1979 in film - 1979 in film

Overview of the events of 1979 in filmOverview of the events of 1979 in film

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The year 1979 in filminvolved many significant events.

Contents

• 1 Highest-grossing films (U.S.)
• 2 Highest-grossing films (international)
• 3 Major events
• 4 Awards
• 5 Notable films released in 1979
  • 5.1 #
  • 5.2 A
  • 5.3 B
  • 5.4 C
  • 5.5 D
  • 5.6 E
  • 5.7 F
  • 5.8 G
  • 5.9 H
  • 5.10 I
  • 5.11 J
  • 5.12 K
  • 5.13 L
  • 5.14 M
  • 5.15 N
  • 5.16 O
  • 5.17 P
  • 5.18 Q
  • 5.19 R
  • 5.20 S
  • 5.21 T
  • 5.22 U
  • 5.23 V
  • 5.24 W
  • 5.25 XYZ
• 6 1979 film releases
  • 6.1 January–March
  • 6.2 April–June
  • 6.3 July–September
  • 6.4 October–December
• 7 Births
• 8 Notable deaths
• 9 Debuts
• 10 References

Highest-grossing films (U.S.)

The top ten 1979 released films by North American gross are as follows:

Highest-grossing films of 1979

Rank	Title	Distributor	Box-office gross
1	Kramer vs. Kramer	Columbia Pictures	$106,260,000
2	The Amityville Horror	American International Pictures	$86,432,520
3	Rocky II	United Artists	$85,182,160
4	Apocalypse Now		$83,471,511
5	Star Trek: The Motion Picture	Paramount Pictures	$82,258,456
6	Alien	20th Century Fox	$80,931,801
7	10	Warner Bros.	$74,865,517
8	The Jerk	Universal Pictures	$73,691,419
9	Moonraker	United Artists	$70,308,099
10	The Muppet Movie	Associated Film Distribution	$65,200,000

Highest-grossing films (international)

Highest-grossing films of 1979 (international markets)

International market	Title	Distributor	Gross (local currency)	Gross (US$ )	Production country
India	Suhaag	Sharma Cine Associates	₹ 100,000,000	$12,310,000	India
Japan	Galaxy Express 999	Toei	¥ 16,500,000,000	$76,120,000	Japan
Soviet Union	Sholay	R. K. Films	15,000,000 руб	$23,290,000	India
United Kingdom	Superman	Columbia -EMI -Warner	£ 11,547,308	$24,455,309	United States

Major events

• March 2 – Buena Vista release their first film since the advent of U.S. movie ratings to not be G-rated, Take Down.
• March 5 – Production begins on The Empire Strikes Back.
• March – Frank Price becomes president of Columbia Pictures.
• May 25 – Alien, a landmark of the science fiction genre, is released.
• May 31 – The Muppet Movie, Jim Henson's Muppets ' first foray into the world of feature-length motion pictures, is released in United Kingdom.
• June 11 – John Wayne, a famous Western movie actor, dies at the age of 72 from stomach cancer.
• June 29 – Moonraker, the 11th film in the James Bond franchise, is released in the United States and goes on to become the highest-grossing film of the year worldwide.
• August 15 – Apocalypse Now is released to worldwide critical acclaim and box office success. Heralded as one of the greatest films ever made to this day.
• 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.
• October 3 – Producers Benjamin Melniker and Michael E. Uslan purchase the film rights of Batman from DC Comics. It would be another ten years, before a Batman feature film would be fully realized.
• November 1 – Production begins on Raiders of the Lost Ark.
• December 7 – Star Trek: The Motion Picture debuts in the United States to mixed reviews but strong box office, launching a film franchise that leads to 9 sequels and 3 reboots over the next 37 years. It also leads to the creation of five spin-off television series based upon Gene Roddenberry 's creation.
• Allied Artists files for bankruptcy.

Awards

Category/Organization	37th Golden Globe Awards. January 26, 1980		33rd BAFTA Awards. March 20, 1980	52nd Academy Awards. April 14, 1980
	Drama	Musical or Comedy
Best Film	Kramer vs. Kramer	Breaking Away	Manhattan	Kramer vs. Kramer
Best Director	Francis Ford Coppola. Apocalypse Now			Robert Benton. Kramer vs. Kramer
Best Actor	Dustin Hoffman. Kramer vs. Kramer	Peter Sellers. Being There	Jack Lemmon. The China Syndrome	Dustin Hoffman. Kramer vs. Kramer
Best Actress	Sally Field. Norma Rae	Bette Midler. The Rose	Jane Fonda. The China Syndrome	Sally Field. Norma Rae
Best Supporting Actor	Melvyn Douglas. Being There. Robert Duvall. Apocalypse Now		Robert Duvall. Apocalypse Now	Melvyn Douglas. Being There
Best Supporting Actress	Meryl Streep. Kramer vs. Kramer		Rachel Roberts. Yanks	Meryl Streep. Kramer vs. Kramer
Best Screenplay, Adapted	Robert Benton. Kramer vs. Kramer		Woody Allen and Marshall Brickman. Manhattan	Robert Benton. Kramer vs. Kramer
Best Screenplay, Original				Steve Tesich. Breaking Away
Best Original Score	Carmine Coppola and Francis Ford Coppola. Apocalypse Now		Ennio Morricone. Days of Heaven	Georges Delerue. A Little Romance. Ralph Burns. All That Jazz
Best Original Song	"The Rose ". The Rose		N/A	"It Goes Like It Goes ". Norma Rae
Best Foreign Language Film	La Cage aux Folles		N/A	The Tin Drum

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

Notable films released in 1979

United States unless stated

#

• 10, directed by Blake Edwards, starring Dudley Moore, Julie Andrews, Bo Derek, Robert Webber, Brian Dennehy
• 1941, directed by Steven Spielberg, starring Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Tim Matheson, Nancy Allen, Toshiro Mifune, Treat Williams, Warren Oates, Robert Stack

