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 | post thermonuclear war | 

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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:

London, 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 source book, "Memoirs of a Survivor" (1974), by Doris Lessing is considered to be a "dystopian novel".

User Reviews

not for everyone

I see from the last few reviews (at least one of which is one viewer's opinion of Christie's career more than of this particular film) that they didn't like the movie. OK. (And for the record, the fact that some have access to working helicopters doesn't mean most people would, and an extensive, working infrastructure isn't needed to maintain relatively few of them.) I've got the DVD of this film, and the transfer certainly leaves something to be desired. But if that, or the "helicopter issue", or a "tacky" film score, will negate any enjoyment you might have, then this film (and this type of film) is not for you. But it definitely is worth watching. Maybe a different director, or the same director taking a different approach would have made this a better film, and one that would have pleased its' critics.