The Best of 1979
by riverman211179 | created - 10 Dec 2010 | updated - 2 weeks ago | Public- Instant Watch Options
- Genres
- Movies or TV
- IMDb Rating
- In Theaters
- Release Year
- Keywords
1. Manhattan (1979)
R | 96 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
The life of a divorced television writer dating a teenage girl is further complicated when he falls in love with his best friend's mistress.
Director: Woody Allen | Stars: Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, Mariel Hemingway, Michael Murphy
Votes: 147,219 | Gross: $45.70M
2. Apocalypse Now (1979)
R | 147 min | Drama, Mystery, War
A U.S. Army officer serving in Vietnam is tasked with assassinating a renegade Special Forces Colonel who sees himself as a god.
Director: Francis Ford Coppola | Stars: Martin Sheen, Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall, Frederic Forrest
Votes: 709,965 | Gross: $83.47M
3. And Justice for All (1979)
R | 119 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A lawyer is forced to defend a judge, while defending other clients, and trying to find punishment for the guilty and provide justice for the innocent.
Director: Norman Jewison | Stars: Al Pacino, Jack Warden, John Forsythe, Lee Strasberg
Votes: 39,643
4. All That Jazz (1979)
R | 123 min | Drama, Music, Musical
Director/choreographer Bob Fosse tells his own life story as he details the sordid career of Joe Gideon, a womanizing, drug-using dancer.
Director: Bob Fosse | Stars: Roy Scheider, Jessica Lange, Ann Reinking, Leland Palmer
Votes: 35,375 | Gross: $37.82M
5. Buffet Froid (1979)
Not Rated | 89 min | Comedy, Crime, Thriller
Alphonse lives in an empty building. Empty but for one neighbour, the police captain Morvandieu. When the man who have killed Alphonse's wife appears, the three men will be thrown in a serie of event in a surrealist world.
Director: Bertrand Blier | Stars: Gérard Depardieu, Bernard Blier, Jean Carmet, Denise Gence
Votes: 6,502
6. The Marriage of Maria Braun (1979)
R | 120 min | Drama
Maria marries Hermann Braun in the last days of World War II, only for him to go missing in the war. Alone, Maria puts to use her beauty and ambition in order to find prosperity during Germany's "economic miracle" of the 1950s.
Director: Rainer Werner Fassbinder | Stars: Hanna Schygulla, Klaus Löwitsch, Ivan Desny, Gisela Uhlen
Votes: 14,912
7. Stalker (1979)
Not Rated | 162 min | Drama, Sci-Fi
A guide leads two men through an area known as the Zone to find a room that grants wishes.
Director: Andrei Tarkovsky | Stars: Alisa Freyndlikh, Aleksandr Kaydanovskiy, Anatoliy Solonitsyn, Nikolay Grinko
Votes: 144,698 | Gross: $0.23M
8. Alien (1979)
R | 117 min | Horror, Sci-Fi
The crew of a commercial spacecraft encounters a deadly lifeform after investigating a mysterious transmission of unknown origin.
Director: Ridley Scott | Stars: Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, John Hurt, Veronica Cartwright
Votes: 950,147 | Gross: $78.90M
9. Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979)
PG | 107 min | Drama, Horror
Count Dracula moves from Transylvania to Wismar, spreading the Black Plague across the land. Only a woman pure of heart can bring an end to his reign of horror.
Director: Werner Herzog | Stars: Klaus Kinski, Isabelle Adjani, Bruno Ganz, Roland Topor
Votes: 40,500
10. Woyzeck (1979)
Not Rated | 82 min | Drama
Franz Woyzeck is a hapless, hopeless soldier, alone and powerless in society, assaulted from all sides by forces he can not control.
Director: Werner Herzog | Stars: Klaus Kinski, Eva Mattes, Wolfgang Reichmann, Willy Semmelrogge
Votes: 10,524
11. Serie Noire (1979)
Not Rated | 116 min | Crime, Drama
Franck Poupart is a slightly neurotic door-to-door salesman in a sinister part of Paris' suburbs. He meets Mona, a teenager, who's been made a prostitute by her own aunt. Franck would like ... See full summary »
Director: Alain Corneau | Stars: Patrick Dewaere, Myriam Boyer, Marie Trintignant, Bernard Blier
Votes: 3,507
12. The China Syndrome (1979)
PG | 122 min | Drama, Thriller
A reporter finds what appears to be a cover-up of safety hazards at a nuclear power plant.
