Many people – including many who don’t even have a first-hand memory of the decade
– have positive thoughts about movies from the 1980s. One writer, Hadley Freeman in
the book Life Moves Pretty Fast, even argues that popular movies from the 1980s are
better than their counterparts from any other decade – especially the current one. She
might be a little nostalgic, but it is hard to deny that movies were an important medium
in the 1980s. Thanks in part to the popularity of the VCR and video rental stores,
movies became a much more common presence in people’s lives than ever before. It’s
only natural, then, that we examine the movies of the 1980s in a class devoted to that
period.
In this paper, you will be analyzing a particular movie from the 1980s (of your choosing,
from the list that follows), based on the question What makes your movie an
“Eighties film”? You will need to focus on ONE particular approach to this question:
- Content: How is this movie connected to real world events
of the 1980s? Does it address those issues directly or
metaphorically? How is the film portraying the events
discussed or alluded to in the movie? What exactly are the
filmmakers trying to say about those events or trends? - Style: To what extent is your movie consistent with
filmmaking trends of the 1980s? How does it “feel” different
from movies of other recent decades? Think about the
choices made by the filmmakers – how are those typical of
movies in the 1980s? How are they different? (Avoid
focusing on special effects; this kind of difference is too
obvious.) Does your movie represent the blockbuster style or
the new “independent film” trend? Why? - Values: How does your movie appeal to the concerns,
hopes, and fears of an Eighties audience? How does it
represent an important “mood” or “attitude” of the Eighties?
What does it tell us about the values of the audience that the
movie is clearly aimed at?
Remember, you will need to focus your paper on ONE of the approaches above. This
will allow you to develop your argument with depth and detail. For example, if I was
writing this paper about The Breakfast Club, I could use any one of the approaches, but
I wouldn’t want to use all of them in one paper. For “Content,” I could write about the
attitude towards drugs that is displayed in the film. For “Style,” I could write an essay
addressing how The Breakfast Club compares to the rest of the teen movie genre. Or,
how it works as a repudiation of the blockbuster style. For “Values,” I might want to
examine how the movie depicts parents and adults, and how this runs counter to the
feeling of optimism that people associate with the 1980s. (Because I am using it as an
example here, YOU CANNOT WRITE YOUR PAPER ABOUT THE BREAKFAST
CLUB.) One key to thinking about this assignment is to remember that it’s perfectly okay
to write about a specific aspect of the movie you have chosen. Don’t feel like you need
to address every aspect of the movie. I want to see your analysis of a specific idea
rather than an attempt at a comprehensive examination of the movie. You won’t be able
to do it in three pages, so you would be better off focusing on something specific.
The questions listed in each approach are meant as a guide for thinking, not a structure
for your paper. Don’t try to answer all of them. Your paper is not going to be very
focused if it’s just a laundry list of answers. Develop your analysis into a focused
discussion that delves into the significance of the ideas you address in your paper. (You
might find that your movie doesn’t address any of the areas described above. If that’s
the case, you can develop an argument about how your movie, despite being released
in the 1980s, is not really an “Eighties film.” Explaining why this is the case might be a
more difficult option, though.) Make sure that your paper has some specific references
to the movie, but do NOT spend more than a short paragraph providing a summary.
Your focus in the paper needs to be your analysis and insights. If you need an outside
source for background, make sure that you cite it and include it in a bibliography.
Remember, though, that the paper is not a report about the movie, or a review. It’s your
analysis of how your movie can be considered an “Eighties film.”
F
1980s Movie List
(Notes: If the movie has been remade, you obviously need to watch the 80s version. Also, some of these
movies are rated “R” for nudity, sex, adult language, drug use, and violence; if these things concern you,
do some research into the content of the movie before selecting it. In addition, be aware that some of
these movies include racist, sexist, and homophobic imagery and dialogue that we in 2020 look at
differently than audiences did in the 1980s. Finally, you may NOT write about Pretty In Pink, The
Breakfast Club, Back to the Future, or They Live. Papers about any of these movies will be penalized.
There are plenty of other 80s movies to write about; try to avoid clichés by being original with your
choice.)
White Nights School Daze Working Girl After Hours Field of
Dreams
Adventures in
Babysitting
Top Gun Dirty Dancing Airplane! The Abyss
Beverly Hills Cop Coming to
America
Who Framed Roger
Rabbit
Aliens Rocky IV
Alien Nation Altered States American Werewolf in
London
Sixteen
Candles
Baby Boom
Gleaming the Cube Batman Some Kind of Wonderful Wall Street Beetlejuice
Ferris Bueller’s Day
Off
Blood Simple Desperately Seeking
Susan
Big Body Heat
Raising Arizona Blue Velvet Born on the Fourth of
July
Blade
Runner
Brazil
Broadcast News Bull Durham The Color of Money Cocktail Cocoon
The Color Purple Continental
Divide
Dead Ringers The Fly Say
Anything
Last Temptation of
Christ
Weird Science Star Trek: Wrath of Khan Iceman The Right
Stuff
Crimes and
Misdemeanors
Running Scared The Untouchables River’s Edge Repo Man
Romancing the
Stone
Running on
Empty
The Princess Bride Risky
Business
Red Dawn
Return of the Jedi Raging Bull Raiders of the Lost Ark Purple Rain Police
Academy
Rambo: First Blood,
Part II
Poltergeist Peggy Sue Got Married Platoon Witness
Pee-Wee’s Big
Adventure
The Terminator When Harry Met Sally Scarface The Shining
Fatal Attraction Something Wild sex, lies, and videotape Spies Like
Us
Stand By Me
This is Spinal Tap Stripes Star Trek IV: The Voyage
Home
Trading
Places
Tron
Three Men and a
Baby
Under Fire To Live and Die in L.A. Urban
Cowboy
Valley Girl
Revenge of the
Nerds
Real Genius Better Off Dead Die Hard Diner
Driving Miss Daisy Flashdance She’s Gotta Have It ET Stripes
Escape from New
York
Footloose Fast Times at Ridgemont
High
48 Hours Ghostbuster
s
Friday the 13th Full Metal
Jacket
Good Morning, Vietnam The Goonies Gremlins
Moscow on the
Hudson
American
Gigolo
Hannah and Her Sisters First Blood Innerspace
Heartbreak Ridge House of
Games
The Last Starfighter Enemy Mine Labyrinth
The Karate Kid La Bamba Lethal Weapon The Verdict Mr. Mom
Missing in Action The Natural Nightmare on Elm Street No Way Out Near Dark
Officer and a
Gentleman
Funny Farm National Lampoon’s
Vacation
Parenthood Pale Rider
Henry: . . . Serial
Killer
Night of the
Comet
Miracle Mile Videodrome Scanners
Child’s Play The Lost Boys The Howling Fright Night Hellraiser
The Naked Gun The Evil Dead The Running Man Rain Man Robocop
Adv. of Buckaroo
Banzai
The Road
Warrior
The Quiet Earth Roxanne Predator
About Last Night The Killing
Fields
Romancing the Stone Moonstruck Tootsie
Can’t Buy Me Love The Sure Thing Just One of the Guys Mystic Pizza Arthur
Young Guns Uncommon
Valor
Casualties of War Silverado Splash
Bill & Ted’s Excellent
Adv.
Midnight Run A Fish Called Wanda Akira Heathers
The Big Chill An American
Tail
Do the Right Thing The Thing Country
Sample Solution
