1985 in film

The following is an overview of events in 1985 in film, including the highest-grossing films, award ceremonies and festivals, a list of films released and notable deaths.

Highest-grossing films (U.S.)

The top ten 1985 released films by box office gross in North America are as follows:

Events

• 3 December - Roger Moore steps down from the role of James Bond after twelve years and seven films. He is replaced by Timothy Dalton.
• The Academy Award for Best Picture was won by Out Of Africa, while the highest grossing film was Back to the Future.
• Bliss wins AFI Award for best Movie (Australia).
• June 5 - The Chicago Cubs play the Atlanta Braves in a baseball game at Wrigley Field. Excerpts from the broadcast later pin this date as the day featured in Ferris Bueller's Day Off.

Awards

Years in film
1870s
1880s 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889
1890s 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899
1900s 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909
1910s 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919
1920s 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929
1930s 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939
1940s 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949
1950s 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959
1960s 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969
1970s 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979
1980s 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989
1990s 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
2000s 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
2010s 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Academy Awards:

Best Picture: Out of Africa - Universal

Best Director: Sydney Pollack - Out of Africa

Best Actor: William Hurt - Kiss of the Spider Woman

Best Actress: Geraldine Page - The Trip to Bountiful

Best Supporting Actor: Don Ameche - Cocoon

Best Supporting Actress: Anjelica Huston - Prizzi's Honor

Best Foreign Language Film: The Official Story (La historia oficial), directed by Luis Puenzo, Argentina

Honorary Award for Lifetime Achievement James Stewart

Golden Globe Awards:

Drama:

Best Picture: Out of Africa

Best Actor: Jon Voight - Runaway Train

Best Actress: Whoopi Goldberg - The Color Purple

Musical or comedy:

Best Picture: Prizzi's Honor

Best Actor: Jack Nicholson - Prizzi's Honor

Best Actress: Kathleen Turner - Prizzi's Honor

Other

Best Director: John Huston - Prizzi's Honor

Best Foreign Language Film: The Official Story (La historia oficial), Argentina

Palme d'Or (Cannes Film Festival):

When Father Was Away on Business (Otac na službenom putu), directed by Emir Kusturica, Yugoslavia

Golden Lion (Venice Film Festival):

Vagabond (Sans toit ni loi), directed by Agnès Varda, France / U.K.

Golden Bear (Berlin Film Festival):

Die Frau und der Fremde (The Woman and the Stranger), directed by Rainer Simon, East Germany

Wetherby, directed by David Hare, United Kingdom

Razzie Awards

Worst Picture: Rambo: First Blood Part II

Worst Director: Sylvester Stallone - Rocky IV

Worst Actor: Sylvester Stallone - Rambo: First Blood Part II and Rocky IV

Worst Actress: Linda Blair - Night Patrol, Savage Island and Savage Streets

Worst Supporting Actor: Rob Lowe - St. Elmo's Fire

Worst Supporting Actress: Brigitte Nielsen - Rocky IV

Worst New Star: Brigitte Nielsen - Red Sonja and Rocky IV

Notable films released in 1985

U.S.A. unless stated

#

• 28 Up, a documentary film - (U.K.)

A

• Adieu Bonaparte, directed by Youssef Chahine, starring Michel Piccoli - (France/Egypt)
• The Adventures of Mark Twain, starring James Whitmore
• After Hours, directed by Martin Scorsese, starring Griffin Dunne, Rosanna Arquette, Catherine O'Hara, Teri Garr
• Agnes of God, directed by Norman Jewison; starring Jane Fonda, Anne Bancroft, Meg Tilly
• Alamo Bay, directed by Louis Malle, starring Ed Harris and Amy Madigan
• Alice in Wonderland, TV film, starring Natalie Gregory, Sid Caesar, Carol Channing, Sammy Davis, Jr., Telly Savalas, Ringo Starr
• American Flyers, starring Kevin Costner, David Marshall Grant, Rae Dawn Chong, Alexandra Paul
• American Ninja, starring Michael Dudikoff
• Angry Harvest (Bittere Ernte), starring Armin Mueller-Stahl - (West Germany)
• Anne of Green Gables, starring Megan Follows - (Canada)
• Arjun, starring Sunny Deol and Dimple Kapadia - (India)
• The Assam Garden, starring Deborah Kerr and Madhur Jaffrey - (U.K.)
• Asterix Versus Caesar (Astérix et la surprise de César) - (France)
• The Aviator, starring Christopher Reeve