Director: James Bridges | Stars: Jane Fonda, Jack Lemmon, Michael Douglas, Scott Brady
Votes: 33,023 | Gross: $51.72M
13. Hardcore (1979)
R | 108 min | Crime, Drama
A religious businessman from Michigan has to venture into the world of pornography in California, desperately searching for his runaway teenage daughter.
Director: Paul Schrader | Stars: George C. Scott, Peter Boyle, Season Hubley, Dick Sargent
Votes: 13,786
14. Life of Brian (1979)
R | 94 min | Comedy
Born on the original Christmas in the stable next door to Jesus Christ, Brian of Nazareth spends his life being mistaken for a messiah.
Director: Terry Jones | Stars: Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Michael Palin, Terry Gilliam
Votes: 421,793 | Gross: $20.05M
15. Hanover Street (1979)
PG | 109 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Margaret is a nurse in England during WW2, and married to a secret agent. Things get complicated when she falls for David, an American pilot.
Director: Peter Hyams | Stars: Harrison Ford, Lesley-Anne Down, Christopher Plummer, Alec McCowen
Votes: 5,931 | Gross: $3.00M
16. Moonraker (1979)
PG | 126 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
James Bond investigates the mid-air theft of a space shuttle, and discovers a plot to commit global genocide.
Director: Lewis Gilbert | Stars: Roger Moore, Lois Chiles, Michael Lonsdale, Richard Kiel
Votes: 108,777 | Gross: $70.31M
17. Being There (1979)
PG | 130 min | Comedy, Drama
After the death of his employer forces him out of the only home he's ever known, a simpleminded, sheltered gardener becomes an unlikely trusted advisor to a powerful tycoon and an insider in Washington politics.
Director: Hal Ashby | Stars: Peter Sellers, Shirley MacLaine, Melvyn Douglas, Jack Warden
Votes: 77,629 | Gross: $30.18M
18. Over the Edge (1979)
PG | 95 min | Crime, Drama
A group of bored teenagers rebel against authority in the community of New Granada after the death of one of their own.
Director: Jonathan Kaplan | Stars: Matt Dillon, Michael Eric Kramer, Pamela Ludwig, Vincent Spano
Votes: 8,122
19. Breaking Away (1979)
PG | 101 min | Comedy, Drama, Sport
A working-class Indiana teen obsessed with the Italian cycling team vies for the affections of a college girl while searching for life goals with his friends.
Director: Peter Yates | Stars: Dennis Christopher, Dennis Quaid, Daniel Stern, Jackie Earle Haley
Votes: 25,466 | Gross: $16.42M
20. Mad Max (1979)
R | 88 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
In a self-destructing world, a vengeful Australian policeman sets out to stop a violent motorcycle gang.
Director: George Miller | Stars: Mel Gibson, Joanne Samuel, Hugh Keays-Byrne, Steve Bisley
Votes: 222,262 | Gross: $8.75M
21. Phantasm (1979)
R | 89 min | Horror, Sci-Fi
A teenage boy and his friends face off against a mysterious grave robber, known only as the Tall Man, who employs a lethal arsenal of unearthly weapons.
Director: Don Coscarelli | Stars: A. Michael Baldwin, Bill Thornbury, Reggie Bannister, Kathy Lester
Votes: 41,267 | Gross: $11.99M
22. Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)
G | 143 min | Adventure, Mystery, Sci-Fi
When an alien spacecraft of enormous power is spotted approaching Earth, Admiral James T. Kirk resumes command of the overhauled USS Enterprise in order to intercept it.
Director: Robert Wise | Stars: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, James Doohan
Votes: 96,592 | Gross: $82.26M
23. The Gendarme and the Extra-Terrestrials (1979)
96 min | Comedy, Crime, Sci-Fi
In St. Tropez, French gendarme Cruchot and his men battle petroleum-drinking, human-looking, metallic aliens.
