The Idolmaker was released November 14th 1980

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What is it that makes a work timeless? Can an artist set out to create a timeless work or must it organically linger in the minds of those who experience it and share that experience with others for years and decades. Francois Truffaut’s “The Last Metro” is undoubtedly a timeless work; one that will linger for me and has taken up space in the minds of many for three decades now. 
”The Last Metro” stars legendary ingénue Catherine Deneuve as Marion Steiner a famous film actress now operating the Theater Montmartre in Paris following the disappearance of her husband Lucas (Heinz Bennett). It is 1942 and being Jewish while Nazis occupy half the country and members of the Vichy Government conspire with them has made life dangerous for even a man as loved and respected as Lucas Steiner. 
Lucas is supposedly on the run, headed for Spain or South America or maybe Hollywood. We will find out however that he is still in the theater and still very much in love with his wife. Meanwhile, Marion is running the theater and preparing to unveil a brand new production under the direction of Jean Loup-Cottins (Jean Poiret), a noble but not all that interesting director who will unknowingly be receiving Lucas’s notes. 
Joining the theaters regular players is an up and coming young actor named Bernard Granger (Gerard Depardieu) who we meet one day as he fails miserably attempting to pick up a woman he meets on the street. The woman, Arlette (Andrea Ferreol), also happens to be the wardrobe designer for the Monmartre and she has a very good reason for declining Bernard’s advances. 
Between meeting women on the street and now starring in the Monmartre’s new play, Bernard also happens to be a member of the French Resistance, working in secret to get the Nazis out of Paris by any means necessary. Marion Steiner is unaware of the danger Bernard brings to the theater, especially with Lucas hiding in the basement. 
Marion works hard to avoid politics but when one of Paris’s most influential theater critics Monsieur Daxiat also happens to be one of the top Nazi conspirators in France, he brings politics to the fore and forces Marion into some very difficult and dangerous choices. 
Reading my plot description I can see that I have described “The Last Metro” as something of a hot-house of plot. However, what is so amazing about Truffaut’s work in “The Last Metro” is the complete lack of danger he brings to this material. Instead, Truffaut brings an effortless charm, sensitivity, care and nonchalance to even the most distressing and surprising plot revelations. 
In “The Last Metro” the Nazis are a mounting threat but never the arch, over the top villains of most World War 2 films. Truffaut makes the simple choice to allow the audience to fill in the danger; who doesn’t know how evil the Nazis were? Truffaut recognized that there was no need to underline the point. 
We will learn that though Marion loves her husband she will inevitably fall for Bernard because that is what happens in a movie such as this. These two people are called upon to love each other on the stage and that love must eventually spread off the stage. It’s part of a conventional narrative that this conflict must exist, what sets this conflict apart in “The Last Metro” is Truffaut’s casual acceptance and passive presentation of Bernard and Marion’s destined love affair. 
Conflict is maybe too harsh a word to describe the effortless evolution of Marion’s love for her husband to her love for Bernard. Making the transition charming and easy to swallow is the ingenious way Truffaut and actor Heinz Bennett conspire to make the audience feel good about Lucas being cuckolded. For Lucas, like Truffaut, art is evolution and the evolution of his production of this play calls for Marion to love Bernard regardless of her commitment to him. 
There are other revelations in “The Last Metro” that also rise and fall like a gentle tide washing ashore. Watch the elegant ways in which Truffaut weaves the story of a pair of homosexual characters. As with his approach to the Nazis, Truffaut allows the audience to fill in the blanks about the difficulties these two characters face in both the time the film is set and, of course, under the thumb of the Nazis. 
The Last Metro is remarkably sensitive and smart, gentle and dramatic. “The Last Metro” is simply a perfect movie, one so graceful and elegant that it could only come from an extraordinarily gifted creator like Francois Truffaut. In a too short life, he passed away at just 52 years old in 1984; Truffaut created a cinematic legacy like few others.

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The nominees for Best Director are