B

• Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend, starring Sean Young and William Katt
• Back to the Future, directed by Robert Zemeckis, starring Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson
• Bad Medicine, starring Steve Guttenberg and Julie Hagerty
• Better Off Dead, starring John Cusack
• Black Arrow, starring Oliver Reed and Fernando Rey
• The Black Cauldron
• Bliss - (Australia)
• The Blue Yonder
• The Boys Next Door, starring Maxwell Caulfield and Charlie Sheen
• Brazil, directed by Terry Gilliam, starring Jonathan Pryce and Robert De Niro - (U.K.)
• The Breakfast Club, directed by John Hughes, starring Emilio Estevez, Molly Ringwald, Judd Nelson, Ally Sheedy, Anthony Michael Hall, Paul Gleason
• Brewster's Millions, starring Richard Pryor and John Candy
• The Bride, starring Sting and Jennifer Beals - (U.K./U.S.A.)
• The Burmese Harp (Biruma no tategoto), directed by Kon Ichikawa, a remake of Ichikawa's 1956 film - (Japan)
• Butterfly and Flowers (Peesua lae dokmai) - (Thailand)

C

• Calamari Union, directed by Aki Kaurismäki - (Finland)
• Came a Hot Friday - (New Zealand)
• Cat's Eye, an anthology film starring Drew Barrymore, James Woods, Alan King, Kenneth McMillan, Robert Hays
• The Care Bears Movie, starring Mickey Rooney (voice) - (Canada)
• Cavegirl
• Cemetery of Terror
• Chicken with Vinegar (Poulet au Vinaigre), directed by Claude Chabrol - (France)
• A Chorus Line, directed by Richard Attenborough, starring Michael Douglas and Alyson Reed
• Clue, starring Tim Curry, Eileen Brennan, Michael McKean, Lesley Ann Warren, Christopher Lloyd, Madeline Kahn, Martin Mull, Colleen Camp
• The Coca-Cola Kid, starring Eric Roberts and Greta Scacchi
• Cocoon, directed by Ron Howard, starring Don Ameche, Wilford Brimley, Hume Cronyn, Steve Guttenberg, Maureen Stapleton, Jessica Tandy
• Code of Silence, directed by Andrew Davis, starring Chuck Norris and Molly Hagan
• Colonel Redl, directed by István Szabó, starring Klaus Maria Brandauer - (West Germany/Hungary/Austria)
• The Color Purple, directed by Steven Spielberg, starring Whoopi Goldberg, Danny Glover, Margaret Avery, Adolph Caesar, Rae Dawn Chong, Oprah Winfrey
• Come and See (Idi i smotri) - (U.S.S.R.)
• Commando, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rae Dawn Chong, Alyssa Milano
• Compromising Positions, directed by Frank Perry, starring Susan Sarandon, Raúl Juliá, Judith Ivey, Joe Mantegna
• Crime Wave - (Canada)
• Crimewave, directed by Sam Raimi, starring Bruce Campbell

D

• D.A.R.Y.L., starring Barret Oliver and Mary Beth Hurt
• Dance with a Stranger, directed by Mike Newell, starring Rupert Everett and Miranda Richardson - (U.K.)
• Day of the Dead, directed by George A. Romero - the final part of Romero's zombie trilogy
• Death in a French Garden (Péril en la demeure) - (France)
• Death Wish 3, starring Charles Bronson
• Defence of the Realm, starring Gabriel Byrne and Greta Scacchi - (U.K.)
• Déjà Vu, directed by Anthony B. Richmond, starring Jaclyn Smith, Claire Bloom, Nigel Terry and Shelley Winters
• Desert Hearts, starring Patricia Charbonneau, Helen Shaver, Audra Lindley
• Desperately Seeking Susan, directed by Susan Seidelman, starring Rosanna Arquette, Madonna, Aidan Quinn, Laurie Metcalf
• Dim Sum: A Little Bit of Heart, directed by Wayne Wang
• Dissolved and Effused (Rozpuštěný a vypuštěný) - (Czechoslovakia)
• Dreamchild, starring Ian Holm, Coral Browne, Peter Gallagher - (U.K.)

