+ American Cinema: 1980s-1990s

+ Social/Cultural/Political History 1980: Iran Hostage Standoff ends in failed rescue attempt. Reagan defeats Jimmy Carter, veering country to right with cuts taxes and social welfare programs while increasing military spending 1983: US unempoloyment over 12 million—highest since : Michael Jackson sells over 37 million copies of Thriller 1985: US becomes world’s largest debtor with deficit of $130 billion 1986: MOMA opens in LA, Space Shuttle Challenger explodes 1987: Wall Street crash—stock market loses nearly 25%; Jimmy Swaggart and Jim Baker involved in sex and fraud scandals. 1988: George H.W. Bush elected US President; drug epidemic in Am inner cities (“crack” addicition) 1989: Exxon Valdez causes world’s largest oil spill so far (11 million gallons) in Alaskan waters

+ Aesthetic (Film Art) History Reagan Era return to “traditional values, war moives, and big money 1980: Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining turns Stephen King’s glorified haunted house story into an epic horror film 1981: Lawrence Kasdan’s Body Heat, rewrites the noir Double Indemnity with added sex. 1982: Barry Levinson’s Diner recasts Fellini in America 1986: James Cameron’s Aliens shows how sequels can work; David Lynch’s Blue Velvet critiques suburbia; David Cronenberg’s The Fly remakes the 1950s bug movie into a meditation on illness and evolution; Oliver Stone’s Salvador investigates US politics in LA 1988: Clint Eastwood’s Bird moves into art cinema; Robert Zemeckis’s Who Framed Roger Rabbit blends live action and cell animation. 1989: Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing takes on white/black bigotry.

+ Technological History VCR revolution changed the way moves were made, decreasing revival movie houses and use of widescreen processes. By 1987, video rentals surpassed ticket sales as leading source of income. Special effects-driven films increased (see James Cameron) Live action/animation broke through to the mainstream with films such as Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

+ Industrial or Economic History Marketing of movies attained a standard of excellence sometimes overshadowing the film being marketed (see Batman (1989) Return to something like studio system (Disney’s Touchstone, Paramount, and Orion signed box office favs for long-term contracts, and big-business friendly Republican admin allowed vertical integration—see Disney, for example. Mediocre movies with only 8-10 excellent films/year—run by executives recruited from television and talent agencies used to meeting public demand and against taking expensive chances. Women relegated to television. primarily. Heaven’s Gate (1980) bankrupts United Artists United Artists.

+ Biographical (Auteur) History Lawrence Kasdan (b.1947): Body Heat (1983), The Big Chill (1983), The Accidental Tourist (1988) Barry Levinson (b. 1932): Diner (1982), The Natural (1984), Sherlock Holmes (1985), Tin Men (1987), Good Morning, Vietnam and Rain Man (1988)—unintrusive use of telephoto lenses. Robert Zemeckis (1952): Used Cars (1980), Romancing the Stone (1984), Back to the Future (1985), and Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)—too much hyping? Forrest Gump (1994) David Lynch (1946): The Elephant Man (1980), Dune (1984), Blue Velvet (1986)—dissolves, slow motion, soft focus. David Cronenberg (1948): Scanners (1981), Videodrome (1983), The Fly (1986) Jonatthan Demme (1944): Something Wild (1987), Married to the Mob (1988), The Silence of the Lambs (1991).

+ Biographical (Auteur) History… Oliver Stone (1946): Platoon (1986), Salvador (1986), Talk Radio (1988), Born on the Fourth of July (1989), Heaven and Earth (1993), JFK (1992). Spike Lee (1957): She’s Gotta Have It (1986), School Daze (1987), Do the Right Thing (1989). John Sayles (1948): The Return of the Secausus Seven (1980), Baby, It’s You (1983), Lianna (1983), Brother from Another Planet (1984), Matewan (1987), Eight Men Out (1988). Terry Gilliam (1940): Time Bandits (1981), Brazil (1985), The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1989)—Melies like Tim Burton (1960): Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure (1985), Beetlejuice (1988), Batman (1989), Edward Scissorhands (1990)—German Expressionism

+ Female Biographical History One notable milestone in the 1980s and early 1990s was that women producers and directors were beginning to emerge within the male-dominated film industry: Jodie Foster - Little Man Tate (1991) (actor/director) Penny Marshall - Jumpin' Jack Flash (1986) (debut film as director), Big (1988) (director), Awakenings (1990) (director/producer) Barbra Streisand - The Main Event (1979) (actor/producer), Yentl (1983) (actor/producer/director/screenwriter), Nuts (1987) (actor/producer), The Prince of Tides (1991) (actor/producer/director) Amy Heckerling - Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982) (director), Johnny Dangerously (1984) (director), National Lampoon's European Vacation (1985) (director), Look Who's Talking (1989) (director/screenwriter), Look Who's Talking Too (1990) (director/screenwriter), Look Who's Talking Now (1993) (co-producer) Jane Campion - Sweetie (1989) (director/screenwriter), An Angel At My Table (1990) (director), The Piano (1993) (director/screenwriter) Susan Seidelman - Smithereens (1982) (director/producer/screenwriter), Desperately Seeking Susan (1985) (director), Making Mr. Right (1987) (director/producer), Cookie (1989) (producer/director), She-Devil (producer/director)