Titles from the 1980s
304 titles - sorted alphabetically or by year prev 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 next
D (continued)
The Dunera Boys – Episode 3 television program – 1985
Just who or what is a Jew is an important theme of this series. Private Dunstan’s response shows how sheltered Australia was from the maelstrom of Europe.
E
Edens Lost television program – 1988
A beautiful woman’s obsession with one man damages the lives of all around her.
Eelemarni, The Story of Leo and Leva documentary – 1988
All the threads aren’t tied up in this short film; rather it is presented as if it was a yarn being heard while at the feet of an elder.
Emerald City feature film – 1988
Successful screenwriter Colin Rogers moves from Melbourne to Sydney and becomes involved with commercial movie hustler Mike McCord.
Evil Angels feature film – 1988
Evil Angels is a highlight of ‘80s Australian cinema but did not perform as well locally as it deserved, perhaps because it presents the dark side of the easygoing ‘g’day mate’ nation.
An Exercise in Discipline: Peel short film – 1982
In Jane Campion’s Palme d’Or winning student short, a bickering red-headed family on a weekend road trip reach a standoff by the side of a country road.
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The Fast Lane - Episode 7: The Sound of One Hand Counting television program – 1986
A private detective agency run by a couple of incompetents feature in a social satire on life 'in the fast lane’ written by John Clarke and Andrew Knight.
Father feature film – 1989
Elderly widower Joseph Mueller is accused of being a war criminal by Holocaust survivor Iya Zetnick.
First Contact documentary – 1983
It was a gift to the filmmakers: seven rusty cans of film documenting ‘first contact’ between PNG people and three white brothers.
Flamingo Park documentary – 1980
Fashion designer Jenny Kee had talent but so did the film’s crew, many of whom went on to make outstanding documentaries.
The Flying Doctors – Public Property television program – 1986
The Flying Doctors is a drama series set in the fictional town of Coopers Crossing and based on the work and lives of the men and women of the outback medical service.
The Flying Vet documentary – 1984
The bonus for the viewer is that the vet, and his wife, provide a real sense of what it’s like to live in remote Australia.
For a Price documentary – 1985
This catalogue of what kinds of sex there was for sale in the mid-1980s, also makes a link between drugs and prostitution.
For Love or Money documentary – 1983
Using almost totally historical material, For Love or Money encompasses the role of Australian women in both paid and unpaid work, over a 200 year period.
A Fortunate Life television program – 1985
While most viewers will be aware of a strong note of irony underlying the story, there is no doubt that in the final analysis it is one of hope, endurance and faith in humanity.
Four Corners – Aiding or Abetting television program – 1983
How is Australian’s aid to the Philippine Government being spent? This program was broadcast just before the overthrow of Marcos and his extravagant wife.
Four Corners – Blue Death television program – 1988
A chilling program about Australia’s greatest industrial disaster: years after the mine closed, Wittenoom residents are dying of asbestos-related illnesses.
Four Corners – French Connections television program – 1985
An extraordinary docudrama about the sinking of the Rainbow Warrior and the death of a Portuguese cameraman.
Four Corners – We’ll All Be Rooned television program – 1982
A lack of envirommental perspective somewhat dates a tragic record of the death of a country town. The wheat belt of Coonamble is now entering its fourth year of drought.
Frame Up. Who Bombed the Hilton, Who Didn’t? documentary – 1983
Produced in 1982, an example of the power of the media in the controversial trial of three Ananda Marga members – the men were acquitted two years later.
Fran feature film – 1985
A vivacious young mother is married to a violent man. Her desperate need for love leads her to some tragically inappropriate choices.
Franklin River Journey documentary – 1980
Amateur botanist Antonius Moscal says that rafting down the wilderness of the Franklin River reminds him of the definition of God.
The Franklin Wild River documentary – 1980
Bob Brown takes a rubber dinghy through spectacular rapids as part of a filmed campaign to halt plans to flood the Franklin River.
Friends and Enemies documentary – 1987
The story of a machiavellian plan to destroy union power, Friends and Enemies follows the bitter fight between Joh Bjelke-Petersen’s Queensland government and the ACTU.
The Fringe Dwellers feature film – 1986
This film has an Aboriginal ensemble cast, but a narrative based on a Western woman’s experience of an Aboriginal community.