E

• Eleni, directed by Peter Yates, starring John Malkovich, Kate Nelligan, Glenne Headly
• The Emerald Forest, directed by John Boorman, starring Powers Boothe, Meg Foster, Charley Boorman - (U.K.)
• Enemy Mine, directed by Wolfgang Petersen, starring Dennis Quaid and Louis Gossett, Jr. - (West Germany/U.S.A.)
• Eoudong (Courtesan) - (South Korea)
• Ewoks: The Battle for Endor, starring Wilford Brimley and Warwick Davis
• Explorers, directed by Joe Dante, starring Ethan Hawke and River Phoenix

F

• The Falcon and the Snowman, directed by John Schlesinger, starring Timothy Hutton and Sean Penn
• Family Life (La Vie de Famille) - (France)
• Fandango, starring Kevin Costner
• Festa di laurea (Graduation Party) - (Italy)
• Fever Pitch, directed by Richard Brooks, starring Ryan O'Neal, Giancarlo Giannini, Chad Everett, Catherine Hicks
• Final Justice, starring Joe Don Baker
• Fire Festival (Himatsuri) - (Japan)
• Flesh and Blood, directed by Paul Verhoeven, starring Rutger Hauer and Jennifer Jason Leigh - (U.S.A./Netherlands/Spain)
• Fletch, starring Chevy Chase
• Fool for Love, directed by Robert Altman, starring Sam Shepard and Kim Basinger
• Fran - (Australia)
• Friday the 13th, Part V: A New Beginning, directed by Danny Steinmann, starring Melanie Kinnaman and John Shepherd
• Fright Night, starring William Ragsdale, Chris Sarandon, Roddy McDowall, Amanda Bearse

G

• Ghoulies
• Ghulami, starring Dharmendra and Naseeruddin Shah - (India)
• Girls Just Want to Have Fun, starring Sarah Jessica Parker and Helen Hunt
• Give the Devil His Due (S čerty nejsou žerty) - (Czechoslovakia)
• Goodbye, New York, starring Julie Hagerty
• The Goonies, directed by Richard Donner, starring Sean Astin, Josh Brolin, Jeff Cohen, Corey Feldman, Jonathan Ke Quan, Martha Plimpton
• Gotcha!, starring Anthony Edwards and Linda Fiorentino
• Grace Quigley, starring Katharine Hepburn and Nick Nolte
• La Gran Fiesta - (Puerto Rico)
• Guest from the Future (Gostya iz budushchego) - (U.S.S.R.)

H

• Hail Mary (Je vous salue, Marie), directed by Jean-Luc Godard - (France)
• Half Life: A Parable for the Nuclear Age - (Australia)
• Heaven Help Us, starring Andrew McCarthy and Mary Stuart Masterson
• Here Come the Littles - (U.S.A./Canada/Japan/Luxembourg)
• The Holcroft Covenant, starring Michael Caine, Anthony Andrews, Victoria Tennant, Lilli Palmer
• The Home and the World (Ghare Baire), directed by Satyajit Ray - (India)
• Hour of the Star (A Hora da Estrela) - (Brazil)
• How Poets are Losing Their Illusions (Jak básníci přicházejí o iluze) - (Czechoslovakia)

I

• De IJssalon (The Ice-Cream Parlor) - (Netherlands)
• Insignificance, directed by Nicolas Roeg, starring Theresa Russell, Tony Curtis, Gary Busey - (U.K.)
• Into the Night, starring Jeff Goldblum and Michelle Pfeiffer
• Invasion U.S.A., starring Chuck Norris

J

• Jagged Edge, directed by Richard Marquand, starring Glenn Close, Jeff Bridges, Robert Loggia, Peter Coyote
• The Jewel of the Nile, directed by Lewis Teague, starring Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner, Danny DeVito
• Joshua Then and Now, starring James Woods and Alan Arkin - (Canada)
• The Journey of Natty Gann, starring Meredith Salenger and John Cusack
• Just One of the Guys, starring Joyce Hyser

K

• Kaakki Sattai, starring Kamal Haasan and Madhavi - (India)
• King David, starring Richard Gere - (U.K./U.S.A.)
• King Solomon's Mines, starring Richard Chamberlain and Sharon Stone
• Kiss of the Spider Woman (O Beijo da Mulher Aranha), directed by Héctor Babenco, starring William Hurt, Raúl Juliá, Sônia Braga - (Brazil/U.S.A.)
• Krush Groove, starring Blair Underwood, Run–D.M.C., Sheila E.