A

• The Actress, the Dollars and the Transylvanians (Artista, dolarii şi ardelenii) – (Romania )
• L'adolescente (The Adolescent), directed by Jeanne Moreau, starring Simone Signoret – (France )
• The Adventure of Sudsakorn, the first and only cel-animated feature film from Thailand
• Adventures of Sinbad
• Agatha, directed by Michael Apted, starring Vanessa Redgrave and Dustin Hoffman – (U.K. )
• Ah! Nomugi Toge (Nomugi Pass) – (Japan )
• Air Crew (Ekipazh) – (U.S.S.R. )
• Alien, directed by Ridley Scott, starring Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver, Veronica Cartwright, John Hurt, Ian Holm, Harry Dean Stanton, Yaphet Kotto – (US /UK )
• All Quiet on the Western Front, a TV film directed by Delbert Mann, starring Richard Thomas and Ernest Borgnine
• All That Jazz, directed by Bob Fosse, starring Roy Scheider, Ann Reinking, Ben Vereen, John Lithgow, Jessica Lange
• An Almost Perfect Affair, starring Keith Carradine and Monica Vitti
• Americathon, starring John Ritter and Harvey Korman
• The Amityville Horror, directed by Stuart Rosenberg, starring James Brolin, Margot Kidder, Rod Steiger
• ...And Justice for All, directed by Norman Jewison, starring Al Pacino, John Forsythe, Jack Warden, Christine Lahti, Craig T. Nelson, Jeffrey Tambor
• Anti-Clock, directed by Jane Arden – (U.K. )
• Apocalypse Now, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, starring Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall, Martin Sheen, Dennis Hopper, Laurence Fishburne, Frederic Forrest
• The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again, starring Don Knotts and Tim Conway
• Arabian Adventure, starring Christopher Lee and Emma Samms – (U.K. )
• Ashanti, directed by Richard Fleischer, starring Michael Caine and Peter Ustinov
• Autumn Marathon (Osenniy marafon) – (U.S.S.R. )

B

• Baby Snakes, directed by Frank Zappa
• Ball Lightning (Kulový blesk) – (Czechoslovakia )
• Ballad of Tara (Tcherike-ye Tara) – (Iran )
• Bear Island, starring Donald Sutherland, Vanessa Redgrave, Richard Widmark, Barbara Parkins
• Being There, directed by Hal Ashby, starring Peter Sellers, Shirley MacLaine, Melvyn Douglas, Jack Warden
• The Bell Jar, starring Marilyn Hassett, Julie Harris, Anne Jackson
• Best Boy, award-winning documentary
• Beyond the Poseidon Adventure, directed by Irwin Allen, starring Michael Caine, Telly Savalas, Sally Field, Karl Malden, Shirley Jones
• Birth of the Beatles, directed by Richard Marquand
• The Bitch, starring Joan Collins – (U.K. )
• The Black Hole, directed by Gary Nelson, starring Maximilian Schell, Anthony Perkins, Ernest Borgnine, Yvette Mimieux
• The Black Stallion, directed by Carroll Ballard, starring Mickey Rooney, Hoyt Axton, Teri Garr, Kelly Reno
• Bloodline, directed by Terence Young, starring Audrey Hepburn, Ben Gazzara, James Mason, Gert Fröbe, Beatrice Straight
• Bloody Kids, directed by Stephen Frears – (U.K. )
• Boardwalk, starring Ruth Gordon, Lee Strasberg, Janet Leigh
• Boulevard Nights, directed by Michael Pressman
• Breaking Away, directed by Peter Yates, starring Dennis Christopher, Dennis Quaid, Daniel Stern, Jackie Earle Haley, Paul Dooley
• Breakthrough, starring Richard Burton, Robert Mitchum, Rod Steiger, Curd Jürgens
• Les Bronzés font du ski (a.k.a. French Fried Vacation 2), directed by Patrice Leconte – (France )
• The Brood, directed by David Cronenberg, starring Oliver Reed and Samantha Eggar – (Canada )
• Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, starring Gil Gerard and Erin Gray
• Buffet froid, directed by Bertrand Blier, starring Gérard Depardieu, Bernard Blier, Jean Carmet – (France )
• The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie
• Butch and Sundance: The Early Days, starring Tom Berenger and William Katt
• The Butterfly Murders (Die bian), directed by Tsui Hark – (Hong Kong )
• Bye Bye Brazil – (Brazil /France /Argentina )

C

• C.H.O.M.P.S., directed by Don Chaffey, starring Wesley Eure, Valerie Bertinelli, Conrad Bain, Red Buttons
• California Dreaming, starring Glynnis O'Connor, Dennis Christopher, Tanya Roberts
• Caligula, directed by Tinto Brass, written by Gore Vidal, starring Malcolm McDowell, Teresa Ann Savoy, Helen Mirren, Peter O'Toole – (Italy /United States )
• Camera Buff. directed by Krzysztof Kieślowski – (Poland )
• The Castle of Cagliostro (Rupan sansei: Kariosutoro no shiro), an anime film by Hayao Miyazaki – (Japan )
• The Cat and the Canary, starring Honor Blackman, Carol Lynley, Olivia Hussey – (U.K. )
• The Champ, directed by Franco Zeffirelli, starring Jon Voight, Faye Dunaway, Ricky Schroder, Jack Warden, Arthur Hill
• Chapter Two, starring James Caan, Marsha Mason, Joseph Bologna, Valerie Harper
• The China Syndrome, directed by James Bridges, starring Jack Lemmon, Jane Fonda, Michael Douglas
• Christ Stopped at Eboli (Italian : Cristo si è fermato a Eboli), directed by Francesco Rosi, starring Gian Maria Volonté – (Italy /France )
• City on Fire, starring Susan Clark and Ava Gardner
• The Concorde... Airport '79, starring Alain Delon, Susan Blakely, Robert Wagner, George Kennedy
• Cuba, directed by Richard Lester, starring Sean Connery, Brooke Adams, Chris Sarandon