Director: Jean Girault | Stars: Louis de Funès, Michel Galabru, Maurice Risch, Jean-Pierre Rambal
Votes: 9,448
24. Rocky II (1979)
PG | 119 min | Drama, Sport
Rocky struggles in family life after his bout with Apollo Creed, while the embarrassed champ insistently goads him to accept a challenge for a rematch.
Director: Sylvester Stallone | Stars: Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers
Votes: 231,190
25. Messidor (1979)
123 min | Crime, Drama
Two young women from very different backgrounds journey into the countryside seeking respite from unsatisfactory lives and relationships, but ultimately find that there is no way back to the world they once knew.
Director: Alain Tanner | Stars: Clémentine Amouroux, Catherine Rétoré, Franziskus Abgottspon, Gérald Battiaz
Votes: 547
26. Tess (1979)
PG | 186 min | Drama, Romance
A strong-willed young peasant girl attracts the affection of two men.
Director: Roman Polanski | Stars: Nastassja Kinski, Peter Firth, Leigh Lawson, John Collin
Votes: 18,262
27. The Man Who Stole the Sun (1979)
Not Rated | 147 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
A high school science teacher builds an atomic bomb and uses it to extort the nation, but cannot decide what he wants. Meanwhile, a determined cop is catching up to him, as is radiation poisoning.
Director: Kazuhiko Hasegawa | Stars: Bunta Sugawara, Kenji Sawada, Kimiko Ikegami, Kazuo Kitamura
Votes: 1,297
28. Wanda Nevada (1979)
PG | 107 min | Comedy, Mystery, Romance
A drifter named Beaudray Demerille wins a young orphan named Wanda in a poker game and takes her gold prospecting in the Grand Canyon.
Director: Peter Fonda | Stars: Peter Fonda, Brooke Shields, Fiona Lewis, Luke Askew
Votes: 1,521 | Gross: $2.41M
29. The Electric Horseman (1979)
PG | 121 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A rodeo star past his prime steals his company's horse and rides into the desert, accompanied by a feisty reporter.
Director: Sydney Pollack | Stars: Robert Redford, Jane Fonda, Valerie Perrine, Willie Nelson
Votes: 10,297 | Gross: $61.80M
30. Escape from Alcatraz (1979)
PG | 112 min | Action, Biography, Crime
Alcatraz is the most secure prison of its time. It is believed that no one can ever escape from it, until three daring men make a possibly successful attempt at escaping from one of the most infamous prisons in the world.
Director: Don Siegel | Stars: Clint Eastwood, Patrick McGoohan, Roberts Blossom, Jack Thibeau
Votes: 147,398 | Gross: $43.00M
31. Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)
PG | 105 min | Drama
After his wife leaves him, a work-obsessed Manhattan advertising executive is forced to learn long-neglected parenting skills, but a heated custody battle over the couple's young son deepens the wounds left by the separation.
Director: Robert Benton | Stars: Dustin Hoffman, Meryl Streep, Jane Alexander, Justin Henry
Votes: 154,656 | Gross: $106.26M
32. Norma Rae (1979)
PG | 114 min | Drama
A young single mother and textile worker agrees to help unionize her mill despite the problems and dangers involved.
Director: Martin Ritt | Stars: Sally Field, Beau Bridges, Ron Leibman, Pat Hingle
Votes: 12,830 | Gross: $22.23M
33. Vengeance Is Mine (1979)
Not Rated | 139 min | Crime, Drama
Chronological exploits of Iwao Enokizu, a murderous thief on the run.
Director: Shôhei Imamura | Stars: Ken Ogata, Rentarô Mikuni, Chôchô Miyako, Mitsuko Baishô
Votes: 7,292
34. Time After Time (1979)
PG | 112 min | Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi
H.G. Wells pursues Jack the Ripper to the 20th Century when the serial murderer uses the future writer's time machine to escape his time period.
Director: Nicholas Meyer | Stars: Malcolm McDowell, Mary Steenburgen, David Warner, Charles Cioffi
Votes: 20,630
35. Wise Blood (1979)
PG | 106 min | Comedy, Drama
Fresh out of the army, Hazel Motes attempts to open the first Church Without Christ in the small town of Taulkinham.
