During the 1980s, American cinema underwent enormous transformations. Blockbusters like Raiders of the Lost Ark, E.T., and The Empire Strikes Back earned huge sums for the studios. At the same time, the growth of home video led to new opportunities for independent film production, resulting in many of the decade's best films.Filmmakers responded to the social, political, and cultural conditions of the time, notably the Reagan presidency and the rebirth of the Cold War, which Hollywood films both embraced and critiqued. Hollywood also launched a long-awaited cycle of films about the Vietnam War, exploring its impact both at home and abroad. But science fiction remained the era's most popular genre, ranging from upbeat fantasies to dark, dystopic visions.American Cinema of the 1980s examines the films that marked the decade, including Ordinary People, Body Heat, Blade Runner, Zelig, Platoon, Top Gun, Aliens, Blue Velvet, Robocop, Fatal Attraction, Die Hard, Batman, and sex, lies & videotape.
Timeline: The 1980s Introduction: Movies and the 1980s, Stephen Prince, Virginia Polytechnic Institute 1. 1980: Movies and the New Woman, Joanna Rapf, University of Oklahoma 2. 1981: Movies and Looking Back to the Future, Diane Negra, University of East Anglia 3. 1982: Movies and Other Worlds, Warren Buckland, Chapman University in Southern California 4. 1983: Movies and Reaganism, Alan Nadel, University of Kentucky 5. 1984: Movies and Orwellian Views, Rhonda Hammer, UCLA and Douglas Kellner, UCLA 6. 1985: Movies and Green Worlds, Christina Banks and Michael Bliss, Virginia Polytechnic Institute 7. 1986: Movies and Fissures in Reagan's America, Leger Grindon, Middlebury College in Vermont 8. 1987: Movies and the Reagan Era Winding Down, Jack Boozer, Georgia State University 9. 1988: Movies and Images of Reality, Deron Overpeck, University of California Los Angeles 10. 1989: Movies and the American Dream, Jennifer Holt, University of Southern California Select Academy Awards, 1980-1989