Martin Scorsese Raging Bull

Robert Redford Ordinary People

Irvin Kershner Star Wars The Empire Strikes Back

Woody Allen Stardust Memories

 and

Bruce Beresford Breaker Morant

And the Oscar goes to

Martin Scorsese Raging Bull

The nominees for Best Supporting Actress are

Carrie Fisher Star Wars The Empire Strikes Back

Shelley Duvall The Shining

Cathy Moriarty Raging Bull

Charlotte Rampling Stardust Memories  and

Julie Hagerty Airplane

And the Oscar goes to…

Cathy Moriarty Raging Bull

The nominees for Best Actor in a Supporting Role are

Timothy Hutton Ordinary People

Judd Hirsch Ordinary People

Leslie Nielsen Airplane

Chevy Chase  Caddyshack

Joe Pesci Raging Bull

And the Oscar goes to…

Leslie Nielsen Airplane

The nominees for Best Actress are

Sissy Spacek Coal Miner’s Daughter

Mary Tyler Moore Ordinary People

Jodie Foster Foxes

Goldie Hawn Private Benjamin

and

Gena Rowlands Gloria

and the Oscar goes to…

Sissy Spacek Coal Miner’s Daughter

The nominees for Best Actor are

Robert De Niro Raging Bull

Harrison Ford Star Wars The Empire Strikes Back

Woody Allen Stardust Memories

Donald Sutherland Ordinary People

and

Edward Woodward Breaker Morant

And the Oscar goes to…

Robert De Niro Raging Bull

The nominees for Best Picture are

Raging Bull

Star Wars The Empire Strikes Back

Breaker Morant

Ordinary People

Airplane

Stardust Memories

The Blues Brothers

The Shining  

Caddyshack

The Elephant Man

And the Oscar goes to…

Raging Bull

Scanners was released January 14th 1981

Scanners on IMDB

Scanners WIKI

Actress Jennifer O’Neill is still active as an actress and anti-abortion activist. Visit her website

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Vincent Canby’s 1981 review of Scanners for the New York Times 

Roger Ebert’s 2 star review of Scanners at RogerEbert.com

Courtesy of Google a review of Scanners from 1981 in the Miami News

Weighing the critics reactions to Scanners, a story from 1981 in the Lakeland Ledger

Scanners was a hit in 1981 and it had investors celebrating. From the Leader-Post

Richard Corliss’s appreciative review of Scanners from 1981 in Time Magazine

Rumor has it that a Scanners remake is in the works.

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The 39 Steps was released May 2nd 1980

Star Robert Powell also appeared in the 1980 movie Harlequin

Robert Powell went on to star in the series Hannay based on the character he played in The 39 Steps

The TV version

When Time Ran Out was released March 28th 1980

Director William Goldstone’s follow up to the bizarre disaster flick Rollercoaster

Final screenplay in the career of writer Carl Foreman

Writer Sterling Silliphant was also well trained in the disaster flick having penned the screenplay for The Towering Inferno

One of 5 adaptations of books by author and well known conspiracy theorist Gordon Thomas

In 1979 Thomas’s Voyage of the Damned was adapted for the screen and was nominated for 5 academy awards

When Time Ran Out was also nominated for an Oscar, for Best Costume Design

Actor Paul Newman followed up When Time Ran Out with the awards nominated flicks Fort Apache Bronx and Absence of Malice

Jaqueline Bissett followed up When Time Ran Out by becoming one of the highest paid actresses in Hollywood, making over a million dollars for the movie Inchon

One of the final films in the career of legendary actor William Holden

William Holden also appeared in the 1980 movie The Earthling

Actor Edward Albert also appeared alongside star Jaqueline Bisset in the 1978 movie The Greek Tycoon

Check out more about When Time Ran Out at OldOldFilms.com

Ernest Borgnine also appeared in the 1980 movie Super Fuzz

The second corroboration between star Paul Newman and legendary disaster movie producer Irwin Allen

This was Allen’s final theatrical feature

When Time Ran Out on IMDB

When Time Ran Out WIKI

When Time Ran Out is the movie that Paul Newman admitted to Larry King that he was not proud of, referring to it only as “That Volcano movie”

When Time Ran Out available on VHS from Amazon.com

When Time Ran Out on DVD from Amazon.com

AgonyBooth.com review of When Time Ran Out

Cool still photos and a full review of When Time Ran Out from CoolCinemaTrash.com

The Home Video trailer for When Time Ran Out

A Volcanic eruption from When Time Ran Out

Used Cars was released July 11th 1980

Director Robert Zemeckis has worked with star Kurt Russell twice, in Used Cars and in Forrest Gump where Russell provided the voice of Elvis Presley

Co-write Bob Gale has worked almost exclusively with Robert Zemeckis

Star Kurt Russell followed up Used Cars with his breakout film role in Escape from New York

Star Jack Warden made Used Cars while starring on television in an adaptation of The Bad News Bears in the role made famous by Walter Matthau

Actor Frank McRae also worked with Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale on the 1979 movie 1941 which they wrote

SCTV actor Joe Flaherty also appeared in the 1980 movie Nothing Personal

Actor David Lander is another actor who appeared in 1941 and then worked with Zemeckis and Gale again in Used Cars

Lander also appeared in the 1980 movie Wholly Moses

Michael McKean also appeared in 1941

McKean and Michael L. Lander were partners on TV in the Happy Days spinoff Laverne and Shirley

Actor Michael Talbott also appeared in the 1980 movies Foolin’ Around and Any Which Way You Can

Director Betty Thomas has a cameo in Used Cars

Used Cars is the only R rated movie in the career of writer director Robert Zemeckis