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Gallipoli feature film – 1981
Gallipoli remains one of the most loved of all Australian films. It’s one of Weir’s most nakedly emotional films and one of his most poetic.
George Dreyfus: A Portrait documentary – 1984
Composer George Dreyfus marks this portrait with his own whimsical style, showing how lively biography can be when the subject is prepared to satirise himself.
Gillies documentary – 1987
Max Gillies, probably best know for his portrayal of Bob Hawke, feels more confident and secure when he creates a character to hide behind.
The Gillies Report – Series 1, Episode 4 television program – 1984
Max Gillies’ ability to capture the mannerisms of our politicians and Patrick Cook’s searingly funny scripts are this program’s great strengths.
A Girl’s Own Story short film – 1983
In this short film by Jane Campion about changes afoot in 1960s society, teenage girls get in trouble for acting out Beatles concerts in the playground.
Give Trees a Chance: The Story of Terania Creek documentary – 1980
This recording of an anti-logging protest is one of many documentaries made in the 1980s that reflect growing concern about progress at the expense of the environment.
Going Down feature film – 1983
Four women friends leave behind the feral days of youth after a night of uncontrolled excess in inner-city Sydney during the early 1980s.
Gold Gold Gold: 4 x 100 Metres Men’s Medley Relay spoken word – 1980
Norman May’s dramatic swimming-race call at the 1980 Olympics which has remained close to the hearts of Australians.
Goodbye Paradise feature film – 1981
This evocative picture of the Gold Coast as paradise lost includes a gaudy, sleazy fun park, tawdry politics and busloads of old ladies singing.
G.P. – Toss a Coin television program – 1989
G.P. is a medical drama that looks at topical social issues.
Grave of the President documentary – 1984
In 1942, ocean liner President Coolidge accidentally struck two allied mines and sank. One of the world’s biggest shipwrecks is now a popular dive destination.
Green Tea and Cherry Ripe documentary – 1989
A portrait of Japanese women who came to Australia as war brides after the Second World War, and their experiences in an alien land.
Greetings from Wollongong short feature – 1982
Writer-director Mary Callaghan’s film provides an insight into the creativity and friendships that give meaning to an otherwise desperate existence.
Grendel Grendel Grendel feature film – 1980
A lonely, philosophical monster ruminates on the stupidity of men, whose heads he occasionally devours.
Grievous Bodily Harm feature film – 1988
Movie critic David Stratton described Grievous Bodily Harm as 'one of the most satisfying thrillers made in Australia’.
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Half Life: A Parable for the Nuclear Age documentary – 1985
O’Rourke presents the case that the US government used the Marshall Islands as a testing ground for atomic weapons to document the long-term effects of radiation.
A Hard God television program – 1980
A Hard God, based on the play of the same name, is the story of a working-class Irish-Australian Catholic family in Sydney in the 1940s.
Harlequin feature film – 1980
Smoothly directed in widescreen, Harlequin is one of the more polished Australian films of its day and a notch above the ordinary genre film.
The Harold Holt Mystery documentary – 1985
On 17 December 1967 Australian Prime Minister Harold Holt disappeared while swimming at Cheviot Beach, Victoria. This docudrama reconstructs Holt’s last days and examines controversial theories surrounding his death.
Harp in the South television program – 1986
The ‘harp in the south’ refers to Irish immigrants in Australia. A mini-series, based on Ruth Park’s book, follows the Darcys in the aftermath of the Second World War.
Heatwave feature film – 1982
An architect and an activist from opposing sides unite against a crooked developer.
Hellfire Jack: The John Curtin Story documentary – 1985
A portrait of John Curtin, Prime Minister of Australia from 1941 to 1945.
The Henderson Kids – Series 1 Episode 2 television program – 1985
Teenage actors Nadine Garner, Kylie Minogue and Ben Mendelsohn feature in this classic 1980s children’s drama from Crawford Productions.
High Tide feature film – 1987
Judy Davis makes her deeply flawed character compelling and, without her in the role, audiences may have rejected the character.
How the West was Lost documentary – 1987
The strike of 1 May 1946 was the first major strike by Indigenous peoples. It took a significant organisational effort to bring unified opposition against the powerful pastoral industry.
