[attach id=270177 size="medium"]The Goonies is another classic, iconic of the 1980s.[/attach]
A couple of days ago, while slogging away at the gym (not that you’d care, but it gives me great satisfaction to actually put that down in black and white), the theme from Flashdance came on.
This seemingly random DJ decision brought with it two consequences, the first being a much-needed impetus to finish off my last set of leg extensions, while grimacing and singing (if my out-of-breath murmur can be called that) “she’s a maniac, maniac, on the floor... and she’s dancing like she’s never danced before...”
This little titbit doesn’t have much bearing on this column, but the second one does. Hearing this iconic soundtrack immediately threw me on an intensely nostalgic road trip down the memory lane of 1980s movies. You know, the ones that are still considered classics today, that you can watch and re-watch on a regular basis without getting bored. That you can quote ad nauseam. If you happen to be a 1980s kid, like me, that is.
Music, fashion and movie-wise, the 1980s were a pretty amazing, if largely naff (there goes another word of the decade) time.
If I remember correctly, the very first movie I saw that would go on to become iconic of the era was E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. I didn’t know it back then, but the cute, pig-tailed kid who co-starred alongside Henry Thomas would go on to become one of the hottest actresses of the new millennium, after battling a heavy drug addiction. To date, I can’t see a Drew Barrymore movie without picturing her in that most innocent of roles.
The movie defined an era, and showed me the power of branding at the tender age of seven. I still remember our monti stalls filled with T-shirts, bags, keychains and various other paraphernalia bearing the legend E.T. Phone Home.
The Goonies was another classic of the era. I watched it on our brand, spanking new VCR – a precious possession back in the day – and it opened up a new world for me; a world full of kids who led spectacularly exciting lives, a bit like Enid Blyton’s Famous Five come to life, only these were cooler and more badass.
An instant crush on Corey Feldman followed. A crush that must have been shared by hundreds of same-aged, impressionable, little girls.
The Goonies had everything: humour, monsters, treasure, adventure... Every time I picture the ending, with the awesome water chase and rivers of gold coins everywhere, I still get transported to this magic land where Happy Ever After was a given.
As the 1980s progressed along, adventure started taking a bit of a more grown-up aura. The release of the first Indiana Jones movie in 1981 reflected the mood of an audience that was facing a worldwide political crisis following a decade of serenity. Suddenly, movies about the hippy movement and Woodstock became less attractive.
The cute, pig-tailed kid who co-starred alongside Henry Thomas would go on to become one of the hottest actresses of the new millennium
The audience wanted swashbuckling heroes whose courage triumphed against all adversity... and that’s exactly what the audiences got in Harrison Ford’s Raiders of the Lost Ark. The movie launched a super-successful franchise that to date counts four movies, and it also launched Ford’s career (although he did suffer from obvious typecasting in many of his subsequent roles).
Sex didn’t take long to enter the equation, in 1987 in my case. For many of my generation, Dirty Dancing was our first cinematic brush with it. A story about a sexy dancer, his pregnant girlfriend (who conveniently turns out not to be his girlfriend at all) and a wide-eyed innocent who is drawn into the steamy world of salsa dancing. Before we knew it, all the girls were mooning about Patrick Swayze, while the boys wanted a piece of Jennifer Grey and salsa became all the rage. We all fancied ourselves as dancers.
More innocent times indeed, particularly when I remember that other genre of iconic 1980s films, the romantic comedies featuring the Brat Pack. But I will leave that for another column...
rdepares@timesofmalta.com