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).
Awards
Academy Awards:
- Best Picture: Out of Africa - Universal
- Best Director: Sydney Pollack - Out of Africa <dd>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 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)
- 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
- Dim Sum: A Little Bit of Heart, directed by Wayne Wang
- Dissolved and Effused (RozpuÅ¡tÄný a vypuÅ¡tÄný) - (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)
- 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 Äerty 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 básnÃci pÅicházejà o iluze) - (Czechoslovakia)
I
- De IJssalon (The Ice-Cream Parlor) - (Netherlands)
- In a Glass Cage (Tras el Cristal) - (Spain)
- 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, Runâ"D.M.C., Sheila E.
L
- Ladyhawke, starring Matthew Broderick, Michelle Pfeiffer and Rutger Hauer
- The Last Dragon, starring Taimak
- 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
- 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)
- 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 (VesniÄko má stÅedisková), directed by JiÅà 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 KieÅlowski - (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
- 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
- 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
- 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 GarcÃa 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 LeBrock, 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
Januaryâ"March
- January 1985
- January 1
- The Mutilator
- Rockin' Road Trip
- January 4
- Too Scared to Scream
- January 11
- Avenging Angel
- Tuff Turf
- January 18
- The New Kids
- That's Dancing!
- January 25
- The Falcon and the Snowman
- Fandango
- January 1
- 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)
- February 8
- 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
- March 1
Aprilâ"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
- May 3
- 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
- June 7
Julyâ"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
- July 3
- 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
- Teen Wolf
- August 30
- American Ninja
- Compromising Positions
- August 2
- 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
- September 10
Octoberâ"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
- October 4
- 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
- November 1
- 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