Film Honors: 1983

My own personal choices for the year. They reflect not just necessarily what I think is the best or essential cinema, but perhaps resonate with me or inspire, both at the time, and still today. Subject to alter choices if new viewings are worthy enough. Other published Film Honors posts can be found at the menu at the top of the page.

Screenwriting Adapted

Robert Bresson (L’Argent)
James L. Brooks (Terms of Endearment)
Ronald Harwood (The Dresser)
Alan J. Pakula (Sophie’s Choice)
Willy Russell (Educating Rita)

Screenwriting Original

Ingmar Bergman (Fanny and Alexander)
Costas Ferris, Sotiria Leonardou (Rembetiko)
Larry Gelbart, Murray Schisgal, Don McGuire, Barry Levinson, Elaine May (Tootsie)
Éric Rohmer (Pauline à la plage)
Paul D. Zimmerman (The King of Comedy)

Costume Designing

Danton
The Dresser
Heat and Dust
Rembetiko
Return of the Jedi

Set Designing

Danton
The Dresser
Rembetiko
Return of the Jedi
Scarface

Actress Support

Themis Bazaka (Rembetiko)
Suzanne Flon (One Deadly Summer)
Teri Garr (Tootsie)
Linda Hunt (The Year of Living Dangerously)
Jessica Lange (Tootsie)

Picture Editing

The Dead Zone
Flashdance
Rembetiko
Return of the Jedi
Scarface

Sound Designing

The Dresser
Rembetiko
Return of the Jedi
Sans soleil
Scarface

Actor Support

Steven Bauer (Scarface)
Nikos Dimitratos (Rembetiko)
Nikos Kalogeropoulos (Rembetiko)
Jerry Lewis (The King of Comedy)
Jack Nicholson (Terms of Endearment)

Cinematography

Russell Boyd (The Year of Living Dangerously)
Alan Hume, Alec Mills (Return of the Jedi)
Sven Nykvist (Fanny and Alexander)
Gordon Willis (Zelig)
Takis Zervoulakos (Rembetiko)

Actress Lead

Isabelle Adjani (One Deadly Summer)
Sotiria Leonardou (Rembetiko)
Shirley MacLaine (Terms of Endearment)
Meryl Streep (Sophie’s Choice)
Debra Winger (Terms of Endearment)

Cast Ensemble

Fanny and Alexander
Rembetiko
Return of the Jedi
Scarface
Terms of Endearment

Directing

Ingmar Bergman (Fanny and Alexander)
Robert Bresson (L’argent)
Brian De Palma (Scarface)
Costas Ferris (Rembetiko)
Sydney Pollack (Tootsie)

Actor Lead

Tom Courtenay (The Dresser)
Albert Finney (The Dresser)
Dustin Hoffman (Tootsie)
Al Pacino (Scarface)
Christopher Walken (The Dead Zone)

Special Effects

The Dark Crystal
Krull
Return of the Jedi
Superman III
WarGames

Score Composing

Michael Gore (Terms of Endearment)
James Horner (Gorky Park)
Maurice Jarre (The Year of Living Dangerously)
John Williams (Return of the Jedi)
Stavros Xarchakos (Rembetiko)

Motion Picture

The Dead Zone (David Cronenberg) USA
Fanny och Alexander (Ingmar Bergman) Sweden / France / West Germany
L’argent (Robert Bresson) France / Switzerland
Pauline à la plage (Éric Rohmer) France
Rembetiko (Costas Ferris) Greece
Return of the Jedi (Richard Marquand) USA
Sans soleil (Chris Marker) France
Scarface (Brian De Palma) USA
Terms of Endearment (James L. Brooks) USA
Tootsie (Sydney Pollack) USA

* * * * *

So one film dominates, and the final part of a trilogy picks up technical prizes, but 1983 in cinema feels less competitive than many. Thoughts?