does John Hughes' recurring theme of 'alienation' make him an auteur?
- The Breakfast Club; i chose this film due to the fact that the main 5 characters are all in detention, being punished for going against the rules, this feel outline and describes the issues that the characters are going through and outlines the social issues for teenagers in the decade that the film was made. All the characters feel misunderstood. This is a running theme in Hughes films as all the main characters are misunderstood and misbehave to compensate for it.
- sixteen candles; this film shows the anxiety that girls feel towards sex and popularity. The main character in this film is struggling with her family not paying attention to her and the anxiety she feels towards losing her virginity as she sees it as something you have to do it at 16. The film takes small problems and blows them up to the way teenagers think. This film uses the common narrative of Hughes films, for example, parents and kids never understand each other, but always ends with a happy ending, such as The Breakfast Club, who all suffer problems with parents.
- Ferris Bueller's day off; I chose this film as Ferris is an outcast that just wants a day to feel estrodinary, in the film Ferris take a day of school by calling in faking to be sick, which I'm sure many of the audience can relate to. He goes on a big adventure travelling the city and doing fun thing that many of the views would dream of doing. The film follows many of Johns themes, such as the underdog finally gets the girl, which he does by a big dance number at the end. This film will be useful because it shows Ferris as alienated and doing something that he has always wanted to do, and coming out on top at the end of the movie.
- http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/08/movies/08appraisal.html; this article highlights how john hughes' films capture — with a winning mixture of optimism and melancholy, with a generosity of spirit tempered by a punitive sense of right and wrong — something essential in the experience of youth. i will use this to further my point that John alienates his characters but always makes them the winner at the end of the film. This will be useful as it helps make the point that Hughes captured the teenage generation in the right light and made people feel more accepted.
- http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/film/john-hughes-teen-angsts-1980s auteur/article4310797/; this article discusses about how john Hughes not only took teens seriously as emotional beings, but also as consumers. it also talks about how john gave teenagers hope by "One of the things he did that was beautiful as a filmmaker was show us the dark corners of his characters' lives, but always with these joyous, possibility-filled endings. I think John Hughes wanted to tell teenagers, I understand these years are tough but here is the path you could take to find happiness. This will be useful as it highly that Hughes aims this themes and narratives at the teen audience and try to show them that its okay to be different.
- http://www.atthecinema.net/directors-cut-john-hughes; this article discusses about the common themes and places running through all his films, such as they are all set in a mythical town, and have a constant running theme of public school and neglect from parents. i will use this to back up my point that he is an auteur as he uses running themes through out his films.
- http://www.npr.org/2009/08/07/111646695/director-john-hughes-was-philosopher-of-puberty: this article discusses about how john hughes is he Philosopher of Puberty, the Auteur of Adolescent Angst. it also discusses about how it confides to common stereotypes of teen films such as different cliches and groups, and follows the stories that the unpopular underdog gets the girl in the end. I will use this to back up my points that Hughes uses alienated characters in his films.
- Andrew Bulters film studies; this book explains auteur theory and the origin of the theory it explains what it actually is and how it is used. Fore example it states "An auteur was a person, usually a director, who was able to stamp his own identity upon a film despite the commercial pressures within the studio system, this gives a clear explanation on what the theory is and uses different auteurs to explain the theory better to the reader. i will use this to show that he follows the criteria.
- John Hughes: A life in Film; this book discusses about John Hughes life and his ideas behind the films and the impact they had, the book uses the statement that John Hughes said There's no way I'm going to end a movie on a negative note, which shows he is an auteur every move he makes has to have a happy ending . This will help backing my point that his films follow a narrative structure.
- John Hughes and Eighties cinema; this book goes into full length analysis of John Hughes films , it analysis pictures and discussing their social and cultural significance in the wider context of the decade and his prominent contribution to cinema. The book concludes with a detailed analysis of Ferris Bueller s Day Off, a film which is considered to be among Hughes s most critically successful works and also one of his most structurally refined. This will help me explain how Ferris contributes to Hughes style.
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jat1jXjU4dg; this interview is molly ringwald, the actress that plays many of the female leads in John Hughes films, talking about working with director John Hughes. The director's unorthodox approach to Hollywood and comedy, and the mysterious politics of Hughes are discussed with Ringwald in this excerpt from the Talk Show interview, hosted by Harper Simon. This will help as it gives an inside view of the production of Hughes film.
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZGWitqn9ds: this video talks about john hughes Hughes' realistic depiction of high school life was a hit with teens, winning popular praise and critical acclaim. The film led to a multiple-picture contract with Paramount for Hughes, as well as the creation of Hughes' own production house. Sixteen Candles became the first in a string of Hughes films set in or around high school, including The Breakfast Club (1985), Pretty in Pink (1986), Weird Science (1985) and Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986). This will be useful as it includes all my focus films and talks about the common setting of high school.
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