Review by C.J. Bunce
Coming in October from Running Press, Turner Classic Movies/TCM takes a new look back at the movies of the 1980s, its latest addition to the TCM Film Library. In TCM Rewinding the ’80s — Cinema Under the Influence of Music Videos, Action Stars, and a Cold War, available for pre-order now here at Amazon, John Malahy, author of TCM’s 30 Sun-Drenched Classics, looks at the decade in film from the angle of 1970s directors, Oscar and critics’ views of the films, and movies by selected genres: animation, action, horror, documentaries, alternative cinema, Cold War, and coming of age, along with the impact of music on the era. Malahy mixes the reference style of previous books in the TCM Library with a long-form essay on directors who were strong as the decade approached but changed in their reception by audiences and critics by decade’s end.
The author uses the first 47 pages to provide an overview of the decade leading into the ’80s, then he discusses the decade from a film studies angle. I’m often wary of books written by gung-ho advocates of a decade, but this is the opposite. Malahy begins with the assumption that the movies from 1970s auteurs somehow have more respect than those of the 1980s. I think time has shown the opposite is true. The result of this approach is that Malahy seems defensive in his appreciation of 1980s movies, and many movies that seem substandard come to the surface as a result. Obscure movies tend to be discussed far more than beloved classics, critically acclaimed winners, and certified hits.
Each of the sections by genre at most gives 2-3 sentences to some of those movies that other film books (and critics) would say defined the 1980s in film. These descriptions just don’t provide enough information to demonstrate the success and reception of those movies either when they were released or how history looks back at them. So at best these sections can be used to identify movies by genre that readers might have overlooked. But most movie fans will have heard of the movies mentioned.
A chapter on each year might have better illustrated what was good and bad and what impact the films had with more context. As the author homes in on obscure films and surveys all of selected directors’ works, someone like Hayao Miyazaki, now seen as one of the greatest directors of all time, gets barely a mention. Flash Gordon, Superman II, and Star Trek II get relegated to a brief “space fantasy” reference. Focusing instead on the directors over-emphasizes what audiences tend not to care about–the majority of viewers don’t go to the movies with the director as their determining factor. Two sidebars include the decade’s ten Academy Award winners and ten box office winners. Those interested in any more stats than that would need to look elsewhere. This book also doesn’t have an index, making it difficult to find a movie you would like to know more about in some kind of context.
An emphasis on film criticism ignores the impact of the 1980s on the pop culture of the next 50 years. So many movie stars went on to continue to rise over the next 50 years, something that hadn’t happened before with the rise of news, cable, MTV, and the Internet. The decade also included what has been touted as the best year of movies since 1939: 1982 and its powerhouse of both blockbusters and memorable smaller films that changed the landscape of movies forever. The author gives no reference to this as a standout year at all.
The attempt at making this a book that doesn’t celebrate the decade, document another list of 50 best films, or serve as a movie reference results in a book that feels like a compilation of essays. Ultimately the takeaway from the book might be that movies were only a thin slice of what defined the 1980s. But this decade of movies, from Raiders of the Lost Ark to Back to the Future, and from Amadeus to Field of Dreams, was far more impactful and relevant. Perhaps it is the over-reliance on comments of critics negative about the decade that colors Malahy’s unnecessarily defensive writing. I’m thinking the 1980s–a fantastic, groundbreaking decade of movies–can stand up for itself.
This book would be a good pick for film studies students and those interested in the major directors and their critical reception, or someone who didn’t live through the ’80s–it would make a good introduction to the subject. TCM Rewinding the ’80s — Cinema Under the Influence of Music Videos, Action Stars, and a Cold War is now available for pre-order here at Amazon.
Don’t miss the other volumes from TCM’s film library reviewed here at borg, covering a wide range of topics across film history and genres: 52 Must-See Movies That Matter, 52 More Must-See Movies That Matter, Must-See Sci-Fi, Dynamic Dames, Forbidden Hollywood, Viva Hollywood, Fright Favorites, Summer Movies: 30 Sun-Drenched Classics, TCM’s Hollywood Victory, TCM’s Danger on the Silver Screen, TCM’s Rock on Film, TCM’s Essential Directors, TCM’s Christmas at the Movies, Dark City: The Lost World of Film Noir, TCM’s 50 Oscar Nights, But Have You Read the Book?, Eddie Muller’s Noir Bar, Lena Horne: Goddess Reclaimed, Double Indemnity and the Rise of Film Noir, Forbidden Cocktails, Hollywood Pride, Falling in Love at the Movies, Dark City Dames, TCM Imports, and TCM’s 20th Century Fox: Darryl F. Zanuck and the Creation of the Modern Film Studio.
