MOVIES OF THE ‘80s : DRAMA DROUGHT

Naturalistic or social drama these days--except in independent movies--has become another endangered species. If a director or writer wants to tackle a serious theme, he usually has to join it to comedy, romance or violence. Rarely--increasingly rarely--a prestigious book (“The Color Purple,” “Out of Africa”) or stage play (“Agnes of God”) will be adapted--but again, only at the insistence of a star or director with clout. (Meryl Streep does yeoman service here.)

Movies like “Citizen Kane,” or “The Best Years of Our Lives” were once proud staples of the studio system; today, they probably wouldn’t get made. Hollywood has always been strongest in its pure entertainments, but a little more artistic ambition was once allowed--or condescended to.

The carriers of part of that old tradition--the film makers like John Huston, Martin Ritt, Alan Pakula, Robert Altman or John Cassavetes, expatriates like Andrei Konchalovsky, Costa-Gavras, Milos Forman or Louis Malle, often have to function a bit out of the mainstream. (Cannon has been a surprising haven for some of them.) And they still can. But the fact that serious drama, even mixed, softened or adulterated, is given such short shrift these days has had an impoverishing effect on American movies as a whole.

Among the Best: Love Streams (John Cassavetes), Under the Volcano (John Huston), Fool for Love (Robert Altman), Sophie’s Choice (Alan Pakula), Come Back . . . Jimmy Dean (Robert Altman), Amadeus (Milos Forman), Paris, Texas (Wim Wenders), Places in the Heart (Robert Benton).