Under threat: the movies of the 80s

Ah, the 1980s. Digital watches*. Shoulder pads. Big glasses. And great, if cheesy movies. Recent enough that our cultural record of it is safe, right?

The movies of my teenage years are under threat. Actor James Woods writing for Den of Geek:

My career peak chronologically occurred in the 80s and 90s, naturally enough because those were my 30s through 50s, the ‘right’ age for leading roles. It has come to my attention that many of the films made during that era were independently produced films. Because of an anomaly in current world copyright laws, ‘authorship’ of a film is held by any person or company owning the negative. Sadly many great films of that era have been butchered to fit television broadcast schedules and negatives lost forever. Independent films remain particularly vulnerable as those negatives and rights are not protected by powerful studios. Often times the original production entities no longer even exist and the principals may be dead.

Something must be done. It’ll probably include a montage sequence to an upbeat 80s number…

*Yes, that is me in the 80s wearing a digital watch in the photo.