D

• David – (West Germany ) – Golden Bear winner
• Derek and Clive Get the Horn, starring Peter Cook and Dudley Moore – (U.K. )
• Dirty Ho (Lan tou He), starring Gordon Liu – (Hong Kong )
• Don Giovanni, directed by Joseph Losey, starring Ruggero Raimondi, John Macurdy, Kiri Te Kanawa – (Italy /France /U.K. /West Germany )
• Dracula, directed by John Badham, starring Frank Langella, Laurence Olivier, Trevor Eve – (US /UK )
• Dreamer, starring Tim Matheson

E

• Eagle's Wing, starring Martin Sheen and Sam Waterston – (U.K. )
• The Electric Horseman, directed by Sydney Pollack, starring Robert Redford, Jane Fonda, Valerie Perrine, John Saxon, Willie Nelson
• Escape from Alcatraz, directed by Don Siegel, starring Clint Eastwood, Patrick McGoohan, Fred Ward
• Escape to Athena, starring Roger Moore, David Niven, Elliott Gould, Stefanie Powers, Claudia Cardinale, Telly Savalas – (U.K. )
• The Europeans, directed by James Ivory, starring Lee Remick, Lisa Eichhorn, Kristin Griffith – (U.K. )

F

• Fast Break, starring Gabe Kaplan and Bernard King
• Felicity, starring Glory Annen – (Australia )
• Ffolkes, aka North Sea Hijack, starring Roger Moore, James Mason, Anthony Perkins, Michael Parks – (U.K. )
• The Fifth Musketeer, starring Sylvia Kristel, Ursula Andress, Beau Bridges, Ian McShane, Rex Harrison – (Austria /West Germany )
• Firepower, starring Sophia Loren, James Coburn, O. J. Simpson – (U.K.)
• First Case, Second Case (Qazieh, Shekl-e Avval, Shekl-e Dovom), directed by Abbas Kiarostami – (Iran )
• The First Great Train Robbery, starring Sean Connery, Lesley-Anne Down, Donald Sutherland – (U.K. )
• A Force of One, starring Chuck Norris and Jennifer O'Neill
• The Frisco Kid, directed by Robert Aldrich, starring Gene Wilder, Harrison Ford
• French Postcards, starring Miles Chapin, David Marshall Grant, Debra Winger

G

• Gal Young Un, directed by Victor Nuñez
• The Genealogy (Jokbo) – (South Korea )
• Going in Style, directed by Martin Brest, starring George Burns, Art Carney, Lee Strasberg
• The Glove, starring John Saxon and Roosevelt Grier
• Gol Maal (Confusion) – (India )
• Goldengirl, starring Susan Anton, James Coburn, Leslie Caron
• Grass Labyrinth (Kusa Meikyū) – (Japan )
• The Great Santini, starring Robert Duvall, Michael O'Keefe, Blythe Danner, Lisa Jane Persky, Stan Shaw
• The Great Riviera Bank Robbery, starring Ian McShane – (U.K. )

H

• Hair, directed by Miloš Forman, starring John Savage, Treat Williams, Beverly D'Angelo
• Hanover Street, directed by Peter Hyams, starring Harrison Ford, Lesley-Anne Down, Christopher Plummer – (US /UK )
• Hardcore, directed by Paul Schrader, starring George C. Scott and Peter Boyle
• Heart of the Forest (El corazón del bosque) – (Spain )
• Heartland, directed by Richard Pearce, starring Rip Torn and Conchata Ferrell – Golden Bear winner, Sundance Grand Jury Prize
• Hot Stuff, directed by and starring Dom DeLuise, with Suzanne Pleshette, Ossie Davis, Jerry Reed
• The Human Factor, starring Richard Attenborough, John Gielgud, Derek Jacobi – (U.K. )
• Hurricane, starring Mia Farrow, Jason Robards, Max von Sydow, Trevor Howard
• The Hussy (La drôlesse) – (France )
• The Hypothesis of the Stolen Painting (L'Hypothèse du tableau volé), directed by Raúl Ruiz – (France )

I

• I as in Icarus (I... comme Icare), starring Yves Montand – (France )
• The In-Laws, directed by Arthur Hiller, starring Alan Arkin and Peter Falk

J

• J-Men Forever, directed by Richard Patterson, starring Peter Bergman, M. G. Kelly, Philip Proctor
• Jack Frost, directed by Rankin/Bass, starring Robert Morse
• Jaguar – (Philippines )
• The Jerk, directed by Carl Reiner, starring Steve Martin and Bernadette Peters
• Jesus, directed by Peter Sykes and John Krisch, starring Brian Deacon – (Australia /US /UK )
• Just You and Me, Kid, starring George Burns and Brooke Shields

K

• Kaala Patthar (Black Stone), starring Shashi Kapoor – (India )
• Kassbach – Ein Porträt (Kassbach – A Portrait) – (Austria )
• The Kids Are Alright, a rockumentary featuring The Who – (U.K. )
• Knockabout, directed by and starring Sammo Hung – (Hong Kong )
• Kramer vs. Kramer, directed by Robert Benton, starring Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep (both won Oscars ), Justin Henry, JoBeth Williams, Jane Alexander

