Memoirs of a Survivor (1981)

Director:

David Gladwell

Writers:

Kerry Crabbe (writer)
David Gladwell (writer)

Release Date:

September 1981 (UK)

Genre:

Sci-Fi

Plot:

Set in a bleak future where roving gangs of children terrorize city streets, and reality is often an illusion...

Plot Keywords:

Gang | Children | Scavenger | Future | Mansion

Awards:

3 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Julie Christie	...	'D'
Christopher Guard	...	Gerald
Leonie Mellinger	...	Emily Mary Cartwright
Debbie Hutchings	...	June
Nigel Hawthorne	...	Victorian Father
Pat Keen	...	Victorian Mother
Georgina Griffiths	...	Victorian Emily
Christopher Tsangarides	...	Victorian Son
Mark Dignam	...	Newsvendor
Alison Dowling	...	Janet White
John Franklyn-Robbins	...	Prof. White
Rowena Cooper	...	Mrs. White
Barbara Hicks	...	Woman on Waste Ground
John Comer	...	Man Delivering Emily
Adrienne Byrne	...	Maureen

Runtime:

115 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:18 (video rating) | UK:X (original rating) | Australia:R

Filming Locations:

Argyle Street, Norwich, Norfolk, England, UK

Company:

Memorial Enterprises

Slow haunting dream film

Though I was more impressed with this movie when it had it's theatrical debut in the early 1980s, I still recommend this mysterious mood piece. The story concerns a quiet middle aged woman (Julie Christie) living alone during some catastrophic breakdown of modern society. Young illiterate kids live like rats in the subways, garbage covers the streets and nomadic people scavenge in aimless traveling groups. The woman is given a young teenage girl (Leonie Mellinger) to take care of and the girl becomes sexually involved with a young man who takes on the task of caring for homeless children (while he simultaneously sleeps with them). Alongside this melancholic tale, there's another dimension revealed when the woman discovers a Victorian family living inside a strange membranous wall of her apartment. There are curious psychological parallels between the world in the wall and the goings-on in the woman's other dystopia world. The final scenes are truly weird and puzzling so if you like your movies straightforward with tidy narratives, this one isn't for you. For those who enjoy the bizarre and challenging, take a look. My only real criticism is the truly awful synth soundtrack (by Mike Thorne?any relation to Ken?) which constantly works against the imagery.