Best Drama Films of 1980
Brubaker
Fact-based drama starring Robert ... co-screenwriter Arthur A. Ross, creator of Creature From the Black Lagoon (1954) and father of successful writer/director Gary Ross. [ best drama films - 1980 ]
Urban Cowboy
"You a real cowboy?" ... nascent Reagan era, as '70s icon Travolta learned bull-riding himself and replaced his white polyester with a black Stetson. [ best drama films - 1980 ]
The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg
Filmed in Vermont, The ... of William Faulkner's Barn Burning on PBS' American Short Story series; the program first aired on March 17, 1980. [ best drama films - 1980 ]
Beulah Land
Beulah Land is an ... on toes despite the testimonial of a black Yale history professor, who commended the production for its "special sensitivity." [ best drama films - 1980 ]
The Jayne Mansfield Story
Loni Anderson plays the ... Mickey Hargitay (Arnold Schwarzenegger) before a car accident ended her life. A.K.A. Jayne Mansfield: A Symbol of the '50s. [ best drama films - 1980 ]
Guyana, Cult of the Damned
"Names have been changed ... Carlo as Johnsontown's press officer, and Bradford Dillman as the doctor who mixes the punch for Johnson's final gathering. [ best drama films - 1980 ]
A Tale of Two Cities
Chris Sarandon does the ... Pross. An Emmy nomination went to Olga Lehmann's costume design. A Tale of Two Cities debuted December 2, 1980. [ best drama films - 1980 ]
The Pride of Jesse Hallam
In this moving made-for-cable ... get a job in the city. He was forced to leave after one of his daughters becomes terribly sick. [ best drama films - 1980 ]
A Christmas Without Snow
A Christmas Without Snow ... the lonely Houseman himself. Christmas without Snow was presented by CBS in conjunction with the network's Family Reading Program. [ best drama films - 1980 ]
Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones
This two-part TV movie ... Tragedy was adapted by Ernest Tidyman from the Washington Post and Charles A. Krause's Guyana Massacre: An Eyewitness Account. [ best drama films - 1980 ]
Loulou
Maurice Pialat's character study ... Andre won't give her up and, in the mind-set of a middle-class bourgeois, tries to convince her to return. [ best drama films - 1980 ]
The Idolmaker
The story of Philadelphia-based ... show biz mechanics, The Idolmaker falters only in its anachronisms, notably the style of music performed by Vacarri's proteges. [ best drama films - 1980 ]
Three Brothers
Director Francesco Rosi earned ... men grieves in his own way, while also wrestling with the other emotional issues that are pressing on them. [ best drama films - 1980 ]
Breaker Morant
Breaker Morant is one ... nominated for an Academy Award. The final execution scene is nearly overpowering in its sense of tragedy and futility. [ best drama films - 1980 ]
Coal Miner's Daughter
Loretta Lynn was one ... group the Band) made an impressive screen debut as her father. Ernest Tubb makes a cameo appearance as himself. [ best drama films - 1980 ]
Gloria
Gloria (Gena Rowlands), a ... showcase for Cassavetes' wife Gena Rowlands. The film won the Golden Lion Award at the 1980 Berlin Film Festival. [ best drama films - 1980 ]
Heartland
The "heartland" of the ... threatens to buckle, thanks to several unforeseen casualties. Heartland is based on several autobiographical works by Elinore Randall Stewart. [ best drama films - 1980 ]
Foxes
Foxes details the exploits ... seem to go anywhere; maybe that's the point, though, since neither do the characters in their vacuous, instant-gratification-based existences. [ best drama films - 1980 ]
Dallas: Season 04
"Who shot J.R.?" Those ... series was America's top-rated series -- the first dramatic program to pull off this coup since Marcus Welby, M.D. [ best drama films - 1980 ]
The Ordeal of Dr. Mudd
The tragic story of ... known facts, The Ordeal of Dr. Mudd is fairly accurate. The film was originally aired on March 25, 1980. [ best drama films - 1980 ]
Tell Me a Riddle
Featuring Lila Kedrova and ... visit their grandchildren. Actress Lee Grant's first directorial feature, this drama is based on a novella by Tillie Olsen. [ best drama films - 1980 ]
A Small Circle of Friends
Pumped up with energy ... whether it seems like a good idea or not, she suggests that the three of them move in together. [ best drama films - 1980 ]
The Jazz Singer
Pop singer Neil Diamond ... Yussel's forsaking their traditional Jewish ways. His father disowns him, rending his garments and bellowing, "I hef no son!" [ best drama films - 1980 ]
Coach of the Year
Coach of the Year ... horror-flick fame. Originally titled The Coach, then 4 Down Behind Bars, Coach of the Year debuted December 20, 1980. [ best drama films - 1980 ]
Rodeo Girl
The Rodeo Girl is ... Inspired by real-life rodeo world champion Sue Pirtle, the made for TV Rodeo Girl first aired September 17, 1980. [ best drama films - 1980 ]
Air Crew
The drama centers around ... jet long before the pilot can attempt a landing in Moscow, creating a tense situation for everyone on board. [ best drama films - 1980 ]
Oblomov
Russian director Nikita Mikhalkov ... example of the work of the director who would win a 1994 Oscar for his Burnt by the Sun. [ best drama films - 1980 ]
