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The History of American Cinema: 1982

January - June

3/1 -

At the National Society of Film Critics Awards ceremony the Polish authorities are called upon to release Andrzej Wajda ‘and all other Polish film directors, producers, screenwriters, actors and craftsmen who are currently being detained for their political beliefs and associations.’ [ADD]

8/2 -

The filming of Brainstorm resumes with a new ending following the death of its leading lady, Natalie Wood.   Lloyd's of London pay out $3 million so that production can be completed. [ADD]

12/2 -

Costa-Gavras makes his American debut with Missing about a father’s search for his missing son in Chile in 1973 which is based on the real-life experience of Ed Horman.   Jack Lemmon plays the father, aided in his search by his daughter-in-law, Sissy Spacek. [ADD]

17/2 -

Lee Strasberg, the artistic director of the Actors Studio who popularised Method acting in the 50s dies from a heart attack at the age of 81. [ADD]

4/3 -

Frank Capra is honoured with the AFI's Life Achievement Award at a dinner in Los Angeles.   Among the guests are James Stewart, Barbara Stanwyck, Claudette Colbert and Bette Davis. [ADD]

5/3 -

Barry Levinson’s debut film, Diner, is released.   Daniel Stern, Ellen Barkin, Steve Guttenberg, Kevin Bacon and Mickey Rourke star as a group of teens in early-60s Baltimore. [ADD]

19/3 -

Blake Edwards’ Victor/Victoria, in which Julie Andrews who becomes a cabaret star in 30s Paris when she masquerades as a man, is released.   James Garner, Robert Preston, Alex Karras and Lesley Ann Warren also star. [ADD]

19/3 -

Columbia, the last remaining independent studio from Hollywood’s golden era, is sold to the Coca-Cola company for $750 million. [ADD]

19/3 -

Bob Clark’s Canadian teen-sex comedy, Porky’s, is released in the US.   In 4 months it becomes only the 27^th film to take more than $100 million at the box-office. [ADD]

24/3 -

Mary Woronov and Paul Bartel’s black comedy, Eating Raoul, is released.   The couple also star as a married couple who kill prostitute Woronov’s clients and sell the corpses for dog food.   Robert Beltran plays Raoul, the man who delivers the corpses to the dog food processing plant, and Buck Henry, Ed Begley Jr., Richard Paul, Hamilton Camp, and Edie McClurg also provide support. [ADD]

29/3 -

In a moment of exuberant optimism, Colin Welland, recipient of the Best Screenplay Award for Chariots of Fire at the 54th Annual Academy Awards, proclaims that “The British are coming!”   The film also wins Best Picture, Best Original Score, and Best Costume Design. [ADD]

31/3 -

Carolco sells its first in-house production – Sylvester Stallone’s First Blood – almost worldwide.   The film’s budget has ballooned to $15 million because of injuries to its star, the departure of Kirk Douglas over script disagreements and poor weather on the Canadian location shoot. [ADD]

12/4 -

A Subcommittee of the US House of Representatives Judiciary Committee is convened to hear reports on home recording of copyrighted works. [ADD]

27/4 -

Godfrey Reggio's Koyaanisqatsi receives its world premiere at the Santa Fe Film Festival.   Filmed in 14 states, the movie, which took seven years to make, features a minimalist score by Philip Glass. [ADD]

Apr -

Sylvester Stallone enters into a $500,000 contract to be seen smoking B&W cigarettes in five of his proposed films: Rhinestone Cowboy, Godfather III, Rambo, 50/50 and Rocky IV. [ADD] 

3/5 -

Francis Ford Coppola’s Zoetrope studios are put up for sale following the disastrous box-office performance of his musical romance One From the Heart, the budget of which escalated to $26 million. [ADD]

14/5 -

John Milius’ Conan the Barbarian is released.   Former Mr. Universe Arnold Schwarzenegger stars as the sword-wielding warrior. [ADD]

21/5 -

John Huston’s screen adaptation of the Broadway musical hit Annie is released. [ADD]

9/6 -

Steven Spielberg purchases ‘Rosebud,’ the child's sled from Citizen Kane, for $60,500. [ADD]

11/6 -

Steven Spielberg’s E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial is released.   Described by Variety as ‘the best Disney film never made’ the film stars Henry Thomas as a 10-year-old boy who befriends a cute alien who has been stranded on earth.   Drew Barrymore also makes an early appearance. [ADD]

25/6 -

Blade Runner, Ridley Scott’s loose adaptation of the Philip K. Dick story, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sleep? is released.   Harrison Ford stars as a bounty hunter assigned to track down a group of replicants in the Chinatown of 2019.   The sombre tale is enhanced by Vangelis’s atmospheric musical score.   Rutger Hauer and Darryl Hannah also feature as two of the doomed replicants. [ADD]

30/6 -

Anthony Perkins begins filming Psycho II, the sequel to the 1960 Hitchcock thriller in which he starred as mother’s-boy Norman Bates.   Vera Miles, who was also in the original, also appears. [ADD]

The History of Cinema: 1982