Sign-In
Cart
John Hughes and Eighties Cinema
Paperback
Literary CriticismFilm StudiesFilmmaking
ISBN13: 9781861712646
Publisher: Crescent Moon Pub
Published: Apr 1 2009
Pages: 320
Weight: 0.99
Height: 0.67 Width: 6.14 Depth: 9.21
Language: English
JOHN HUGHES AND EIGHTIES CINEMA
John Hughes is the acclaimed writer and director of Ferris Bueller's Day Off, The Breakfast Club, Weird Science, Pretty In Pink and many other classic movies of the 1980s.
This book is the first full-length analysis of all of John Hughes's films throughout the 1980s; not only the features that he directed, but also those for which he provided the screenplay. By analysing these pictures and discussing their social and cultural significance in the wider context of the decade, Hughes's importance as a filmmaker will be considered, and his prominent contribution to cinema assessed. The book concludes with a detailed analysis of Ferris Bueller's Day Off, a film which is considered to be among Hughes's most critically successful works and also one of his most structurally refined.
EXTRACT FROM THE INTRODUCTION
Think of the American cinema of the 1980s, and your mind is instantly bombarded by dozens and dozens of flamboyant moving images from this most distinctive of cinematic decades. You might be thinking of films which became classics such as Irvin Kershner's The Empire Strikes (1980), Steven Spielberg's Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), Robert Zemeckis's Back to the Future (1985), or possibly even Tim Burton's Batman (1989). It was a decade that gave birth to some film franchises - one need only call to mind John Rambo's explosive first appearance in Ted Kotcheff's First Blood (1982), the harrowing exploits of Officer Murphy in Paul Verhoeven's RoboCop (1987), or even the improbably long-running knockabout antics of Cadet Mahoney and his fellow recruits which began with Hugh Wilson's Police Academy (1984).
It was against this creatively abundant background of the Eighties film world that audiences were first introduced to the work of influential director and screenwriter John Hughes (1950-2009). Today he is just as well known for the scripts he created for hugely popular family films throughout the 1990s, including Chris Columbus's blockbuster Home Alone (1990), Brian Levant's Beethoven (1992) and Nick Castle's Dennis the Menace (1993), written under his pen-name of Edmond Dantès. But even these accomplishments couldn't compare to the artistic diversity of his output throughout the eighties. Although it is easy to remember Hughes for his meteorically successful teen movies right the way through the including The Breakfast Club (1985) and Ferris Bueller's Day (1986), he was every bit as adroit in his handling of suburban satires such as Mr Mom (1983) and Uncle Buck (1989), his wry observations of the great American holiday in National Lampoon's Vacation (1983) and The Great Outdoors (1988), the trials of an exasperated everyman commuter in Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987), and the expectation of anxious new parents in She's Having a Baby (1988). Throughout the course of Hughes's career, there has rarely been a lack of variety in his choice of subject matter.
Also in
Film Studies
Visions of Japanese Modernity: Articulations of Cinema, Nation, and Spectatorship, 1895-1925
Gerow, Aaron
Paperback
Dreaming of Cinema: Spectatorship, Surrealism, and the Age of Digital Media
Lowenstein, Adam
Paperback
Ancient Rome at the Cinema: Story and Spectacle in Hollywood and Rome
Theodorakopoulos, Elena
Paperback
What Have They Built You to Do?: The Manchurian Candidate and Cold War America
Gonzalez, Gaspar
Jacobson, Matthew Frye
Paperback
The Man Who Invented Motion Pictures: A True Life Murder Mystery from the Birth of the Movies
Paul Fischer
Paperback
Anime from Akira to Princess Mononoke: Experiencing Contemporary Japanese Animation
Napier, S.
Paperback
The Last Kings of Hollywood: Coppola, Lucas, Spielberg--And the Battle for the Soul of American Cinema
Fischer, Paul
Hardcover
Scream with Me: Horror Films and the Rise of American Feminism (1968-1980)
Johnson, Eleanor
Hardcover
Future Boy: Back to the Future and My Journey Through the Space-Time Continuum
Fortenberry, Nelle
Fox, Michael J.
Hardcover
Partially Devoured: How Night of the Living Dead Saved My Life and Changed the World
Kraus, Daniel
Hardcover
Hollywood Babylon: The Legendary Underground Classic of Hollywood's Darkest and Best Kept Secrets
Anger, Kenneth
Paperback
Star Wars Dad Jokes Strike Back: The Best Worst Jokes and Puns from a Galaxy Far, Far Away. . . .
Knox, Kelly
Hardcover
Your Favorite Scary Movie: How the Scream Films Rewrote the Rules of Horror
Cullins, Ashley
Paperback
The World of Black Film: A Journey Through Cinematic Blackness in 100 Films with a Foreword by John Akomfrah
Clark, Ashley
Hardcover
Laika: The Magic Behind a Stop-Motion Dream Factory: Two Decades of Groundbreaking Animation from Coraline to Wildwood
Inguanzo, Ozzy
Hardcover
Disney: Winnie the Pooh: The Hundred-Acre Wood Cookbook: Family-Friendly Recipes Featuring Eeyore, Kanga, Roo, Tigger, Rabbit, Piglet, Owl, and Most o
Tarpy, Liz
Asmus, James
Jao, Vivian
Hardcover
Studio Ghibli Origami: Unofficial Papercraft Projects to Create Totoro, Ponyo, Jiji, and More!