Il Giorno del Cobra
In this well-paced crime ... and encountering obstacles that include Brenda (Sybil Danning) a gorgeous disc jockey, and a motley group of underworld denizens. [ best drama films - 1980 ]
Hussy
Matthew Chapman wrote and ... the degenerate surroundings and into the light-of-day in the English countryside. But unfortunately, things do not go as planned. [ best drama films - 1980 ]
Fame
Fame is set at ... Fame, which premiered in 1981. The score for the film version of Fame was honored with an Academy Award. [ best drama films - 1980 ]
Spetters
Spetters further elaborates on ... used in the seventies and eighties to refer to people who are sexually appealing ("That girl is a spetter.") [ best drama films - 1980 ]
Perro Callejero
The gritty Mexican drama ... employment, but his environment and its effect on him makes it harder and harder for him to better himself. [ best drama films - 1980 ]
Deutschland Bleiche Mutter
Director Helma Sanders-Brahms reached ... her starve to death. Originally released in 1980 Germany Pale Mother received its general American release four years later. [ best drama films - 1980 ]
Barn Burning
This 40-minute TV dramatization ... Man Who Corrupted Hadleyburg. Both dramas debuted on March 17, 1980, as part of PBS's American Short Story anthology. [ best drama films - 1980 ]
Contraband
Produced in Italy, this ... he seeks a suitable hide-out, his inferiors track down the perpetrators. The film appears in Italian with English subtitles. [ best drama films - 1980 ]
Cry of the Innocent
Filmed in Ireland, Cry ... Pettet plays both roles). Based on a novel by Frederick Forsyth, this made-for-TV espionager premiered on June 19, 1980. [ best drama films - 1980 ]
Del Otro Lado del Puente
The 97-minute Mexican drama ... slowly sinks in. Down but not out, the hero is determined to succeed in America, on the Americans' terms. [ best drama films - 1980 ]
The House on the Edge of the Park
Filmed in 1979 but ... the party-goers to be much worse than the two toughs who sought to have some fun at their expense. [ best drama films - 1980 ]
The Jilting of Granny Weatherall
Based on Katherine Anne ... saga of a elderly matriarch who still mourns over her lost love when she was jilted many years ago. [ best drama films - 1980 ]
Paul's Case
This family oriented made-for-TV ... century as he works his way to the highest levels of New York society. Henry Fonda introduces the story. [ best drama films - 1980 ]
Rappaccini's Daughter
Based on a story ... this made-for-television drama tells the tale of a college student, a mysterious young woman and a strangely beautiful garden. [ best drama films - 1980 ]
Refuge of Fear
This is a serious ... that takes place after a nuclear war. [ best drama films - 1980 ]
The Sky is Gray
Ernest J. Gaines' short ... pride. The 46-minute The Sky is Gray was first telecast April 7, 1980 on PBS' American Short Stories anthology. [ best drama films - 1980 ]
Staying On
Trevor Howard and Celia ... Staying On was first telecast in the US on May 11, 1981, as part of PBS' Great Performances series. [ best drama films - 1980 ]
Teen Mothers
Two unwed youths head ... New York tenements with their child after they are driven from their homes. [ best drama films - 1980 ]
Du Er Ikke Alene
Young teenager Bo (Anders ... director Lasse Nielsen's youth-oriented trilogy that began with La' Os Være (1975) and continued with Måske Ku' Vi (1976). [ best drama films - 1980 ]
The Promise of Love
In this drama, a ... woman gives up college and marries her boyfriend, a Marine. Unfortunately, he is killed in Vietnam. [ best drama films - 1980 ]
Caught on a Train
Over the course of ... Messner (Dame Peggy Ashcroft) seems to have every intention of trying Peter's patience until they all witness its end. [ best drama films - 1980 ]
The Legend of Bruce Lee
Directed by Ling Ping, ... featuring several of Lee's most notable fighting sequences are included. Also starring Bruce Li, Lung Fei, and Ou-Yang Chung. [ best drama films - 1980 ]
Bruce Lee: A Dragon Story
Martial arts star Bruce ... a handful of actors who sought to follow in his footsteps, including Bruce Lei, Bruce Le, and Bruce Leigh. [ best drama films - 1980 ]
To Serve Them All My Days
Based on the novel ... presented by the BBC in 1980, and subsequently shown in the U.S. as part of Public Television's Masterpiece Theatre. [ best drama films - 1980 ]
Big Blonde
Sally Kellerman stars in ... and George Coe, The Big Blonde was produced and first aired as part of the PBS series Great Performances. [ best drama films - 1980 ]
Vivir Para Amar
[ best drama films - 1980 ]
Little House on the Prairie: Season 07
After many setbacks, Laura ... decides to adopt a brace of orphans, James and Cassandra Cooper (played respectively by Jason Bateman and Missy Francis). [ best drama films - 1980 ]
Amigo
[ best drama films - 1980 ]
Burlesque
[ best drama films - 1980 ]
Champion Joe
This feature length anime ... time to test Joe's ability, his guardian can't help worrying that the young man isn't ready for the fight. [ best drama films - 1980 ]
La Esperanza de Los Pobres
[ best drama films - 1980 ]Supplemental Navigation
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