Ah, snow days. I love them. Especially when the snow doesn't start until mid-afternoon. I see snow days as an excuse to sit in the house, catch up on homework, and watch movies. All three of those were achieved today. Tonight I decided to check out the selection for Netflix on X-Box. I found myself searching through the documentary section (as usual)a, and found one called "Don't You Forget About Me". Its a film showcasing many of John Hughes' films and how they still affect people although they are nearly 25 years old in some cases. It begins showing how many different generations can relate to him, and how he just vanished from Hollywood. Young or old, all people agreed that teen movies are not the same as they were in the late 80's. Hughes was able to relate to people of all ages. The reason I decided to blog about this documentary is because it relates to this weeks chapter on genres. The teen film genre was essentially created by John Hughes, and many filmmakers of today try to base their films on what he so easily perfected in films like "The Breakfast Club".
Now back to the film. The four independent filmmakers are on a journey from Canada in an attempt to find John Hughes. They film people along the way and try to figure out what made his films so perfect and timeless. Most people say that they simply miss having something they can relate to. Characters today aren't like anyone in their lives. Being someone who watched his films (and still enjoy them), I thought this was a good documentary. The ending isn't what I was hoping for, but I guess real life never works out that way.
Here is the trailer for the film, hopefully some of you get the chance to watch it!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0fPLN459_I
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Thanks for the lead on this documentary! One of the first papers I ever wrote in grad school was on Hughes and teenpix.... But I have to say that you're giving him too much credit when you say he created / invented the genre. The term "teenager" came about in the 1950s--largely because they were an emerging demographic for advertisers and marketers to target (post-war population boom, affluence --> disposable income, etc). Check out an excellent book called TEENAGERS & TEENPIX, which traces the teen film back to the 1950s (Blackboard Jungle and all that).... Also seek out the book with the same name as your documentary (and the ubiquitous Simple Minds song)--a lot of folks writing magazine-y feature pieces on Hughes, his films, etc. My town library had a copy!
ReplyDeleteI can't agree with them completely when they say, "Most people say that they simply miss having something they can relate to. Characters today aren't like anyone in their lives." I think with changing cultures film makers have to adapt in order to be successful. I relate much more to characters in movies now then in the 80's. Obviously each generation relates to movies made in their time because the news and topics are more relevant, but I did find the documentary interesting because I too like his films .
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