Editions, Insight
Paperback
The Magic of Minalima: Celebrating the Graphic Design Studio Behind the Harry Potter & Fantastic Beasts Films
Minalima
Denton, Nell
Hardcover
Avatar: The Last Airbender: The Official Cookbook: Recipes from the Four Nations
Dorsey, Jenny
Hardcover
House of Psychotic Women: Expanded Edition: An Autobiographical Topography of Female Neurosis in Horror and Exploitation Films
Janisse, Kier-La
Paperback
Lucas Wars: The True Story of George Lucas and the Creation of Star Wars
Hopman, Laurent
Roche, Renaud
Hardcover
Disney Dreams Collection Thomas Kinkade Studios Disney Princess Coloring Book
Kinkade, Thomas
Paperback
Black Film: A History of Black Representation and Participation in the Movies
Walker, David F.
Hardcover
Godzilla: The First 70 Years: The Official Illustrated History of the Japanese Productions
Godziszewski, Ed
Ryfle, Steve
Hardcover
Godzilla: The Encyclopedia: Shinji Nishikawa Unravels the Depths of Godzilla
Nishikawa Shinji
Paperback
Funny Business: The Old-School Wedding Crashers and Knocked-Up Virgins Who Changed Comedy Forever
Singer, Matt
Hardcover
Star Wars Dad Jokes: The Best Worst Jokes and Puns from a Galaxy Far, Far Away . . . .
Knox, Kelly
Hardcover
As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of the Princess Bride
Elwes, Cary
Layden, Joe
Paperback
Every Time a Bell Rings: The Legacy of It's a Wonderful Life, America's Most Beloved Holiday Film
Theisen, Lauren
St James, Emily
Hardcover
Men, Women, and Chain Saws: Gender in the Modern Horror Film - Updated Edition
Clover, Carol J.
Paperback
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation: Station Wagon and Griswold Family Tree: With Sound!
Running Press
Paperback
Jim Henson's Labyrinth: Bestiary: A Definitive Guide to the Creatures of the Goblin King's Realm
Bende, S. T.
Hardcover
Dog's Day: The True Story of a Bank Robbery, Gay Liberation, and Toxic Love That Inspired a Hollywood Classic
Prigge, Matthew J.
Hardcover
Harry Potter: Make Your Own Chocolate Frogs: Silicone Chocolate Mold and Gift Box Set
Insight Editions
Paperback
Star Wars Encyclopedia: The Comprehensive Guide to the Star Wars Galaxy
Crouse, Megan
Richau, Amy
Brooks, Dan
Hardcover
Nightmare Before Christmas: The Tiny Book of Jack Skellington
Insight Editions
Vitale, Brooke
Hardcover
Making Mary Poppins: The Sherman Brothers, Walt Disney, and the Creation of a Classic Film
Pierce, Todd James
Hardcover
Studio Ghibli Bento Cookbook: Unofficial Recipes Inspired by Spirited Away, Ponyo, and More!
Azuki
Rossi, Barbara
Hardcover
Zen and Ghibli: Life Lessons for Lasting Happiness from the Legendary Studio
Suzuki, Toshio
Hardcover
Star Wars Vader's Little Princess: (Star Wars Kids Book, Star Wars Children's Book, Geek Dad Books)
Brown, Jeffrey
Hardcover
Disney Moana: The Official Cookbook: Pacific Recipes Inspired by Motunui
Fiso, Monique
Monteith, Katie
Hardcover
Roddy McDowall: An Actor's Life -- From How Green Was My Valley to Lassie to Planet of the Apes
Garza Bernstein, Samuel
Hardcover
They Kill People: Bonnie and Clyde, a Hollywood Revolution, and America's Obsession with Guns and Outlaws
Ellis, Kirk
Hardcover
There and Back Again: The Unofficial Oral History of the Lord of the Rings Films
Moore, Sam
Hardcover
Praise and Worship with Flags: Waging Spiritual Warfare in the Church and Home
Harris, Delores Hillsman
Paperback
Brain Games - Horror Movies Word Search Puzzles: Do You Dare to Solve These 84 Puzzles?
Brain Games
Publications International Ltd
Paperback
I Love K-Pop Coloring and Activity Book: For Fans of Kpop Demon Hunters, Bts, Blackpink, Katseye, and K-Pop Idols
Reel Ink Press
Paperback
Hitchcock and Herrmann: The Friendship and Film Scores That Changed Cinema
Smith, Steven C.
Hardcover
Guillermo del Toro: Cabinet of Curiosities [Reissue]: My Notebooks, Collections, and Other Obsessions
del Toro, Guillermo
Hardcover
Star Wars: The Official Crochet Pattern Book: Crochet Your Way Through the Galaxy
Insight Editions
Parker, Leah
Hardcover
Star Wars: The Mini Book of Lightsabers: (Lightsaber Collection, Lightsaber Guide, Gifts for Star Wars Fans)
Insight Editions
Hardcover
The Unofficial Kpop Demon Hunters Handbook: A Fan Guide & Activity Book That Slays
Gabbara, Princess
Paperback