How the Movies of the 1970’s and 1980’s Reflected America’s Mood and Culture

Citizens throughout American history have often presented the “home of the free” and the “land of the brave” as the perfect nation, filled with perfect families, and more extreme examples of how impeccable the nation truly is. No time presented the United States of America in a more splendid light than the 1950’s. The 1950’s are remembered as a decade of prosperity but as with every time period, multiple historical issues marred this time. The United States encountered political, diplomatic, and social issues throughout this decade (Hewitt and Lawson, 832). Hairspray, the 1988 film by John Waters, was set in the 1950’s and reveals depths of racism and stereotypes during this period, while presenting smaller examples of the issues of sexism, religion, and inequality.

Looking at the socially or culturally history of the United States, many historians use Hollywood films as a primary source. I also used many films such as Easy Rider (1969) or Dance, Girl, Dance (1941) to support my historical thesis paper and to make the topic more vivid by using the images of the film. Even though, some people think that films are accurate and authentic in its depiction, it is important to mention that films are still fictional. Directors and actors are responsible to make us believe their story, but this story does not have to be necessarily true. In that way, fictional films cannot be used as historical evidence in terms of how things looked like during that specific

Living in the 70s was in the midst of a unique culture. Theatres in the 1970s were very popular as various people rushed to theaters to watch plays and movies. This was also the era in which many owned bizarre items such as pet rocks, mood rings, bean bag chairs, and more. “Have a nice day!” became a slogan that earmarked the 70’s,and was almost always accompanied with the notorious smiley face icon. Sickening sweet happy faces were plastered everywhere; they were spray painted on the side of buildings and even worn on bandanas and t-shirts. Another distinct culture featured in the 70’s was the fashion. Fashion fads in the 70’s took off like rockets. Clothing styles such as shirts with colorful geometric shapes and bell-bottoms emerged. The rise of disco also played a big role during this time. In contrast to males in today’s society, some men in the 1970’s wore shoes with giant heels. Culture proved to play a big role in the 70’s and profoundly affected the civilization’s view upon The American Dream.

American in the 70s and 80s had increased crime and murder. Additionally, the 70s and 80s saw an increase of serial killers. During these two decades and the end of the 60s, there were noticeable numbers of serial killers and murderers: John Lennon's assassination 1980, The Zodiac Killer late 1960s to mid-1970s, Manson's Family 1969, Ted Bundy 1970s, John Wayne Gacy, etc. Americans feared being murdered or victim a crime. Horror movies were starting to be inspired by reality, Americans were fearing serial killers. The 70s and 80s horror films were composed of slasher films, which was inspired by increasing murder and crime rates of those decades, one of the most notable slasher horror movies that were inspired by real life was the Texas Chainsaw

The transition from the multicultural era of the eighties to the postnetwork era of the nineties triggered abrupt changes in American media and culture. [6] From fashions to family life, relationships, and attitudes, many new cultural elements subsequently changed television portrayals of ordinary American culture within this time period. More specifically, the culture of the eighties is often characterized by the rise of MTV and megastars, techno music and club drugs, and popular fashions such as leather, leggings, and Ray Bans. Eighties culture can be described as the ‘bombdigity’ and nineties culture can be described as more toned down, moral, and ‘sweet’.

As political climates change, so do the themes found within cinema. The 1960s and 1970s were a time of change for America. Feminism, civil rights movements, and gay rights movements were all progressing, and liberal values were becoming more and more prevalent among the younger generation. For conservatives, the 60s and 70s were seen as a time of decline; as a low point in American history, and a time of regression in American society. The progressive and liberal values were not positive changes for all Americans, but the changes were coming about nonetheless. However, in the late 1970 's and the 1980 's there was a dramatic shift in the themes found in American cinema that reflected the neo-conservative political changes. With the

From silent short films of the 19th century to full length films of the 1920s, women have played important central roles over time. Women have transitioned from submissive conservative roles to liberal something. A big part of this is due to the view of women changing in history.

