Movie critics say the
films of the 1980s lack artistic creativity and only display the excess
demanded by the conglomerate studios. In the article, Beneath the Surface and Excess: An Examination of Critical and
Aesthetic Attacks on Films of the 1980s, the author, Elissa Nelson,
explores various books and articles proving why the films of the 1980s cater to
the theme of excess similar to the culture of that decade.
The author states that “the 1980s are known largely as a
time of greed and neo-conservatism, where economic reforms and deregulation,
conservative social agendas, and interventionist military policies overtook the
more liberal social and economic policies of the 60s and 70s” (p.1030). The
theme of living excessively can be noticed in the films of the decade like Wall Street (1987), Trading Places (1983), and Scarface
(1983) which display that money, power and prestige is the only way to survive,
live, and be successful. The 80s also brought out the war movies and the age of
the modern action hero.
The term blockbuster became synonymous with any movie
that made exorbitantly more money than was expected. This lead to “high-cost,
high-tech, high-stakes production” (as cited in Schatz, p. 1032). This is the
point where critics say the movies of the 80s lack real art and artistic
qualities. Movies had to become flashier and bigger in order to attract the
audience to see the film. Another genre that contributes to the critics disdain
is the development of the slasher horror films like Friday the 13th (1980) and A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984). The
lack of story and glorification of body mutilation took the horror genre to a
new level that was never experienced before.
If the 80s is categorized as the decade of
over-indulgences and excess, the studio executives had started to recognize
that the way to make the most money possible was to change the old format of
doing business. Instead of signing directors and actors to long term contracts,
the studios began to pay for individual projects, this way if a movie is a
flop, the director or actor will not work or receive a large sum for their next
project. The 1980s also was the decade that tied in merchandise and product
placement into the movies. Executives realized that they could make more in
profits by selling rights to companies to have them put their product into the
movie. This could help bolster a higher return rate for the movie, or the ad
money could be used in the aid of financing the picture. Even though Steven
Spielberg was a hugely successful director with The Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), in 1982 he was more successful
with the release of E.T., in which
Reese’s had E.T eat a new candy, not
on the market yet, Reese’s Pieces.
Elissa Nelson quotes Peter Lev saying “what qualifies as
an art film depends on the individual spectator, and these examinations and
distinctions of categories are mitigated by what is “available for viewing and
by the possible interpretations within a society at a particular time” (as
cited in Lev, 1993, p. 1035). It is stated that some films try to capture the
film noir of decades earlier by blending a modern story with film techniques
made famous by leading directors such as Hitchcock and Orson Wells to maintain
that they are, in fact, artistic (p. 1045). The blending of films types can be
seen in the movie such as Blood Simple
(1984), Body Heat (1981), and Miller’s Crossing (1989) (p. 1045). Because
of the over-produced films consistently being produced, Robert Redford started
the film festival movement, with the beginning of Sundance, in the late 80s.
This allowed actors and directors alike to make Indie films that the big
productions studios would never touch due to the bankability. In the 1980s and
1990s, the idea of an art-indie film being produced by a large studio was virtually
unheard of.
The author Elissa Nelson does a good job of explaining
the disdain and disappointment by the critics for films of the 80s, but the
article tends to become disjointed and repetitive throughout. She elaborates a
similar sentiment to the author Peter Lev and states, “my intention is to say
that these films are worthy of analysis, that they should not be disregarded as
trash or critical failures because of their commercial tie-ins, or worse yet,
completely ignored because more interesting things were happening” (1048).
The films of the 1980s have set the precedence for films today,
with the big budgets and banking on star power. They have become the platform
for which the studios continue to follow. Even with the invention of the
Sundance Film Festival, it has been proven that blockbusters and Indie films
can be made and coincide together. Studios can also market an Indie film and
have it result in a sleeper hit like The
Breakfast Club (1985) which made $51,525,171 on a budget of $1,000,000
(“Club”). 80s films have resulted in some of the best creative work and made
unknown actors into mega stars. They should not be discredited for lack of
artistry because it does take talent to come up with originality in script
writing, acting and directing. Many movies of the 80s have resulted in some of
the best cult classics like Escape from
New York (1981), Big Trouble in Little China (1986), The Goonies (1985), and The Lost Boys (1987) (imbd).
References
Lev, P. The Euro-American Cinema. Austin: U of
Texas P, 1993 (Cited).
Nelson,
E. (2013, October). Beneath the surface
and the excess: an examination of critical and aesthetic attacks on films of the 1980s.
Retrieved from Franklin University Database, The
Schatz,
T. “The New Hollywood.” film theory goes to the movies. New York: Routledge,
1993.
38-36. (Cited).