L

• Lady Oscar, starring Catriona MacColl and Patsy Kensit – (France /Japan )
• Le Pétomane, starring Leonard Rossiter and Graham Stark
• The Lady Vanishes, starring Elliott Gould, Cybill Shepherd, Angela Lansbury
• Last Embrace, directed by Jonathan Demme, starring Roy Scheider and Janet Margolin
• The Last of the Knucklemen – (Australia )
• A Little Romance, directed by George Roy Hill, starring Laurence Olivier, Diane Lane, Sally Kellerman – (France /United States )
• Little Tragedies (Malenkie tragedii) – (U.S.S.R. )
• Love and Bullets, directed by Stuart Rosenberg, starring Charles Bronson, Jill Ireland, Rod Steiger
• Love at First Bite, starring George Hamilton and Susan Saint James
• Love on the Run (L'amour en fuite), directed by François Truffaut – (France )
• Lovers and Liars (Viaggio con Anita), starring Goldie Hawn and Giancarlo Giannini – (Italy /France)
• La Luna, directed by Bernardo Bertolucci, starring Jill Clayburgh – (Italy )

M

• Mad Max, directed by George Miller, starring Mel Gibson – (Australia )
• The Magician of Lublin, starring Alan Arkin, Louise Fletcher, Valerie Perrine
• Magnificent Butcher (Lin shi rong), starring Sammo Hung – (Hong Kong )
• The Main Event, starring Barbra Streisand and Ryan O'Neal
• Mamá cumple cien años (Mama Turns 100), directed by Carlos Saura, starring Geraldine Chaplin – (Spain )
• Manhattan, directed by and starring Woody Allen, with Diane Keaton, Michael Murphy, Mariel Hemingway
• A Man, a Woman, and a Bank, starring Donald Sutherland and Brooke Adams
• The Marriage of Maria Braun, directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder, starring Hanna Schygulla – (West Germany )
• Maula Jatt – (Pakistan )
• Meatballs, directed by Ivan Reitman, starring Bill Murray – (Canada )
• The Meeting Place Cannot Be Changed (Mesto vstrechi izmenit nelzya) – (U.S.S.R. )
• Meetings with Remarkable Men, Gurdjieff biography directed by Peter Brook – (U.K. )
• Meteor, directed by Ronald Neame, starring Sean Connery, Natalie Wood, Karl Malden, Henry Fonda, Martin Landau, Trevor Howard
• Monty Python's Life of Brian, directed by Terry Jones, starring Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin – (U.K. )
• Moonraker, directed by Lewis Gilbert, starring Roger Moore (as James Bond ), with Lois Chiles, Michael Lonsdale, Richard Kiel – (U.K. )
• More American Graffiti, starring Candy Clark, Ron Howard, Paul Le Mat, Charles Martin Smith, Cindy Williams
• Mr. Mike's Mondo Video, starring Michael O'Donoghue, Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray
• The Muppet Movie, made by Jim Henson, with Charles Durning and Dom DeLuise
• Murder by Decree, starring Christopher Plummer (as Sherlock Holmes ) and James Mason – (U.K. /Canada )
• My Brilliant Career, directed by Gillian Armstrong, starring Judy Davis and Sam Neill – (Australia )

N

• Nightwing, directed by Arthur Hiller, starring Nick Mancuso and Kathryn Harrold
• Noorie, directed by Manmohan Krishna – (India )
• Norma Rae, directed by Martin Ritt, starring Sally Field, Ron Leibman, Beau Bridges
• The North Avenue Irregulars, starring Karen Valentine, Barbara Harris, Susan Clark
• North Dallas Forty, starring Nick Nolte, Mac Davis, G. D. Spradlin, Dayle Haddon, Bo Svenson, John Matuszak
• Nosferatu the Vampyre (Nosferatu: Phantom der Nach), directed by Werner Herzog, starring Klaus Kinski, Isabelle Adjani, Bruno Ganz – (West Germany )

O

• The Odd Angry Shot, starring Bryan Brown – (Australia )
• The Odd Couple (Bo ming chan dao duo ming qiang), starring Sammo Hung – (Hong Kong )
• The Onion Field, directed by Harold Becker, starring James Woods, John Savage, Franklyn Seales, Ted Danson
• Operación Ogro, directed by Gillo Pontecorvo, starring Gian Maria Volonté – (Spain /Italy )
• Over the Edge, directed by Jonathan Kaplan, starring Matt Dillon

P

• The Passage, starring Anthony Quinn, James Mason, Malcolm McDowell, Patricia Neal, Kay Lenz
• A Perfect Couple, directed by Robert Altman, starring Paul Dooley and Marta Heflin
• Peruvazhiyambalam, directed by Padmarajan – (India )
• Les petites fugues (The Little Fugitives) – (Switzerland )
• Phantasm, directed by Don Coscarelli
• A Pleasure Doing Business, directed by Steven Vagnino, starring Conrad Bain, John Byner, Alan Oppenheimer and Misty Rowe
• The Plank, directed by and starring Eric Sykes, with Arthur Lowe – (U.K. )
• The Plumber, directed by Peter Weir, starring Judy Morris – (Australia )
• Prince Nezha's Triumph Against Dragon King (Nezha nao hai), an animated film – (China )
• The Prisoner of Zenda, starring Peter Sellers, Lynne Frederick and Lionel Jeffries
• The Prize Fighter, starring Don Knotts and Tim Conway
• Prophecy, directed by John Frankenheimer, starring Talia Shire, Robert Foxworth, Richard Dysart, Armand Assante

Q

• Quadrophenia, directed by Franc Roddam, starring Phil Daniels, Leslie Ash, Ray Winstone, with music by The Who – (U.K. )

R

• Real Life, directed by and starring Albert Brooks, with Charles Grodin
• Richard Pryor: Live in Concert
• Rich Kids, starring Trini Alvarado and John Lithgow
• Rock 'n' Roll High School, produced by Roger Corman, featuring The Ramones
• Rocky II, directed by and starring Sylvester Stallone, with Carl Weathers, Talia Shire, Burt Young
• Roller Boogie, directed by Mark L. Lester, starring Linda Blair, Jim Bray, Albert Insinnia, Jimmy Van Patten, Kimberly Beck, Stoney Jackson, Beverly Garland, Mark Goddard
• The Rose, directed by Mark Rydell, starring Bette Midler, Alan Bates, Frederic Forrest
• Running, starring Michael Douglas

