime: 124 min Rated: PG Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy Released: 20 Jun 1980
Plot: After the rebels have been brutally overpowered by the Empire on their newly established base, Luke Skywalker takes advanced Jedi training with Master Yoda, while his friends are pursued by Darth Vader as part of his plan to capture Luke.

 

 

 

1.

Raging Bull (1980)
	Rating: 8.3/10 (190,203 votes) Director: Martin Scorsese Writer: Jake LaMotta (based on the book by), Joseph Carter (with), Peter Savage (with), Paul Schrader (screenplay), Mardik Martin (screenplay) Stars: Robert De Niro, Cathy Moriarty, Joe Pesci, Frank Vincent Runtime: 129 min Rated: R Genre: Biography, Drama, Sport Released: 19 Dec 1980
Plot: An emotionally self-destructive boxer's journey through life, as the violence and temper that leads him to the top in the ring, destroys his life outside it.