Atlantic City (1980 d. Malle, Louis (Canada/France)
Few actors had Burt Lancaster’s sense of masculine grace, and in his aging years, he gave us a couple of wonderful swan songs to remember him by (Local Hero and Field of Dreams come to mind). But Louis Malle’s ode to a city in transition and little people with littler dreams served not only as a showcase for Lancaster as a sad and lonely numbers runner in the titular township, but also provided Susan Sarandon with her first Oscar nomination (not to mention an incredibly memorable opening sequence. I doubt anyone who sees it will be able to slice another lemon the same way again.)