S

• Saint Jack, directed by Peter Bogdanovich, starring Ben Gazzara
• Scavenger Hunt, starring Cloris Leachman, Cleavon Little, Vincent Price, Tony Randall
• Scum, starring Ray Winstone – (U.K. )
• A Scream from Silence (Mourir à tue-tête) – (Canada )
• The Seduction of Joe Tynan, starring Alan Alda, Meryl Streep, Melvyn Douglas, Barbara Harris, Rip Torn
• A Sense of Freedom, directed by John Mackenzie – (U.K.)
• Série noire (Black Series), directed by Alain Corneau – (France )
• Siberiade, directed by Andrei Konchalovsky – (U.S.S.R )
• Sisters, or the Balance of Happiness (Schwestern oder Die Balance des Glücks), directed by Margarethe von Trotta – (West Germany )
• Skatetown, U.S.A., starring Scott Baio, Flip Wilson, Maureen McCormick, Patrick Swayze
• Something Out of Nothing, directed by Nikola Rudarov, starring Asen Kisimov, Stefan Danailov, Aneta Sotirova – (Bulgaria )
• Stalker, directed by Andrei Tarkovsky – (U.S.S.R. )
• Star Trek: The Motion Picture, directed by Robert Wise, starring William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Persis Khambatta, Stephen Collins
• Starting Over, directed by Alan J. Pakula, starring Burt Reynolds, Jill Clayburgh, Candice Bergen, Charles Durning
• Suhaag (a.k.a. Sign of Marriage), starring Amitabh Bachchan, Shashi Kapoor, Rekha – (India )
• The Survivors (Los sobrevivientes) – (Cuba )

T

• Take Down, starring Lorenzo Lamas and Maureen McCormick
• Tale of Tales (Skazka skazok), an animated film – (U.S.S.R. )
• Tarka the Otter, narrated by Peter Ustinov – (U.K.)
• The Tempest, directed by Derek Jarman, starring Toyah Willcox – (U.K. )
• Tess, directed by Roman Polanski, starring Nastassja Kinski – (France /U.K. )
• That Summer!, starring Ray Winstone – (U.K.)
• The Theme (Tema), directed by Gleb Panfilov, starring Mikhail Ulyanov, Inna Churikova, Stanislav Lyubshin, and Yevgeni Vesnik. Winner of 1987 Golden Bear – (U.S.S.R. )
• The Third Generation (Die Dritte Generation), directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder, starring Hanna Schygulla – (West Germany )
• Those Wonderful Movie Cranks (Báječní muži s klikou), directed by Jiří Menzel – (Czechoslovakia )
• La Tía Alejandra (Aunt Alejandra) – (Mexico )
• Tim, starring Mel Gibson and Piper Laurie – (Australia )
• Time After Time, directed by Nicholas Meyer, starring Malcolm McDowell, David Warner, Mary Steenburgen
• The Tin Drum (Die Blechtrommel), directed by Volker Schlöndorff, starring David Bennent – (West Germany ) – Palme d'Or winner
• To Forget Venice (Dimenticare Venezia), directed by Franco Brusati, starring Mariangela Melato and Erland Josephson – (Italy )
• Tourist Trap, starring Chuck Connors and Tanya Roberts

U

• Ultraman – (Japan )
• Ultraman: Great Monster Decisive Battle – (Japan )
• Uncle Marin, the Billionaire (Nea Mărin miliardar) – (Romania )

V

• Vengeance Is Mine (fukushū suru wa ware ni ari), directed by Shohei Imamura, starring Ken Ogata – (Japan )
• The Villain, directed by Hal Needham, starring Kirk Douglas, Ann-Margret, Arnold Schwarzenegger
• The Visitor, starring John Huston, Glenn Ford, Shelley Winters

W

• Wanda Nevada, directed by and starring Peter Fonda, with Brooke Shields
• The Wanderers, starring Ken Wahl and Karen Allen
• The Warriors, directed by Walter Hill, starring Michael Beck, James Remar, David Patrick Kelly, Deborah Van Valkenburgh
• When a Stranger Calls, starring Charles Durning and Carol Kane
• Winter Kills, starring Jeff Bridges, John Huston, Anthony Perkins
• Wise Blood, directed by and starring John Huston, with Brad Dourif – (United States /West Germany )
• Woman Between Wolf and Dog (Femme entre chien et loup) – (Belgium /France )
• Woyzeck, directed by Werner Herzog, starring Klaus Kinski and Eva Mattes – (West Germany )
• The Wretches Are Still Singing (Τα Κουρέλια Τραγουδάνε Ακόμα), directed by Nikos Nikolaidis – (Greece )

XYZ

• Yanks, directed by John Schlesinger, starring Richard Gere, Lisa Eichhorn, Vanessa Redgrave – (US /UK )
• Yesterday's Hero, directed by Neil Leifer, starring Ian McShane, Suzanne Somers, Adam Faith and Paul Nicholas – (U.K. )
• Zombi 2, directed by Lucio Fulci, starring Tisa Farrow, Ian McCulloch, Richard Johnson – (Italy )
• Zulu Dawn, starring Peter O'Toole, Burt Lancaster, Simon Ward – (United States /South Africa /Netherlands )

1979 film releases

January–March

• January 1979
  • January 1
    • Take Down
  • January 26
    • Richard Pryor: Live in Concert
• February 1979
  • February 2
    • ABBA: The Movie
    • The First Great Train Robbery
  • February 9
    • Agatha
    • Hardcore
    • Murder by Decree
    • The NorthAvenue Irregulars
    • Quintet
    • The Warriors
  • February 23
    • Fast Break
• March 1979
  • March 2
    • Norma Rae
    • Real Life
  • March 7
    • Starcrash
  • March 8
    • The Promise
  • March 9
    • The Passage
  • March 14
    • Hair
    • Tourist Trap
    • Voices
  • March 16
    • California Dreaming
    • The China Syndrome
  • March 17
    • The Story of Heidi
  • March 21
    • The Bell Jar
  • March 23
    • Boulevard Nights
  • March 28
    • Phantasm