L

• Ladyhawke, starring Matthew Broderick, Michelle Pfeiffer and Rutger Hauer
• The Last Dragon, starring Taimak, Faith Prince
• The Last Polka, starring John Candy and Eugene Levy - (Canada)
• Latino, directed by Haskell Wexler
• Leave All Fair, starring John Gielgud and Jane Birkin (New Zealand/France)
• Legend, directed by Ridley Scott, starring Tom Cruise, Mia Sara, Tim Curry - (U.K./U.S.A.)
• The Legend of Billie Jean, starring Helen Slater, Christian Slater
• The Legend of Suram Fortress, directed by Sergei Parajanov (Soviet Union)
• Letter to Brezhnev, starring Peter Firth and Alexandra Pigg - (U.K.)
• Lonely Heart (Sabishinbou) - (Japan)
• Lost in America, directed by and starring Albert Brooks, with Julie Hagerty
• Lust in the Dust, directed by Paul Bartel, starring Divine, Tab Hunter, Lainie Kazan

M

• Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, starring Mel Gibson and Tina Turner - (Australia)
• The Man with One Red Shoe, starring Tom Hanks, Carrie Fisher, Lori Singer, Dabney Coleman
• Manevri na petiya etazh (Maneuvers on the Fifth Floor) - (Bulgaria)
• Marie, starring Sissy Spacek, Jeff Daniels, Fred Dalton Thompson
• Mask, directed by Peter Bogdanovich, starring Eric Stoltz, Cher and Sam Elliott
• Mask of Murder, starring Rod Taylor and Valerie Perrine - (U.S.A./Sweden)
• The Mass Is Ended (La messa è finita), directed by and starring Nanni Moretti - (Italy)
• Le Matou (The Alley Cat) - (Canada)
• Maxie, starring Glenn Close, Mandy Patinkin, Ruth Gordon, Valerie Curtin
• The Mean Season, starring Kurt Russell, Mariel Hemingway and Richard Jordan
• Meri Jung, starring Anil Kapoor - (India)
• The Midnight Hour
• Mirch Masala (Spices), starring Naseeruddin Shah, Smita Patil, Om Puri - (U.K./India)
• Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters, directed by Paul Schrader, starring Ken Ogata - (U.S.A./Japan)
• Movers & Shakers, directed by William Asher, starring Walter Matthau, Charles Grodin, Gilda Radner
• Mr. Vampire (Goeng-si Sin-sang) - (Hong Kong)
• Murphy's Romance, directed by Martin Ritt, starring Sally Field, James Garner, Brian Kerwin, Corey Haim
• My Beautiful Laundrette, directed by Stephen Frears, starring Daniel Day-Lewis and Gordon Warnecke - (U.K.)
• My Life as a Dog (Mitt liv som hund), directed by Lasse Hallström - (Sweden) - Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film
• My Science Project
• My Sweet Little Village (Vesničko má středisková), directed by Jiří Menzel - (Czechoslovakia)

N

• National Lampoon's European Vacation, starring Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo
• A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge
• No End (film), directed by Krzysztof Kieślowski - (Poland)
• No Surrender, starring Michael Angelis and Bernard Hill - (U.K.)
• Nothing Left to Do But Cry (Non ci resta che piangere), directed by and starring Roberto Benigni and Massimo Troisi - (Italy)

O

• The Official Story (La historia oficial) - (Argentina) - Academy and Golden Globe Awards for Best Foreign Language Film
• Once Bitten, starring Lauren Hutton and Jim Carrey (in his first major role)
• One Magic Christmas, starring Mary Steenburgen and Harry Dean Stanton - (U.S.A./Canada)
• Ordeal by Innocence, starring Donald Sutherland, Faye Dunaway, Christopher Plummer - (U.K.)
• Out of Africa, directed by Sydney Pollack, starring Meryl Streep, Robert Redford, Klaus Maria Brandauer - Academy and Golden Globe (drama) Awards

