Formal Film Study: John Hughes Films of the 1980s

    For this formal film study, I chose to focus on movies that were made in the 1980s and directed by John Hughes. I watched The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, and Pretty in Pink. Obviously, these films are all very similar and easily relatable. They also are all what I would consider to be classics, and if someone hasn't seen them already, I would definitely recommend seeing them. 

    These films obviously have almost infinite characteristics in common, including the style. They're filmed with very similar camera styles and look aesthetically the same. The composition, camera style, and cinematography are almost identical. These films came out in the consecutive years of 1984, 85, and 86, which only adds to their similarities. In the film industry of the 80s, people saw the rise of the "blockbuster" film such as Star Wars, James Bond and the Indiana Jones series. Along with this came the popularization of teen comedies, almost singlehandedly due to John Hughes and his style. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1980s_in_film) 

    These films reflect American culture at this time, or seem to. I believe that a lot of people watch these movies today and think that American teens in the eighties acted just like the characters in these movies, which may or may not be true. I'm sure that to some extent they reflected real life, but just as movies today, I'm also sure that it was a glamorized version of what life and high school was really like. 

    In almost all his films, John Hughes used a ton of typical shots that weren't meant to be artsy, but to get his point and the point of the movie across. He seems to be a fan of full shots, long shots and close-ups, with nothing too crazy going on. There were some wide shots to establish the scenes, as well. Occasionally there are close-ups to emphasize the importance of certain objects or parts of people that pertained to a certain scene or part of the plot, such as the birthday candles in the scene where they celebrate Molly Ringwald's birthday. 

   The main thing that I found true in all these movies is that Hughes' was making a statement about society and the stress it puts on cliques and popularity, and how it shouldn't be that way. In all three movies, high school students from different social groups interact and somehow learn that the things like who they hang out with and what they wear don't really matter. I think Hughes was trying to get a message to teens at the time that they should be caring about much more important things. Whether it was through "the criminal, the princess, the brain, the athlete, and the basket case" in The Breakfast Club, Sam Baker and Jack Ryan in Sixteen Candles, or Andie and Blane in Pretty in Pink, Hughes definitely had something to say about the pure unimportance of high school cliques.

     All three movies starred the "princess of 80s movies," Molly Ringwald, and two of the three starred Anthony Michael Hall. Obviously, both of these actors had great chemistry with each other and with John Hughes, and showed a particular knack for playing struggling high school students. Both of these actors also ended up being a part of the ever-so-famous 80s "Brat Pack," alongside Demi Moore, Rob Lowe, and others. 

   Overall, these three movies are truly some of my favorites. If you haven't seen them yet, drop what you're doing and watch them right now!!