Magdalen Monday Movies and Oxford Film Studies Network

The Eras Tour: 1980s

Ah, the poor 1980s: so often derided as Thatcher’s decade, trapped between the political breakthroughs of the 70s and the cultural innovations of the 90s. What could the 80s offer apart from legwarmers, The Human League and some really basic computer games?

Plenty.

If you thought the 80s was a forgotten decade… forget it!

The 1980s produced some of the most thrilling and virtuoso films ever made. This was the era of Lynch, Spielberg and Scorsese, of Kurosawa’s ultimate mastery, of British cinema with a social conscience, and of unforgettable comedies. It was the decade that saw the birth of home video and the rise of cult cinema.

As ever, we have picked a potent mixture of all-time classics and little-known gems – all backed up by the Magdalen Monday Movies promise: we love every film we show.

Entry is COMPLETELY FREE, and each screening will include one of our by-now-legendary introductory talks.

And if you would like to be pre-warned of potentially distressing material, please visit our content warning page: sites.google.com/view/magdalenmondaycontentwarnings/home.

Friday 2 May 2025

This series features in the following public collections: