From romantic dramas to crime odysseys, sci-fi epics, and scathing social commentaries, 1983 presented as a vibrant year in cinema.Star Wars: Episode IV – Return of the Jediwas the highest-grossing film at the box office netting$475 million; not quite the billion-dollar sensations that we see so regularly today, but this was 1983, a time when the average movie ticket cost $3 and smoking in the cinema was common practice.
The year saw romantic dramedyTerms of Endearmentwin big at the 56th Oscars ceremony alongsideThe Right StuffandFanny and Alexander(sadly, a 1982 release so not eligible for this list). But not of all the best movies of 1983 proved to be hits upon release.Videodromefailed to make its money back whileScarfacewas met with critical disapproval. Regardless of whether they were enduring hits of the time, or have come to be best appreciated retrospectively, these now stand as the 10 best movies of 1983.
10‘The Right Stuff’
An ambitious historical epic, a riveting adventure, a special effects masterclass, and a social commentary and political satire as well,The Right Stuffhad plenty on its agenda. It was so jam-packed with ideas that it managed to makeits whopping 193-minute runtimebreeze by without a single moment being wasted or feeling bloated.
From American directorPhilip Kaufman, it follows the first 15 years of the American space program, from the breaking of the sound barrier to the selection of the Mercury Seven. Based on Tom Wolfe’s non-fiction novel, it was best defined as a triumphant celebration of America’s astronauts and one which begs the question of why there haven’t been more biographical or historic movies done with similar scope and ambition since.
9‘Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life’
The famous comedy troupe were in their absolute prime through the late 70s and into the early 80s. With their previous filmsLife of BrianandMonty Python and the Holy Grailbecoming sensations of the time, audiences keenly awaitedMonty Python’s The Meaning of Life. The comedy group certainly did not disappoint, resorting to their trademark imaginativeness and crude humor.
Anthological in approach, the film unfolds as multiple comedy sketches following seven stages of human life ranging from childbirth to death and the afterlife. Also including several musical segments, the comedy has endured thanks to the brilliance of its creators and the freewheeling irreverence of its gags.
8‘WarGames’
As a peculiar mix of tech-based 80s thriller andcoming-of-age teenage drama,WarGameswas a movie that was far better than it had any right in being. It follows a high school student as he unwittingly activates America’s nuclear arsenal when he plays a war strategy simulation game as the Soviet Union.
A product of its time, it played with society’s anxieties surrounding the Cold War and its apprehensive stance towards household computer technology to make an effective and energetic adventure-thriller. While the film’s focus on political paranoia has been made timely again recently, it maintains a cool and fun edge thanks to its endearing techno aesthetic that is oh so delightfully 80s.
7‘The Dresser’
Directed by famed English filmmakerPeter YatesfromRonald Harwood’s adaptation of his own play,The Dresserpresented a poignant character-driven drama as it earned four Oscar nominations. Set during WWII, it focuses on a dwindled lead actor reduced to leading a ragtag troupe of aged performers and army rejects, and his loyal assistant trying to keep his employer’s life together.
With standout performances fromAlbert FinneyandTom Courtenay, it masterfully utilized comedy as a disarming narrative device which enabled the film’s underlying emotional heft to have more of an impact. Criminally underrated and tragically overlooked, it was as fun as it was striking, fascinating, and phenomenal.
6‘The Day After’
While there have been a great many advancements made in the film industry since the 1980s, one thing we have sadly lost over time has been thelow-budget made-for-television film. A prime example of the TV movie,The Day Afterexcelled as a harrowing societal horror film, a gripping war story, and an undeniable call of alarm to viewers all over America and, indeed, the world.
It follows the residents of a small town in Kansas whose daily lives under the shadow of the Cold War are forever changed when nuclear war breaks out across the globe. While powerful in its ability to disturb and unsettle, the film was praised as an essential movie for its time, and it has lost little of its visceral impact over the years.
5‘Nostalghia’
A poet with a camera, Soviet filmmakerAndrei Tarkovskyis indisputably one of the most influential directors in cinematic history. His films, while difficult to comprehend in a linear, narrative sense, had a transfixing, dreamlike quality that was both opaque and unmistakably personal, with 1983’sNostalghiano exception.
The first of Tarkovsky’s films shot outside the USSR, it tracks a Russian composer and his interpreter on their research journey to Italy where they meet a doomsday mystic claiming he knows how the world may be saved. Rich with philosophical jostling and a powerful sense of spirituality – not to mention its hauntingly stunning imagery –Nostalghiais Tarkovsky in full flight and remains one of the best art films ever made.
4‘Videodrome’
One of the early hits ofbody horror masterDavid Cronenberg, Videodromepresented as an ambitious and striking announcement of the director’s arrival in Hollywood. It follows the president of a struggling television channel who broadcasts a show dedicated to torture only to find himself investigating its disturbing authenticity when his girlfriend never returns from appearing as a contestant.
It excels where Cronenberg has always been strong, meshing a jarring narrative with a strong yet perverse sense of social allegory and complimenting the viewing experience with paralyzing visual horror which remains terrifying to this day. It also features Blondie singerDebbie Harryin a rare yet sublime dramatic performance.
3‘Terms of Endearment’
A perfect, poignant mixture of comedy and drama capable of taking audiences on a powerful emotional journey,Terms of Endearmentwas heralded by many at the time as the best film of the year. It follows a tough widow whose search for true love is interrupted when her daughter’s life is upended by a difficult divorce and a diagnosis of terminal cancer.
The film excelled thanks to its offbeat charm and irresistible heart amid the heartbreaking turmoil asJames L. Brooks’ careful yet confident screenplay allowed the stellar cast to shine. It went on to win five major Academy Awards including the Oscar for Best Picture.
2‘Scarface’
An epic crime dramaloaded with style, eccentricity, profanity, violence, and tension, Scarfacesaw famed filmmakerBrian de Palmaat his wild and unbridled best. Following a Cuban immigrant’s meteoric rise up the ranks of the Miami drug trade, it used the era’s obsession with excessiveness to craft a drug-fueled crime odyssey as untamed as it was energetic.
Pushed to the absolute limit by de Palma’s sense style andAl Pacino’s intoxicating lead performance, the 170-minute-long odyssey often teetered on the cusp of glorification but manages to never feel exploitative despite its unshakable sense of high-octane fun. Defined by its famous, endlessly re-quotable lines as well as its aforementioned style and violence,Scarfaceis one of the few truly quintessential Hollywood movies from the 1980s.
1‘Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi’
Even 40 years on, the originalStar Warstrilogy is still considered to be one of the greatest film achievements of all time. While it sometimes struggled to reach the absolute zenith of cinematic entertainment that its predecessors largely defined,Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedistill presented a thrilling sci-fi adventure experience that offered a fitting end to the legendary trilogy.
With the Galactic Empire assembling a second Death Star, the Rebel Alliance travels to the moon Endor to destroy an energy shield before launching an attack that will decimate the Dark Side’s forces. Loaded with tremendous fun, exhilarating action, wondrous adventure, and palpable drama, it still stands as an iconic and treasured classic 40 years on.