P

• Padre nuestro (Our Father), starring Victoria Abril - (Spain)
• Pale Rider, directed by and starring Clint Eastwood, with Michael Moriarty and Carrie Snodgress
• Pas în doi (Passo Doble) - (Romania)
• The Peanut Butter Solution - (Canada)
• Pee-wee's Big Adventure, directed by Tim Burton, starring Paul Reubens
• Perfect, directed by James Bridges, starring John Travolta and Jamie Lee Curtis
• Phenomena, directed by Dario Argento - (Italy)
• Pizza Connection, directed by Damiano Damiani - (Italy)
• Plenty, directed by Fred Schepisi, starring Meryl Streep, Sam Neill, Charles Dance, Tracey Ullman, Ian McKellen, Sting - (U.K.)
• Police, starring Gérard Depardieu and Sophie Marceau - (France)
• Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment, starring Steve Guttenberg, George Gaynes, Colleen Camp, Bubba Smith
• Police Story (Ging chat goo si), directed by and starring Jackie Chan - (Hong Kong)
• Private Resort, starring Johnny Depp, Rob Morrow, Andrew Dice Clay
• Prizzi's Honor, directed by John Huston, starring Jack Nicholson, Kathleen Turner, Anjelica Huston, Robert Loggia - Golden Globe for Best Picture (Musical or Comedy)
• The Protector, starring Jackie Chan and Danny Aiello - (Hong Kong/U.S.A.)
• The Purple Rose of Cairo, directed by Woody Allen, starring Mia Farrow, Jeff Daniels, Danny Aiello

Q

• The Quiet Earth - (New Zealand)

R

• Radioactive Dreams, starring Michael Dudikoff and Lisa Blount - (U.S.A./Mexico)
• Rainbow Brite and the Star Stealer - (U.S.A./Japan)
• Rambo: First Blood Part II, starring Sylvester Stallone, Richard Crenna, Charles Napier, Julia Nickson
• Ran, directed by Akira Kurosawa, starring Tatsuya Nakadai and Mieko Harada - (Japan)
• Re-Animator, starring Jeffrey Combs
• Real Genius, starring Val Kilmer
• Red Kiss (Rouge Baiser) - (France)
• Red Sonja, starring Brigitte Nielsen, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sandahl Bergman
• Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins, starring Fred Ward, Kate Mulgrew, Joel Grey
• Rendez-vous, starring Juliette Binoche and Jean-Louis Trintignant - (France)
• Restless Natives, directed by Michael Hoffman - (U.K.)
• The Return of the Living Dead, directed by Dan O'Bannon
• Return to Oz, starring Fairuza Balk, Piper Laurie, Jean Marsh
• Revolution, directed by Hugh Hudson, starring Al Pacino, Donald Sutherland, Nastassja Kinski - (U.K.)
• Rocky IV, directed by and starring Sylvester Stallone, with Talia Shire, Dolph Lundgren, Carl Weathers, Brigitte Nielsen, Burt Young
• A Room with a View, directed by James Ivory, starring Maggie Smith and Helena Bonham Carter - (U.K.)
• Runaway Train, directed by Andrei Konchalovsky, starring Jon Voight, Eric Roberts, Rebecca De Mornay
• The Runner (Davandeh) - (Iran)
• Rustlers' Rhapsody, directed by Hugh Wilson, starring Tom Berenger, Marilu Henner, Sela Ward, Andy Griffith, Patrick Wayne