April–June

• April 1979
  • April 4
    • The Champ
  • April 6
    • The Fifth Musketeer
    • A Perfect Couple
  • April 12
    • Hurricane
    • Mad Max
  • April 13
    • Firepower
    • Love at First Bite
  • April 20
    • Ashanti
    • Tilt
  • April 25
    • Manhattan
  • April 27
    • An Almost Perfect Affair
    • Dreamer
    • A Little Romance
    • Saint Jack
• May 1979
  • May 1
    • Fast Charlie... the Moonbeam Rider
  • May 3
    • Winds of Change
  • May 4
    • Last Embrace
  • May 7
    • The Ballad of the Daltons
  • May 11
    • Beneath the Valley of the Ultra-Vixens
  • May 12
    • Ravagers
  • May 15
    • Zulu Dawn
  • May 17
    • Winter Kills
  • May 18
    • Hanover Street
    • Over the Edge
  • May 25
    • Alien
    • Beyond the Poseidon Adventure
    • Jaws (re-release)
    • The Prisoner of Zenda
    • Wanda Nevada
• June 1979
  • June 1
    • The Brood
    • Phantasm
  • June 6
    • Escape to Athena
  • June 8
    • The Plumber
  • June 15
    • Butch and Sundance: The Early Days
    • The Driller Killer
    • Goldengirl
    • The In-Laws
    • Prophecy
    • Rocky II
    • The Water Babies
  • June 22
    • Escape from Alcatraz
    • The Main Event
    • The Muppet Movie
    • Nightwing
  • June 27
    • The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again
    • The 36th Chamber of Shaolin
  • June 29
    • Bloodline
    • Meatballs
    • Moonraker
    • Up from the Depths

July–September

• July 1979
  • J-Men Forever
  • July 5
    • Arabian Adventure
  • July 6
    • Nutcracker Fantasy
  • July 11
    • Plague
  • July 13
    • Breaking Away
    • Dracula
    • The Frisco Kid
    • The Wanderers
  • July 26
    • The Europeans
    • Unidentified Flying Oddball
  • July 27
    • The Amityville Horror
    • A Force of One
    • The Villain
• August 1979
  • August 1
    • North Dallas Forty
  • August 3
    • The Concorde... Airport '79
    • More American Graffiti
  • August 5
    • Meetings with Remarkable Men
  • August 10
    • Americathon
    • Hot Stuff
  • August 15
    • Apocalypse Now
    • Caligula
    • Star Wars (re-release)
  • August 17
    • Monty Python's Life of Brian
    • The Prisoner of Zenda
    • Rich Kids
    • The Seduction of Joe Tynan
  • August 24
    • Rock 'n' Roll High School
  • August 31
    • City on Fire
• September 1979
  • September 7
    • Patrick
  • September 14
    • Love and Bullets
    • Tarzoon: Shame of the Jungle
  • September 19
    • The Onion Field
    • Yanks
  • September 21
    • Heartland
    • Mr. Mike's Mondo Video
  • September 28
    • The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie
    • A Man, a Woman, and a Bank
    • Sleeping Beauty (re-release)
    • Time After Time
    • Wise Blood

October–December

• October 1979
  • The Magician of Lubin
  • Siberiade
  • Skatetown, U.S.A.
  • October 5
    • 10
    • Starting Over
  • October 17
    • The Black Stallion
  • October 19
    • ...And Justice for All.
    • Avalanche Express
    • Chilly Scenes of Winter
    • French Postcards
    • Jesus
    • Meteor
  • October 26
    • Derek and Clive Get the Horn
    • The Great Santini
    • The Lady Vanishes
    • When a Stranger Calls
• November 1979
  • A Pleasure Doing Business
  • The Prize Fighter
  • November 2
    • Bear Island
    • Promises in the Dark
    • Quadrophenia
    • Running
  • November 6
    • Don Giovanni
    • The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh
  • November 7
    • The Rose
  • November 8
    • Eagle's Wing
  • November 14
    • All Quiet on the Western Front
    • Boardwalk
    • The Cat and the Canary
  • November 21
    • Mountain Family Robinson
    • The Visitor
  • November 23
    • Birth of the Beatles
    • Yesterday's Hero
• December 1979
  • December 7
    • Love and Bullets
    • Star Trek: The Motion Picture
    • Wise Blood
  • December 14
    • 1941
    • Chapter Two
    • The Jerk
    • The War at Home
  • December 19
    • Being There
    • Kramer vs. Kramer
    • Roller Boogie
  • December 20
    • All That Jazz
  • December 21
    • Baby Snakes
    • The Black Hole
    • Cuba
    • C.H.O.M.P.S.
    • The Electric Horseman
    • Scavenger Hunt
  • December 25
    • Going in Style

Births

• January 1 – Vidya Balan, Indian actress
• January 6 - Cristela Alonzo, American comedian, actress, writer and producer
• January 8 – Sarah Polley, Canadian actress
• January 24 – Tatyana Ali, American actress and singer
• January 27 – Rosamund Pike, English actress
• February 2 – Shamita Shetty, Indian actress
• February 9 – Zhang Ziyi, Chinese actress and dancer
• February 11 – Brandy Norwood, American actress and singer
• February 13 – Mena Suvari, American actress
• February 21
  • Jordan Peele, American actor, comedian, writer, director and producer
  • Maryke Hendrikse, Bahamian-born Canadian voice actress
  • Jennifer Love Hewitt, American actress and singer
• March 5 - Riki Lindhome, American actress, comedian and musician
• March 9 – Oscar Isaac, Guatemalan-American actor
• March 10 – Danny Pudi, American actor
• March 17 - Stephen Kramer Glickman, Canadian actor, music producer and stand-up comedian
• March 24 – Lake Bell, American actress, director and screenwriter
• March 25 - Lee Pace, American actor
• March 28 - Shakib Khan, Bangladeshi film actor, producer, singer, film organiser and media personalities
• April 4
  • Bunko Kanazawa, Japanese actress
  • Heath Ledger, Australian actor (d. 2008 )
  • Natasha Lyonne, American actress
• April 11 – Josh Server, American actor
• April 12 – Claire Danes, American actress
• April 19 – Kate Hudson, American actress
• April 21 – James McAvoy, Scottish actor
• April 23 – Jaime King, American actress
• May 7 – Yōsuke Kubozuka, Japanese actor
• May 9 – Rosario Dawson, American actress
• May 22 – Maggie Q, American actress
• May 28 – Monica Keena, American actress
• June 7 – Anna Torv, Australian actress
• June 21 – Chris Pratt, American actor
• June 24 – Mindy Kaling, American writer and actress
• June 27 – Benjamin Speed, Australian film composer
• July 3 – Ludivine Sagnier, French actress
• July 6 – Kevin Hart, American actor
• July 16 – Jayma Mays, American actress
• July 31 – B. J. Novak, American writer and actor
• August 3 – Evangeline Lilly, Canadian actress
• August 27 – Aaron Paul, American actor
• August 31 – Yuvan Shankar Raja, Indian film composer
• September 8 – Pink, American singer and actress
• September 11 – Ariana Richards, American actress
• October 1 – Marielle Heller, American film director
• October 4 – Rachael Leigh Cook, American actress
• October 6 – Sareh Bayat, Iranian actress
• October 8 – Kristanna Loken, American actress
• October 20 - John Krasinski, American actor and filmmmaker
• October 29 – Maya Karin, Malaysian actress
• November 19 – Barry Jenkins, American film director
• December 3 – Tiffany Haddish, American comedian and actress
• December 7 - Eric Bauza, Canadian-born American voice actor, stand-up comedian and animation artist
• December 11 – Rider Strong, American actor
• December 23 – Summer Altice, American model and actress
• December 26 – Chris Daughtry, American actor and singer
• December 29 - Diego Luna, Mexican actor, director and producer

