So what film really captures the 1980s?
- Thread starter Griff
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Orang Utan said:Still doesn't make sense to me, is RenegadeDog just saying that some people understand the OP and some don't?
Not really. I'm saying that for people like myself, who were at primary school when stuff like Gremlins and Back to the Future were out, those films encapsulated the decade. Sure, we did have our odd fears about nuclear war, but I was too young to watch Threads. Whereas people who are a fair bit older will think of the political scene in the 80s more, and hence will think of a rather different kind of film.
Kaka Tim
Half Arsed and Slapdash till I Die
Trainspotting is a pretty spot on representation of the whole 80s drugs, dole, general shiteness zietgiest.
As already mentioned - Long Good Friday, My Beautiful Launderette, Rita Sue & Bob Too. Also Riff Raff by Ken Loach.
Out side of Brit Grit - Trading Places, Terminator, Wall Street and the fuckin awful Fatal Attraction all give a representative taste of the mores, music, fashions and hair of the 80s.
As already mentioned - Long Good Friday, My Beautiful Launderette, Rita Sue & Bob Too. Also Riff Raff by Ken Loach.
Out side of Brit Grit - Trading Places, Terminator, Wall Street and the fuckin awful Fatal Attraction all give a representative taste of the mores, music, fashions and hair of the 80s.
goldenecitrone
post tenebras lux
Naked, even though it wasn't made until 93, still sums up the eighties for me.
Paris Garters
Apparently back.
Rita, Sue and Bob too, in terms of Britain in the eighties. But when i saw the thread title line, I immediately thought of Ferris Buellers Day Off - reflecting what i thought was cool at the time...
It's not that different now in terms of the mainstream film industry being dominated by America, tho not quite as bad i reckon.
It's not that different now in terms of the mainstream film industry being dominated by America, tho not quite as bad i reckon.
mhendo
Aussie in San Francisco
Absolutely. American Psycho was one of the first that came to my mind.Bob said:
For a film that captures a certain aspect of the 80s, especially in Los Angeles, i think the Joel Schumacher/Michael Douglas film Falling Down is a very strong contender.
It was made in the early 90s, but i really is quite a good portrayal of a certain type of 1980s alienation, race relations, and class relations in LA. There is one scene where a black man is protesting outside a bank, and this sort of thing was apparently not uncommon in LA in the late 80s.
Ned Pointsman
Sells Tac to Bairns
Anyone mentioned fast times at ridgemont high yet ?
Johnny Canuck3
Well-Known Member
Flashdance.
May Kasahara
take me to the feeling
S'gotta be Rita, Sue and Bob Too for me. The ultimate summation of 80s-ness in Britain. Also one of my favourite films 
Stateside, I must say that a recent viewing of Kickboxer showed some absolutely shocking 80s styles.
Stateside, I must say that a recent viewing of Kickboxer showed some absolutely shocking 80s styles.
Unsure as to the question, really 
Glengarry Glen Ross is spot on for bombastic 80's corporate wankery and doublespeak, but was made in 1992.
Must admit, much as I hate to, it's probably going to be some kind of Mike Leigh film, but somehow that seems like false memory syndrome. I'm not sure he 'captured' much of the 80's.
Glengarry Glen Ross is spot on for bombastic 80's corporate wankery and doublespeak, but was made in 1992. Must admit, much as I hate to, it's probably going to be some kind of Mike Leigh film, but somehow that seems like false memory syndrome. I'm not sure he 'captured' much of the 80's.
ATOMIC SUPLEX
Member Since: 1985 Post Count: 3
Ghostbusters?
Makes me feel all warm. Like a big deal of a film. Always end on a shot from the air and people chearing.
Makes me feel all warm. Like a big deal of a film. Always end on a shot from the air and people chearing.
Shippou-Sensei
4:1:2.5
ATOMIC SUPLEX said:
simply put
busting makes you feel good
Hagal said:
I'm stoned tonight or reading the wrong threads, this one's gone
From films that started off saying something about the 80's you seem to now be just listing the blockbuster films of the time
How can a film like Platoon (about the Vietnam war) say anything about the 80's?
Made in Britain and Meantime for me, still 2 of my top films.
mwgdrwg said:
good call - the lost boys.
I brought wall street a couple of years ago and found it has lost some of its appeal. Though still a good film. Donnie darko does a good job of portraying the 80's. Alot of the films I would have mentioned have been, though 'betty blue' hasn't. Great soundtrack, great film (from what I remember
).renegade is right, age plays a massive part in how we recall the 80's.
mhendo
Aussie in San Francisco
Actually, it's quite easy for a film (or any other literary or dramatic work) to tell you just as much about the time it was made as about the time period that it covers in its subject matter. Current political and social sensibilities often make their way into films (and novels and plays), even when the films are about totally different subjects or time periods. This can happen in subtle ways, or very obvious ones.Part2 said:From films that started off saying something about the 80's you seem to now be just listing the blockbuster films of the time
How can a film like Platoon (about the Vietnam war) say anything about the 80's?
A perfect example, here in the US, is Arthur Miller's play (later made into a film) The Crucible. A story about circumstances surrounding the Salem witch trials of the late 17th century, the play is also a critique of the anti-communist hysteria and McCarthyism of the 1950s. Similarly, last year's Good Night and Good Luck was, in my opinion, as much about contemporary American politics as it was about McCarthyism.
Or you can look at movies about the US Civil War. Birth of a Nation (1915), Gone with the Wind (1939), and Glory (1989) are all, in one way or another, about the war and the politics surrounding it, but they can each also tell us something (quite apart from cinematic issues such as B&W v. colour) about the sensibilities of the times in which they were made. All demonstrate vastly different attitudes towards the institution of slavery, and the role of blacks in American history.
You ask about Platoon. Well, like other Vietnam War movies, made before and since, this film reflects changing attitudes to the war in the United States, and reflects particular ideas about what the war means (or should mean) to the American people. Some Vietnam War films focus on heroic battle scenes, others on the perfidy of the NVA, others on the post-war issue of POWs allegedly still held in camps. Some focus on the impact of the war on returned soldiers and on American society (Deer Hunter, First Blood, Born on the Fourth of July), while others focus on class and authority and danger within the ranks during the war (Platoon, Full Metal Jacket).
All of these films can tell us something about the time they were made, and about the people who made them. In fact, i'd argue that they often tell us more about those things than they do about the war itself.
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