S

• Santa Claus: The Movie, starring Dudley Moore - (U.K./U.S.A.)
• Scorpio Nights - (Philippines)
• Secret Admirer, starring C. Thomas Howell, Lori Loughlin, Kelly Preston, Fred Ward
• The Secret of the Sword
• Sesame Street Presents Follow That Bird
• Shoah - (France)
• The Shooting Party, starring James Mason and John Gielgud - (U.K.)
• Silver Bullet, starring Gary Busey, Corey Haim, Megan Follows, Everett McGill
• Silverado, directed by Lawrence Kasdan, starring Kevin Kline, Scott Glenn, Danny Glover, Kevin Costner, Jeff Goldblum, Brian Dennehy, John Cleese, Rosanna Arquette
• A Simple Death (Prostaya smert) - (U.S.S.R.)
• The Slugger's Wife, directed by Hal Ashby, starring Michael O'Keefe and Rebecca De Mornay
• Smooth Talk, starring Laura Dern and Treat Williams
• Spies Like Us, starring Dan Aykroyd and Chevy Chase
• St. Elmo's Fire, directed by Joel Schumacher, starring Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe, Andrew McCarthy, Demi Moore, Judd Nelson, Ally Sheedy
• Starchaser: The Legend of Orin
• Stick, directed by and starring Burt Reynolds, with Candice Bergen, Charles Durning, George Segal
• Subway, directed by Luc Besson, starring Isabelle Adjani and Christopher Lambert - (France)
• Summer Rental, directed by Carl Reiner, starring John Candy, Rip Torn, Richard Crenna
• The Supergrass, starring Adrian Edmondson, Jennifer Saunders, Robbie Coltrane - (U.K.)
• The Sure Thing, directed by Rob Reiner, starring John Cusack, Daphne Zuniga, Nicollette Sheridan
• Sweet Dreams, a biopic of Patsy Cline, starring Jessica Lange and Ed Harris

T

• Taipei Story (Qing mei zhu ma) - (Taiwan)
• Tampopo (Dandelion) - (Japan)
• Target, starring Gene Hackman and Matt Dillon
• Tea in the Harem (Le Thé au harem d'Archimède) - (France)
• Teen Wolf, starring Michael J. Fox
• That Was Then... This Is Now, starring Emilio Estevez
• That's Dancing!, featuring Gene Kelly, Liza Minnelli, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Sammy Davis, Jr. and others
• Thirteen at Dinner, starring Peter Ustinov, Faye Dunaway, Lee Horsley, Bill Nighy
• Three Men and a Cradle (Trois hommes et un couffin) - (France)
• The Time of the Hero (a.k.a. La ciudad y los perros) - (Peru)
• The Time to Live and the Time to Die (Tong nian wang shi) - (Taiwan)
• To Live and Die in L.A., directed by William Friedkin, starring William Petersen and Willem Dafoe
• Trancers
• Transylvania 6-5000, starring Jeff Goldblum, Ed Begley, Jr., Joseph Bologna, Teresa Ganzel, Geena Davis
• Treasure Island (L'île au trésor) - (France/Chile)
• The Trip to Bountiful, starring Geraldine Page, John Heard, Rebecca De Mornay
• Trouble in Mind, directed by Alan Rudolph, starring Kris Kristofferson, Geneviève Bujold, Keith Carradine
• Tuff Turf, starring James Spader
• Turk 182!, starring Timothy Hutton, Robert Urich, Kim Cattrall
• Turtle Diary, starring Glenda Jackson and Ben Kingsley - (U.K.)
• Twice in a Lifetime, starring Gene Hackman, Ellen Burstyn, Ann-Margret, Amy Madigan
• The Two Lives of Mattia Pascal (Le due vite di Mattia Pascal), starring Marcello Mastroianni and Senta Berger - (Italy)

U-V

• UFOria, starring Fred Ward, Harry Dean Stanton, Cindy Williams
• The Unknown Soldier (Tuntematon sotilas) - (Finland)
• Vagabond (Sans toit ni loi), directed by Agnès Varda - (France) - Golden Lion award
• Vampire Hunter D (Kyûketsuki hantâ D) - (Japan)
• Vampires in Havana (¡Vampiros en La Habana!) - (Cuba)
• La vaquilla (The Heifer), directed by Luis García Berlanga - (Spain)
• A View to a Kill, starring Roger Moore (as James Bond) with Christopher Walken, Tanya Roberts, Grace Jones - (U.K.)
• Vision Quest, starring Matthew Modine and Linda Fiorentino
• Volunteers, starring Tom Hanks, John Candy, Rita Wilson, Tim Thomerson, George Plimpton

W

• Water, starring Michael Caine, Billy Connolly, Valerie Perrine - (U.K.)
• Wetherby, directed by David Hare, starring Vanessa Redgrave and Ian Holm - (U.K.) - Golden Bear award
• Weird Science, directed by John Hughes, starring Kelly Le Brock, Anthony Michael Hall, Ilan Mitchell-Smith
• Wild Geese II, starring Scott Glenn, Barbara Carrera, Edward Fox, Laurence Olivier - (U.K.)
• When Father Was Away on Business (Otac na službenom putu) - (Yugoslavia) - Palme d'Or award
• White Nights, directed by Taylor Hackford, starring Mikhail Baryshnikov, Gregory Hines, Helen Mirren
• Witness, directed by Peter Weir, starring Harrison Ford, Kelly McGillis, Lukas Haas
• The Woman and the Stranger (Die Frau und der Fremde) - (East Germany) - Golden Bear award