Director: John Huston | Stars: Brad Dourif, John Huston, Dan Shor, Harry Dean Stanton
Votes: 6,461
36. Alexandria... Why? (1979)
Not Rated | 133 min | Drama
Yehia is a young man living in the cosmopolitan Alexandria during World War II. Inspired by American movies and Shakespeare, he aspires to be an actor, but struggles to pursue his Hollywood... See full summary »
Director: Youssef Chahine | Stars: Naglaa Fathi, Ahmed Zaki, Farid Shawqi, Mahmoud Al Meleji
Votes: 2,041
37. A Little Romance (1979)
PG | 110 min | Adventure, Comedy, Romance
An American teenager living in Paris meets and falls in love with a local.
Director: George Roy Hill | Stars: Laurence Olivier, Diane Lane, Thelonious Bernard, Arthur Hill
Votes: 6,426
38. Hair (1979)
PG | 121 min | Comedy, Drama, Musical
Claude Bukowski leaves the family ranch in Oklahoma for New York where he is rapidly embraced into the hippie group of youngsters led by Berger, yet he's already been drafted. He soon falls in love with Sheila Franklin, a rich girl but still a rebel inside.
Director: Milos Forman | Stars: John Savage, Treat Williams, Beverly D'Angelo, Annie Golden
Votes: 40,867 | Gross: $15.28M
39. The Bugs Bunny/Road-Runner Movie (1979)
G | 98 min | Animation, Comedy, Family
Bugs Bunny reflects on his past cartoon exploits.
Directors: Chuck Jones, Phil Monroe, Maurice Noble, Tom Ray | Stars: Mel Blanc, Arthur Q. Bryan, Paul Julian, Nicolai Shutorev
Votes: 4,455
40. Ta kourelia tragoudane akoma... (1979)
123 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Five friends (representatives of the Fifties generation) now in their forties, get together after many years of silence.
Director: Nikos Nikolaidis | Stars: Alkis Panagiotidis, Konstantinos Tzoumas, Rita Bensousan, Hristos Valavanidis
Votes: 1,108
41. Demon Pond (1979)
123 min | Fantasy, Romance
Outside of a small village in Japan, a mysterious pond is inhabited by mythic creatures. Their story is of revenge, tragedy, and the power of real love. A classical tale which translates ... See full summary »
Director: Masahiro Shinoda | Stars: Tamasaburô Bandô, Gô Katô, Tsutomu Yamazaki, Kôji Nanbara
Votes: 536
42. Murder by Decree (1979)
PG | 124 min | Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Sherlock Holmes investigates the murders commited by Jack the Ripper and discovers a conspiracy to protect the killer.
Director: Bob Clark | Stars: Christopher Plummer, James Mason, David Hemmings, Susan Clark
Votes: 6,592
43. Luna (1979)
R | 142 min | Drama
While touring in Italy, a recently-widowed American opera singer has an incestuous relationship with her 15-year-old son to help him overcome his heroin addiction.
Director: Bernardo Bertolucci | Stars: Jill Clayburgh, Matthew Barry, Veronica Lazar, Renato Salvatori
Votes: 5,374
44. Natural Enemies (1979)
R | 100 min | Drama, Thriller
A man plots to kill his wife and children, seeking advice by disguising his plan as a fictional story for his business.
Director: Jeff Kanew | Stars: Hal Holbrook, Louise Fletcher, Peter Armstrong, Elizabeth Berridge
Votes: 374
45. Asparagus (1979)
Not Rated | 20 min | Animation, Short
An animated, surreal, visually stunning as well as rather uniquely imaginative candy-colored nightmare from indie artist Suzan Pitt.
Director: Suzan Pitt
Votes: 1,453
46. Quadrophenia (1979)
R | 120 min | Drama, Music
Jimmy Cooper loathes his dead-end job and his working-class parents. He seeks solace with his mod clique, scooter riding, and drugs, only to be disappointed.
Director: Franc Roddam | Stars: Phil Daniels, Leslie Ash, Phil Davis, Mark Wingett
Votes: 20,863
Tell Your Friends