Log in
Memoirs of a Survivor

Memoirs of a Survivor

From the bestselling novel by Doris Lessing

R 1981 · 115 min · ★ 4.2 · Science Fiction, Drama

Based on the acclaimed novel by Doris Lessing, this dystopian science fiction tale concerns a woman struggling to make her way in a post-apocalyptic society. D (Julie Christie) is living in a city that's at the point of collapse following a catastrophic nuclear war; lawlessness and violence rule the day, and gangs of brutal youth roam the streets. With the help of her teenage companion Emily (Leonie Mellinger), D tries to make her way, and in order to cope, she often escapes into a fantasy world in which she lives in genteel Victorian surroundings in the 19th century.

Directed by David Gladwell · Written by David Gladwell

Your Rating

Cast

Make it a double feature

4h 59m together

Memoirs of a Survivor

O Lucky Man!

Both from David Gladwell.

More from David GladwellSee all →

Can Horses Sing?Can Horses Sing? · 1971
Can Horses Sing?
★ 10.01971
MovieDocumentary
Elizabeth Sussex's exquisite documentary about a rural Scottish school, edited by Gladwell.
Aberdeen by Seaside and DeesideAberdeen by Seaside and Deeside · 1970
Aberdeen by Seaside and Deeside
★ 9.01970
MovieDocumentary
The attractions of the Scottish city of Aberdeen and the surrounding area.
TerminusTerminus · 1961
Terminus
★ 7.31961
MovieDocumentary
This fly on the wall-style documentary from 1961 won an Oscar for best documentary, and shows the changing patterns of human emotions during 24 hours in the life of Waterloo Station.
if....if.... · 1968
if....
★ 7.01968
MovieDrama
In an English boys' boarding school, social hierarchy reigns supreme and power remains in the hands of distanced and ineffectual teachers and callously vicious prefects in the Upper Sixth. Three Lower Sixth students, Wallace, Johnny and leader Mick Travis decide on a shocking course of action to redress the balance of privilege once and for all.
Jemima + JohnnyJemima + Johnny · 1966
Jemima + Johnny
★ 7.01966
MovieDrama
A white boy and a black Jamaican girl have a day out in a city where racial hostility prevails.
Miss Thompson Goes ShoppingMiss Thompson Goes Shopping · 1958
Miss Thompson Goes Shopping
★ 7.01958
MovieDocumentary
Adaptation of Martin Armstrong's poem about an elderly lady who becomes perturbed by something we can't see. It becomes apparent that she is looking for her past, lost in a memory or the clutches of nostalgia. Miss Thompson's shopping trip to town is in chaotic contrast to the tranquil nature of her lonely home, which on return seems like paradise.
O Lucky Man!O Lucky Man! · 1973
O Lucky Man!
★ 6.81973
MovieComedyMusic
An ambitious coffee salesman has a series of improbable and ironic adventures seemingly designed to challenge his naive idealism.
Lost AngelsLost Angels · 1989
Lost Angels
★ 6.41989
MovieDrama
Rich L.A. party brat Tim spins into a cycle of despair after his parents divorce, and trying to fill the void with drugs and trouble only buys him a ticket to an asylum. But with the help of a psychiatrist who has taken an interest in him, will Tim try to pull himself out of the muck of teenage rebellion and ennui?
An Untitled FilmAn Untitled Film · 1964
An Untitled Film
★ 6.21964
MovieDrama
A BFI production from 1964, directed by David Gladwell, who is best known as an editor of films like Lindsay Anderson's If.... (1968) and O Lucky Man! (1973). This short was shot at 200 fps, depicting a series of pastoral scenes from a British farm, edited to produce a suggestion of violence in contrast to its visual beauty.
Requiem for a VillageRequiem for a Village · 1975
Requiem for a Village
★ 6.21975
MovieDrama
The idyllic, rural past of a Suffolk village comes to life through the memories of an old man who tends a country graveyard.
A Summer DiscordA Summer Discord · 1955
A Summer Discord
★ 5.71955
MovieDrama
David Gladwell (Requiem for a Village) was just 20 years old when he made A summer Discord, an imaginative amateur, silent short film set in the countryside which tells the story of a little girl who is reprimanded by her mother. Of particular note is the film’s dark nightmare sequence which is shot in colour (unlike the rest of the film) and which anticipates Gladwell’s later, highly poetical films.
Bombay TalkieBombay Talkie · 1970
Bombay Talkie
★ 5.61970
MovieDramaRomance
An English novelist travels to Bombay to watch one of her novels translated to film. She chases after the movie's leading man while the screenwriter chases after her.
Nineteen NineteenNineteen Nineteen · 1985
Nineteen Nineteen
★ 4.51985
MovieDrama
Two former patients of Sigmund Freud meet again and discuss their psychiatric treatment 65 years earlier.
Inside StoryInside Story · 1974
Inside Story
★ 4.01974
SeriesDocumentary
A BBC documentary film strand, with the focus on investigative journalism.
A Man You Don't Meet Every DayA Man You Don't Meet Every Day · 1994
A Man You Don't Meet Every Day
★ 3.71994
MovieDramaRomance
It's the mid-nineties in London and a couple meet through a lonely hearts column. She is an middle class English married woman, he is an lonely Irish mechanic. Despite the gulf between them they start an affair.
A Change of SexA Change of Sex · 1980
A Change of Sex
★ 1.01980
SeriesDocumentary
Groundbreaking BBC series that follows transgender activist Julia Grant from her first year living as a woman to her experience of gender reassignment surgery and beyond.

More Like This

Couldn't load this row right now.

Rate this film

Your ratings make Midnight smarter