XYZ

• Year of the Dragon, directed by Michael Cimino, starring Mickey Rourke and John Lone
• Yes, Madam (Huang jia shi jie), starring Michelle Yeoh and Cynthia Rothrock - (Hong Kong)
• Young Sherlock Holmes, directed by Barry Levinson, starring Nicholas Rowe, Alan Cox, Anthony Higgins
• A Zed & Two Noughts, directed by Peter Greenaway - (U.K.)

Wide-release films

January–March

• January 1985
  • January 8
    • The Mutilator
    • Rockin' Road Trip
  • January 11
    • Too Scared to Scream
  • January 17
    • Avenging Angel
    • Tuff Turf
  • January 19
    • The New Kids
    • That's Dancing!
  • January 27
    • The Falcon and the Snowman
    • Fandango
• February 1985
  • February 8
    • Heaven Help Us
    • Mischief
    • Witness
  • February 15
    • The Breakfast Club
    • Fast Forward
    • Into the Night
    • The Mean Season
    • Turk 182
    • Vision Quest
  • February 20 - Brazil (France; UK Feb. 22 1985; US Dec. 18 1985)
• March 1985
  • March 1
    • Certain Fury
    • The Purple Rose of Cairo
    • The Sure Thing
  • March 2
    • Ghoulies
    • Missing in Action 2: The Beginning
  • March 8 - Mask
  • March 15
    • Lost in America
    • Sylvester
  • March 22
    • Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend
    • Friday the 13th: A New Beginning
    • The Last Dragon
    • The Secret of the Sword
  • March 29
    • Desperately Seeking Susan
    • King David
    • Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment
    • The Slugger's Wife

April–June

• April 1985
  • April 3 - Alamo Bay
  • April 10 - Private Resort
  • April 12
    • Cat's Eye
    • Girls Just Want to Have Fun
    • Ladyhawke
  • April 25 - Crimewave (US)
  • April 26
    • Just One of the Guys
    • Stick
• May 1985
  • May 3
    • Code of Silence
    • Gotcha!
    • Gymkata
  • May 8 - Creature
  • May 10 - Rustlers' Rhapsody
  • May 17 - Ordeal by Innocence
  • May 22
    • Brewster's Millions
    • Rambo: First Blood Part II
    • A View to a Kill (San Francisco premiere; London premiere June 12, 1985)
  • May 31 - Fletch
• June 1985
  • June 7
    • The Goonies (US; UK Nov. 29 1985; Aus Dec. 12 1985; Japan Dec. 21 1985)
    • Perfect
  • June 13 - Prizzi's Honor
  • June 14 - Secret Admirer
  • June 21
    • Cocoon
    • Return to Oz (US; UK July 10, 1985)
  • June 26 - Pale Rider
  • June 28 - St. Elmo's Fire

July–September

• July 1985
  • July 3
    • Back to the Future
    • Red Sonja
  • July 10 - Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome
  • July 12
    • Explorers
    • Silverado
  • July 19
    • Day of the Dead
    • The Legend of Billie Jean
    • The Man with One Red Shoe
  • July 24 - The Black Cauldron
  • July 26
    • Kiss of the Spider Woman
    • National Lampoon's European Vacation
• August 1985
  • August 2
    • Fright Night
    • Follow That Bird
    • Weird Science
  • August 7 - Real Genius
  • August 9
    • My Science Project
    • Pee-wee's Big Adventure
    • Summer Rental
  • August 16
    • American Flyers
    • The Return of the Living Dead
    • Volunteers
    • Year of the Dragon
  • August 21 - Agnes of God
  • August 23
    • Better Off Dead
    • Ghostbusters (re-release)
    • Teen Wolf
  • August 30
    • American Ninja
    • Gremlins (re-release)
    • Compromising Positions
• September 1985
  • September 10
    • Plenty
    • Smooth Talk
  • September 13 - After Hours
  • September 17 - Maxie
  • September 27
    • Invasion U.S.A.
    • The Journey of Natty Gann