Throughout American film, Latinos have not been represented nearly as much as their white counterparts. According to America On Film, when Latinos finally became represented in film, they were seen in very stereotypical eyes. One of these stereotypes was the Latin Lover. “According to this stereotype, men, and women of Latin American descent are figured as more sensual and sexual than their North American counterparts, furthering cultural assumptions about Latinos as emotional and “hot blooded” (146). Given this stereotype, American audiences watching Y Tu Mamá También may believe that this film’s main theme is sex and sexual relationships.

The American public largely views the 1970s as a “lost” decade in American history, remembered more by such cultural items like pet rocks and disco rather than anything considered significant, much unlike the turbulent 1960s and economically booming 1980s. However, according the Bruce Shulman, author of The Seventies: The Great Shift in American Culture, Society, and Politics, the 1970s was a time of tremendous political and social revolution in the American South, and the decade should be seen as a period of rebirth in the region. According to Shulman, the emerging cultural factors and popularity of various individuals influenced significant social change in regards to race as well as political change in the region. The latter even resulted

For the purpose of this assignment, I decided to choose the movies Heathers and Hairspray, which feature strong female leads. I thought that strong female leads in the 1980s in contrast to 2016 would be interesting because allowing women to be in the spotlight was a new concept, at the time, and women began having a greater voice in social conflicts throughout society. Additionally, women began impacting society with their viewpoints, which is still relevant today. Heathers focuses and three main social issues including class, gender, and sexuality. Similarly, Hairspray focuses on both class and sexuality, but with the added component of race, which is less prevalent in Heathers.

One of my favorite movies is The Graduate released in 1967 and based on the 1963 novel The Graduate by Charles Webb. It is regarded as a classic and shows a lot of psychological issues of the 60s brought on by social norms. An older-neglected housewife named Mrs. Robinson seduces a recent 21-year-old graduate, Benjamin Braddock.. During the 40s until the 70s, because of mother’s strong involvement in their children’s life, many children never learned to take care of themselves. Benjamin is a clear consequence of that as he spends his summer lying in the pool all day. Mrs. Robinson is herself a victim of her time. She admits to Benjamin that she is in a loveless, boring marriage and lost her youth because she got pregnant with her daughter Elaine

For that reason, films are known to have the ability to alter the behaviour of the audience consequently the type of the genre that is frequently viewed by the society is a reflection of the types of the ideals that are upheld by the people. The aim of this paper is of explore whether films have a substantial influence towards affecting the behaviour of the Americans

When recreating a classic film, especially when it is through a different cultural lense, it is inevitable that the original plot, characters, and overall feeling of the movie will be skewed. Our cultural identities and social norms are so ingrained into us that they are bound to be reflected in our art. The film conversion from the Japanese made Seven Samurai to the American remake, The Magnificent Seven, is a poignant example of this. Despite having almost identical plot lines, the films emanate contrasting feelings and to a certain extent, portray different messages. When examining the role of American culture in film, one often looks to the quintessential romance or action plots, stories in which “true love conquers all” or an underdog overcomes adversity to defeat a villain. As demonstrated by these iconic storylines and The Magnificent Seven film, American culture places a strong value on individualism and the idealistic approach to life, which similar to the American dream, tells us that hard work will always be rewarded. On the other hand, Seven Samurais greatly emphasizes family, unity, and the consequences of our actions, demonstrating the importance of interdependence and realism in Japanese culture.

This essay will show how in many cases the reflection of the current social and cultural events has impacted the cinema. Over the history of the industry, many of the more impactful events have been written into screenplays and then into the films of the day. Although “creative license” may have been utilized in the presentations, there is an awfully large volume of events to film productions. American Cultural and Social Tensions Reflected in Films Throughout the development of the motion picture industry the relationship between movies and culture and social tensions, involves a complicated dynamic.

Back in the 1920s people had receive news and entertainment through the radio, which then in turn out-shined newspapers and magazines. Now day’s social media sites have become the most popular form to get the news and information. The biggest tool in the media that generates revenue by the millions every day, is advertising. The media has its way of showing us constructive information when it comes to news channels, travel and other educational shows. Kids benefit from watching these, since it can boost self-esteem, heighten interest levels in a particular subject, or encourage them to ask relevant questions.