Memoirs of a Survivor (1981)

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

Director:

David Gladwell

Writers:

Kerry Crabbe, David Gladwell,

Stars:

Julie Christie, Christopher Guard, Leonie Mellinger

3 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

'D' is a chronicler of a society in chaos, who looks down on the marauding gangs, and rubbish-strewn streets from the fortress prison of her flat. Buffeted by inner dreams and longings, D finds an alternative world by stepping through the wall of her flat, like Alice through the Looking Glass. Here it is Victorian England, the bosom of an unsettled family, harbingers, perhaps, of the decay to come. She flits between the two sides of her double life, always observing, never participating, and watches as her protégé, Emily, becomes involved with vagrants' leader Gerald and their efforts to control the violent scavengers fail.

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Plot Keywords:

gang | scavenger | future | children | bullet hole | 

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Genres:

Sci-Fi

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Details

Official Sites:

Doris Lessing web site

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

September 1981 (UK)

Also Known As:

Anamniseis apo to parelthon

Filming Locations:

Argyle Street, Norwich, Norfolk, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Memorial Enterprises, National Film Finance Corporation (NFFC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film was part of a 1980s cycle of films about atomic bombs and nuclear warfare which had started in 1979 with The China Syndrome. The films included Silkwood, Testament, Threads, WarGames, The Day After, The Atomic Cafe, The Manhattan Project, Whoops Apocalypse, Special Bulletin, Ground Zero, Barefoot Gen (Barefoot Gen), Rules of Engagement, When the Wind Blows, Letters from a Dead Man (Pisma myortvogo cheloveka), Memoirs of a Survivor and The Chain Reaction.

User Reviews

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.