October–December

• October 1985
  • October 4
    • Commando
    • Jagged Edge
    • Sweet Dreams
  • October 11
    • Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins
    • Silver Bullet
  • October 18 - Re-Animator
  • October 23 - Twice in a Lifetime
• November 1985
  • November 1
    • Death Wish 3
    • A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge
    • To Live and Die in L.A.
  • November 8
    • Target
    • That Was Then... This Is Now
    • Transylvania 6-5000
  • November 15
    • Once Bitten
    • Rainbow Brite and the Star Stealer
  • November 22
    • Bad Medicine
    • Fever Pitch
    • King Solomon's Mines
    • One Magic Christmas
    • Starchaser: The Legend of Orin
    • White Nights
  • November 27
    • Rocky IV
    • Santa Claus: The Movie
• December 1985
  • December 4 - Young Sherlock Holmes
  • December 6
    • Runaway Train (limited; wide Jan. 17 1986)
    • Spies Like Us
  • December 11 - The Jewel of the Nile
  • December 13
    • A Chorus Line
    • Clue
    • Legend (UK; US April 18, 1986)
  • December 18
    • The Color Purple
    • Out of Africa
  • December 20 - Enemy Mine
  • December 25
    • Murphy's Romance (limited; wide January 1986)
    • Revolution
    • The Trip to Bountiful

Births

• January 3 - Nicole Beharie, actress
• February 7 - Tina Majorino, American actress
• March 13 - Emile Hirsch, American actor
• March 15
  • Eva Amurri, American actress
  • Kellan Lutz, American actor
• March 26
  • Jonathan Groff, American actor and singer
  • Keira Knightley, British actress
• April 16 - Rhiana Griffith, actress
• April 17 - Rooney Mara, actress
• May 10 - Odette Annable, American actress
• May 28 - Carey Mulligan, English actress
• May 29 - Blake Foster, actor
• June 12 - Dave Franco, actor
• June 15 - Maxey Whitehead, voice actress
• June 24 - Kyle Searles, actor
• July 1 - Léa Seydoux, French actress
• July 2 - Ashley Tisdale, American actress and singer
• July 18 - Chace Crawford, American actor
• July 21 - Vanessa Lengies, Canadian actress and singer
• August 9 - Anna Kendrick, American actress
• September 4 - Morgan Garrett, voice actress
• September 16 - Madeline Zima, American actress
• October 11 - Michelle Trachtenberg, American actress
• November 2 - Josh Grelle, voice actor
• November 30 - Kaley Cuoco, American actress
• December 3 - Amanda Seyfried, American actress and singer
• December 5 - Frankie Muniz, American actor
• December 10 - Raven-Symoné, American actress and singer

Notable deaths

Film debuts

• Joan Allen - Compromising Positions
• Sean Astin - The Goonies
• Josh Brolin - The Goonies
• Tim Burton (director) - Pee Wee's Big Adventure
• Don Cheadle - Moving Violations
• Patrick Dempsey - Heaven Help Us
• Linda Fiorentino - Vision Quest
• Stephen Fry - The Good Father
• Whoopi Goldberg - The Color Purple
• Ethan Hawke - Explorers
• Elias Koteas - One Magic Christmas
• LL Cool J - Krush Groove
• John Leguizamo - Mixed Blood
• Tom Lister, Jr. - Runaway Train
• Dolph Lundgren - A View to a Kill
• Madonna - Vision Quest
• Alyssa Milano -Commando
• Rob Morrow - Private Resort
• Viggo Mortensen - Witness
• Brigitte Nielsen - Red Sonja
• River Phoenix - Explorers
• Miranda Richardson - Dance with a Stranger
• Mia Sara - Legend
• Kyra Sedgwick - War and Love
• Christian Slater - The Legend of Billie Jean
• Yeardley Smith - Heaven Help Us
• Danny Trejo - Runaway Train
• Stanley Tucci - Prizzi's Honor
• Oprah Winfrey - The Color Purple
• Billy Zane - Back to the Future

See also

• List of American films of 1985
• List of British films of 1985
• List of French films of 1985
• List of German films of the 1980s
• List of Bollywood films of 1985
• List of Italian films of 1985
• List of Japanese films of 1985
• List of Swedish films of the 1980s

References