Used Cars was shot in a remarkably short 28 days

Two of the famed cars from the musical Grease were used as props in Used Cars

Roger Ebert’s 1980 review of Used Cars from RogerEbert.com

Used Cars on IMDB

Used Cars WIKI

Used Cars on DVD from Amazon.com

A scene from Used Cars

Another scene from Used Cars

The famed Nuns scene from Used Cars

A classic TV commercial for Used Cars

The full length theatrical trailer for Used Cars

A complete look at Used Cars from ThisDistractedGlobe.com

A review of Used Cars from DVDMG.com

Vincent Canby’s 1980 review of Used Cars in the New York Times

Urban Cowboy was released June 6th 1980

Director James Bridges’ follow up to 1979′s The China Syndrome

Based on an article by Rolling Stone journalist Aaron Latham

Star John Travolta went on to star in another pop culture trend story inspired by Aaron Latham, 1985′s Perfect

Star Debra Winger was nominated for a BAFTA and a Golden Globe for her role

Actor Scott Glenn had excelled in small roles before Urban Cowboy made him a star

Actor Barry Corbin also appeared in the 1980 movies Any Which Way You Can and Stir Crazy

Country stars Mickey Gilley, Johnny Lee, Bonnie Raitt and Charlie Daniels each appear in Urban Cowboy

After initial box-office returns were surprisingly low, a newspaper poll was taken in the summer of 1980 to figure out why teenagers were not flocking to see the film. One of the main complaints from kids was that they did not know what the word Urban meant.

Debra Winger claimed that she only got her lead role after Sissy Spacek dropped out, Spacek won Best Actress in 1980 for her role in another country story Coal Miner’s Daughter

Dennis Quaid was initially set to be cast in the lead

Quaid instead starred in the 1980 movies Gorp and The Long Riders

A Facebook group for diehard fans of Urban Cowboy

Patrick Swayze taught John Travolta the two step performed in Urban Cowboy

Urban Cowboy WIKI

TV Commercial for Urban Cowboy from 1980

The alleged best in Urban Cowboy

Deleted scene from Urban Cowboy

Another look behind the scenes

The original trailer for Urban Cowboy

Urban Cowboy available on DVD from Amazon.com

The soundtrack to Urban Cowboy on Vinyl from Amazon.com

Urban Cowboy Soundtrack part 2 from Amazon.com

Up the Academy was released June 6th 1980

Director Robert Downey Sr. also co-wrote the screenplay for the 1980 movie The Going Show Movie

Writer Tom Patchett followed up Up the Academy with 1981′s The Great Muppet Caper

Patchett went on to write for the TV series Alf

Co-writer Jay Tarses is the father of Jamie Tarses who went on to be the head of ABC Television for several years

First film for star Ralph Macchio who went on to become The Karate Kid

Allyson Downey, sister of Robert Downey Jr and daugher of director Robert Downey Sr. made a rare acting appearance in Up the Academy

Robert Downey Jr. has an uncredited cameo in Up the Academy

Up the Academy on IMDB

Vincent Canby’s sort of positive review of Up the Academy from 1980 in the New York Times

Was supposed to be called Mad Magazine’s Up the Academy but the magazine disowned the movie prior to releases, parodied the film in the magazine and praised actor Ron Liebman for removing his name from the film’s credits.

Up the Academy WIKI

Special effect wizard Rick Baker made the Alfred E. Newman masks seen at the beginning and end of Up the Academy

Trailer for Up the Academy

A scene from Up the Academy

The Story set up for Up the Academy 

TV Commercial for Up the Academy from 1980

A review of Up the Academy from the terrific blog Cool Ass Cinema

Christian Devine’s Forgotten Films review of Up the Academy

Up the Academy available on DVD from Amazon.com

A review of Up the Academy from Xenon’s World 

Another blog tackles Up the Academy, a review from Talking Moviezzz

A website dedicated to actress Barbara Bach features stills from her scenes in Up the Academy

A track listing for the Up the Academy soundtrack featuring Pat Benatar, Sammy Hagar, Blondie and a young Jonathan Richman

A review of Up the Academy from the blog Thoughts of Stream

Tribute was released December 14th 1980

Director Bob Clark went on to direct the cult classic A Christmas Story and Porky’s 1 & 2

Writer Bernard Slade adapted his own play for the screenplay of Tribute

Bernard Slade was best known as a writer on The Partridge Family and The Flying Nun

Star Jack Lemmon was nominated for Best Actor for his role as Scottie Templeton in Tribute

Lemmon starred in Tribute after having played the same role on Broadway

Tribute was nearly the most difficult performance of Jack Lemmon’s career, according to Lemmon it was a distant second to his performance at a Tribute to Jack Lemmon broadcast on CBS in 1980 just in time to promote Tribute

Star Robby Benson also appeared in the 1980 movie Die Laughing

Star Lee Remick also appeared in the 1980 movie The Competition

Tribute was a reunion for legends Jack Lemmon and Lee Remick who each won Oscars for their performances in Days of Wine and Roses

Among the first features in the career of actress Kim Cattrall

At the premiere of Tribute in December of 1980 Kim Cattrall met and briefly began dating Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau

Roger Ebert’s 3 star review of Tribute from 1980 on RogerEbert.com

Tribute on IMDB

Critic Janet Maslin’s pan of Tribute from 1980 in the New York Times

Tribute WIKI

Tribute is available on VHS from Amazon.com