Notable deaths

Month	Date	Name	Age	Country	Profession	Notable films
January	11	Jack Soo	61	US	Actor	Flower Drum Song The Oscar
	16	Peter Butterworth	63	UK	Actor, Writer	Oliver! The First Great Train Robbery
	16	Ted Cassidy	46	US	Actor	Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid Mackenna's Gold
	18	Cyril J. Mockridge	82	UK	Composer	Desk Set The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
	25	Dick Crockett	63	US	Stuntman, Actor	Dirty Harry Spartacus
February	12	Jean Renoir	84	US	Director, Writer, Actor	The Rules of the Game La Grande Illusion
	16	Louise Allbritton	58	US	Actress	Pittsburgh Sitting Pretty
	17	William Gargan	73	US	Actor	The Bells of St. Mary's Cheers for Miss Bishop
	19	Leigh Jason	74	US	Director	Out of the Blue The Mad Miss Manton
	28	Jane Hylton	51	UK	Actress	It Started in Paradise Circus of Horrors
March	1	Dolores Costello	75	US	Actress	The Magnificent Ambersons Little Lord Fauntleroy
	2	Edith Craig	71	US	Actress	After the Thin Man Broadway Bill
	6	John Robinson	70	UK	Actor	Lawrence of Arabia The Longest Day
	9	Barbara Mullen	64	UK	Actress	Jeannie Thunder Rock
	19	John Tate	64	UK	Actor	Invasion
	22	Ben Lyon	78	US	Actor, Writer	Hell's Angels Night Nurse
	24	Yvonne Mitchell	63	UK	Actress	Woman in a Dressing Gown Johnny Nobody
April	4	Edgar Buchanan	76	US	Actor	Shane Wichita
	6	Norman Tokar	59	US	Director	Follow Me, Boys! The Happiest Millionaire
	10	Nino Rota	67	Italy	Composer	The Godfather The Leopard
	24	John Carroll	72	US	Actor	Go West Flying Tigers
May	6	Rosemary La Planche	55	US	Actress	Angels' Alley Jack Armstrong
	8	Victor Saville	83	UK	Producer, Director	Goodbye, Mr. Chips Kim
	10	Beatrice Campbell	56	UK	Actress	Last Holiday The Master of Ballantrae
	11	Joan Chandler	55	US	Actress	Humoresque Rope
	26	George Brent	80	US	Actor	Jezebel 42nd Street
	29	Mary Pickford	87	US	Actress, Producer, Writer	Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ Coquette
June	2	Larisa Shepitko	41	Soviet Union	Director	Wings The Ascent
	2	Jim Hutton	45	US	Actor	Walk, Don't Run Who's Minding the Mint?
	6	Jack Haley	80	US	Actor	The Wizard of Oz Alexander's Ragtime Band
	11	John Wayne	72	US	Actor, Producer, Director	The Searchers Red River
	14	David Butler	84	US	Director	Road to Morocco Calamity Jane
	16	Nicholas Ray	67	US	Director, Writer, Actor	Rebel Without a Cause In a Lonely Place
	19	Nick Grinde	86	US	Director	Million Dollar Legs The Man They Could Not Hang
	21	Julian Orchard	49	UK	Actor, Writer	Revenge of the Pink Panther The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother
July	2	Larisa Shepitko	41	USSR	Director, Writer, Actress	The Ascent Farewell
	8	Michael Wilding	66	UK	Actor, Producer	Stage Fright Waterloo
	13	Corinne Griffith	84	US	Actress	The Divine Lady Back Pay
	22	Kathleen Case	45	US	Actress	Human Desire Running Wild
	25	Eric Pohlmann	66	Germany	Actor	The Third Man From Russia with Love
	26	Virginia Brissac	96	US	Actress	Dressed to Kill Rebel Without a Cause
	27	Ettore Manni	52	Italy	Actor	City of Women Le Amiche
	27	Shirley Mason	79	US	Actress	Anne Against the World So This Is Love?
	28	George Seaton	68	US	Director	The Country Girl Airport
	28	Frederick Stafford	51	Czechoslovakia	Actor	Topaz Dirty Heroes
	31	Beatrix Lehmann	76	UK	Actress	The Spy Who Came in from the Cold
August	??	Betty Henderson	72	UK	Actress	The 39 Steps The Maggie
	6	Kurt Kasznar	65	Austria	Actor	Kiss Me Kate Lili
	10	Dick Foran	69	US	Actor	The Petrified Forest Ride 'Em Cowboy
	17	Vivian Vance	70	US	Actress	The Great Race
	21	Stuart Heisler	82	US	Director	Tulsa I Died a Thousand Times
	30	Jean Seberg	40	US	Actress	Breathless Airport
September	1	Doris Kenyon	81	US	Actress	Alexander Hamilton The Road to Singapore
	2	Felix Aylmer	90	UK	Actor	Becket Hamlet
	12	Les Clark	71	US	Animator	Fantasia One Hundred and One Dalmatians
	12	Jocelyne LaGarde	54	Tahiti	Actress	Hawaii
	17	Willis Goldbeck	80	US	Screenwriter	Young Dr. Kildare The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
	22	Frederick Piper	76	UK	Actor	The 39 Steps The Man Who Knew Too Much
	23	Catherine Lacey	75	UK	Actress	The Lady Vanishes The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes
	26	John Cromwell	91	US	Director	Of Human Bondage The Enchanted Cottage
	26	Arthur Hunnicutt	69	US	Actor	The Tall T El Dorado
	27	Gracie Fields	81	UK	Actress, Singer	Sally in Our Alley Holy Matrimony
October	1	Dorothy Arzner	82	US	Director	Craig's Wife Dance, Girl, Dance
	3	Dorothy Peterson	81	US	Actress	That Hagen Girl Payment Deferred
	12	Celia Lovsky	82	Austria	Actress	Foxfire I Mobster
	15	Geoffrey Moon	??	??	Actor	Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope The Hound of the Baskervilles
	17	John Stuart	81	UK	Actor	Superman Village of the Damned
	30	Graham Ashley	52	UK	Actor	Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope Hennessy
November	2	Saro Urzì	66	Italy	Actor	The Godfather Beat the Devil
	5	Amedeo Nazzari	71	Italy	Actor	Il bandito The Jester's Supper
	8	Sydney Tafler	63	UK	Actor	The Spy Who Loved Me Alfie
	11	Dimitri Tiomkin	85	Russia	Composer	High Noon The High and the Mighty
	20	Michael Darbyshire	62	UK	Actor, Writer	Chitty Chitty Bang Bang The Slipper and the Rose
	22	George Froeschel	88	US	Screenwriter	Mrs. Miniver Scaramouche
	23	Merle Oberon	68	US	Actress, Producer	Wuthering Heights The Scarlet Pimpernel
	30	Joyce Grenfell	69	UK	Actress	The Americanization of Emily Blue Murder at St Trinian's
	30	Zeppo Marx	78	US	Actor, Director	Duck Soup Monkey Business
December	5	Jesse Pearson	49	US	Actor	Bye Bye Birdie
	5	Lesley Selander	70	US	Director	Blackmail Flight to Mars
	9	James Neilson	70	US	Director	The Moon-Spinners Bon Voyage!
	10	Ann Dvorak	68	US	Actress	Scarface Three on a Match
	11	Claire Carleton	66	US	Actress	Girl from Havana Gildersleeve on Broadway
	12	Jon Hall	64	US	Actor, Director	The Hurricane Kit Carson
	22	George Pollock	72	UK	Director	Murder, She Said Ten Little Indians
	23	Ernest B. Schoedsack	86	US	Director, Cinematographer, Producer	King Kong The Most Dangerous Game
	25	Michael Collins	57	Canada	Actor	Goldfinger The Battle of the River Plate
	25	Lee Bowman	79	US	Actor	Love Affair Cover Girl
	25	Joan Blondell	73	US	Actress	Grease The Public Enemy

Debuts

• Rosanna Arquette – More American Graffiti
• Lorraine Bracco – Duos sur canapé
• Matt Craven – Meatballs
• Ted Danson – The Onion Field
• Keith David – Disco Godfather
• Matt Dillon – Over the Edge
• Lisa Eichhorn – Yanks
• Cary Elwes – Yesterday's Hero
• Bruce Greenwood – Bear Island
• Danny Glover – Escape from Alcatraz
• Dennis Haysbert – Scoring
• Sam J. Jones – 10
• Wayne Knight – The Wanderers
• Christine Lahti – ...And Justice for All
• Diane Lane – A Little Romance
• Hayao Miyazaki (director) – The Castle of Cagliostro
• David Paymer – The In-Laws
• Chris Penn – Charlie and the Talking Buzzard
• Jean Reno – The Hypothesis of the Stolen Painting
• Mickey Rourke – 1941
• Jay O. Sanders – Starting Over
• Ricky Schroder – The Champ
• Wallace Shawn – Manhattan
• Martin Short – Lost and Found
• Timothy Spall – Quadrophenia
• Daniel Stern – Breaking Away
• Patrick Swayze – Skatetown, U.S.A.
• Christoph Waltz – Breakthrough
• Peter Weller – Butch and Sundance: The Early Days
• Ray Winstone – That Summer!
• JoBeth Williams – Kramer vs. Kramer

References