1979 IN FILM

The year '1979 in film' involved some significant events.

Contents

Events

Top grossing films

Awards

Films released in 1979

Births

Deaths

Events

★ March 5 - Production begins on ''.

★ April 13 - ''The Adventure of Sudsakorn'', Thailand's first (and as of 2006 only) animated feature film is released.

★ July - Production begins on ''The Blues Brothers''.

★ September 19 - Don Bluth and a group of fellow animators resign from The Walt Disney Company's animation department to set up a rival studio, Don Bluth Productions.

★ November 1 - Production begins on ''Raiders of the Lost Ark''.

★ December 7 - '' debuts in the United States to mixed reviews but strong box office, launching a film franchise that would span 10 films over the next 23 years. It also would eventually lead to the creation of four spin-off television series based upon the franchise.

Top grossing films

:North America
# ''Kramer vs. Kramer''
# ''Rocky II'', starring Sylvester Stallone
# ''Alien''
# tie, ''The Amityville Horror'' and
# tie, ''
# ''Moonraker'' starring Roger Moore
# ''The Muppet Movie''
# ''California Suite''
# ''The Deer Hunter''

Awards

'Academy Awards:'
:Best Picture: '''Kramer vs. Kramer''' - Jaffe, Columbia
:Best Director: '''Robert Benton''' - ''Kramer vs. Kramer''
:Best Actor: 'Dustin Hoffman' - ''Kramer vs. Kramer''
:Best Actress: 'Sally Field' - ''Norma Rae''
:Best Supporting Actress: 'Meryl Streep' - ''Kramer vs. Kramer''
:Best Supporting Actor: 'Melvyn Douglas' - ''Being There''
:Best Foreign Language Film: '''The Tin Drum''' (''Die Blechtrommel''), directed by Volker Schlöndorff, W. Germany
'Golden Globe Awards:'
:'Drama:'
:Best Picture: '''Kramer vs. Kramer'''
:Best Actor: 'Dustin Hoffman' - ''Kramer vs. Kramer''
:Best Actress: 'Sally Field' - ''Norma Rae''
:'Musical or comedy:'
:Best Picture: '''Breaking Away'''
:Best Actor: 'Peter Sellers' - ''Being There''
:Best Actress: 'Bette Midler' - ''The Rose''
:'Other'
:Best Director: 'Francis Ford Coppola' - ''Apocalypse Now''
:Best Foreign Language Film: '''La Cage aux Folles''' (France)
'Palme d'Or (Cannes Film Festival):'
:'''Apocalypse Now''', directed by Francis Ford Coppola, United States
:'''The Tin Drum''' (Die Blechtrommel), directed by Volker Schlöndorff, W. Germany
'Golden Bear (Berlin Film Festival):'
:'''David''', directed by Peter Lilienthal, West Germany

Films released in 1979

★ ''10'', directed by Blake Edwards, starring Dudley Moore

★ ''1941'', starring Dan Aykroyd

★ ''The Adventure of Sudsakorn'', Thailand's first and only cel-animated feature film

★ ''Agatha''

★ ''Alexandria... Why?''

★ ''Alien''

★ ''Alien Encounters, The''

★ ''All That Jazz'', Palme d'Or winner

★ ''The Amityville Horror''

★ ''Apocalypse Now'', directed by Francis Ford Coppola, starring Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall, Martin Sheen, Dennis Hopper, Harrison Ford, Palme d'Or winner

★ ''Being There'', starring Peter Sellers

★ ''Beyond the Poseidon Adventure''

★ ''The Black Hole''

★ ''The Black Stallion''

★ ''Breaking Away''

★ ''The Brood'', directed by David Cronenberg

★ ''Buck Rogers in the 25th Century''

★ ''Bye Bye Brazil''

★ ''Caligula'', directed by Tinto Brass, written by Gore Vidal, starring Malcolm McDowell, Teresa Ann Savoy, Helen Mirren and Peter O'Toole

★ ''The Champ (1979 film)''

★ ''The China Syndrome''

★ ''Christ Stopped at Eboli'' (''Cristo si è fermato a Eboliby''), by Francesco Rosi

★ ''

★ ''David'', Golden Bear (award) winner

★ ''Don Giovanni''

★ ''Dracula'', starring Frank Langella as Dracula and Sir Laurence Olivier as Van Helsing. With Trevor Eve

★ ''The Electric Horseman'', directed by Sydney Pollack, starring Robert Redford and Jane Fonda

★ ''Escape from Alcatraz''

★ ''Gal Young 'Un''

★ ''The Great Santini''

★ ''HAIR ''

★ ''Hardcore'', starring George C. Scott

★ ''Heartland'', Golden Bear (award) winner, Sundance Grand Jury Prize

★ ''Hanover Street''

★ ''I as in Icarus''

★ ''The In-Laws''

★ ''The Jerk'', starring Steve Martin

★ ''Just You and Me, Kid''

★ ''Kramer vs. Kramer'', starring Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep, both of whom won Oscars for their performances

★ ''Love At First Bite'', starring George Hamilton

★ ''Mad Max'', starring Mel Gibson

★ ''The Main Event'', starring Barbra Streisand and Ryan O'Neal

★ ''Manhattan''

★ ''The Marriage of Maria Braun''

★ ''Meatballs'', starring Bill Murray

★ ''Monty Python's Life of Brian''

★ ''Moonraker'' starring Roger Moore

★ ''Moscow Does Not Believe In Tears'' - Academy Award for Best Foreign-Language Film

★ ''Mr. Mike's Mondo Video''

★ ''The Muppet Movie''

★ ''Norma Rae''

★ '' ("Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht")

★ ''The Odd Angry Shot''

★ ''Quadrophenia''

★ ''Rock 'n' Roll High School'', produced by Roger Corman, featuring The Ramones

★ ''Rocky II''

★ ''Roller Boogie''

★ ''The Rose''

★ ''Siberiade''

★ ''Soldier of Orange''

★ ''

★ ''Tess'', directed by Roman Polanski, starring Nastassja Kinski

★ ''The Third Generation''

★ ''Time After Time''

★ ''The Tin Drum'', Palme d'Or winner

★ ''Vengeance Is Mine''

★ '' The Warriors''

★ ''Wolfman''

★ ''Woyzeck''

★ ''Zulu Dawn''

Births

★ January 8 - Sarah Polley, actress

★ January 12 - Isidra Vega, actress

★ January 27 - Rosamund Pike, actress

★ February 9 - Mena Suvari, actress

★ February 9 - Zhang Ziyi, actress and dancer

★ April 4 - Bunko Kanazawa, actress

★ April 12 - Claire Danes, actress

★ April 19 - Kate Hudson, actress

★ April 23 - Jaime King, actress

★ May 9 - Rosario Dawson, actress

★ May 25 - Monica Keena, actress

★ October 4 - Rachael Leigh Cook, actress

★ October 8 - Kristanna Loken, actress

★ December 23 - Summer Altice, model and actress

Deaths

★ February 12 - Jean Renoir, director

★ March 1 - Dolores Costello, actress

★ March 22 - Ben Lyon, actor, also credited as the person who "discovered" and renamed Marilyn Monroe

★ May 29 - Mary Pickford, actress, movie studio founder

★ June 11 - John Wayne, actor

★ August 17, Vivian Vance, actress

★ September 8 - Jean Seberg, actress

★ September 12 - Jocelyne LaGarde, Tahitian actress

★ November 23 - Merle Oberon, American actress

★ December 11 - Adile Nasit, actress, director