Movies From the Past

Hollywood, California is a multi-billion dollar movie industry. The technology and script types have changed from when students first started watching movies. In today’s movie industry politics, opinions and remakes have become a common part of the industry. The 80’s brought opportunities to the movie industry that were not possible until that time. During the 80’s and 90’s the film industry saw a drastic change in how films could create new revenue. Before this time, home video was mostly unknown and had not yet become a huge market. With the introduction of home video, movies that did poorly at the box office could still make money by being sold and distributed to mass markets. Home videos opened a new money making market for the Hollywood industry, as film-making cost decreased. In order to keep up with the growing demand for home video tapes, companies needed a way for consumers to play them. Even though VCR’s were successfully marketed around the 1950’s, they were mostly bought by large businesses because of their high cost. However, the threat of copyright was a deep concern for the movie industry. In the Supreme Court case Sony Corp. of America v. Universal City Studios, Inc. the court ruled that the VCR was allowable for private home use. The television networks also had concern about their advertising because viewers could record a show and simply fast-forward through the commercials. The technology of the film industry allowed for the change in story lines and visual effects. Before Space Jam there was the blockbuster hit Who Framed Roger Rabbit. This was one of the most expensive films of its time, costing roughly $70 million to make and earned about $150 million in its theatrical release. Another important feature of the film was the use of live people with cartoons, which at the time was a landmark in films. This was filmed and produced before the introduction of digital graphics like in movies such as Lord of the Rings, Spider-Man and Pirates of the Caribbean. The classic hit movies of the 80’s can still be felt and seen in today’s society. Movies like Ghostbusters, Indiana Jones and Back to the Future are still played on TV networks to this day and are still making money. The children’s movie of the 80’s represented a time when computers and technology were not a normal part of life. Movies such as The Goonies, The Karate Kid, ET: Extra-Terrestrial and The Adventures of Milo and Otis all used the lesson of friendship to teach values. The Goonies was one of the few children’s movies that caused some controversy the children cussed during the film. There were also movies like Honey I Shrunk the Kids, Porky’s, Arthur, and Adventures in Babysitting that were hits with audience members. The teen movies were varied in their story line from movies like Sixteen Candles to Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Today, both of these movies are considered to be classic’s and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is featured in Bravo’s 100 Funniest Movies. Finally, there were the movies that used odd and fun plots like Beetlejuice and The Adams Family. The movies and film industry of the 80’s revived the industry after its decline in 50’s. Being able to personalize a movie by watching it at home created a market that had never been around before.