Tom Jolliffe on the glorious year of 1984….
Whatever you may think of as the golden age of cinema, few can deny that the 80s brought about a fantastic array of classic and cult films. Anyone of a certain age may look back at a period of cinema, from growing up, with misty eyes and great fondness. With the recent 30 year anniversary re-release of Ghostbusters, now seems a good time to take a step back 30 years to 1984. This was a year when bustin made us feel good, when an Austrian cyborg promised to be back, where we turned it up to eleven, waxed on and off, and when Elm street gave us nightmares.
Taking a look back over the films on release that year and it seems that cinema goers were spoilt rotten. Ghostbusters was a blockbuster spectacular. A film which appealed to a broad spectrum. It had the ghosts and ghouls to transfix children, as well as delightfully scare them. Likewise it provided ample entertainment for the parents thanks to the interplay between the leads and the acerbic brilliance of Venkman (Bill Murray) in particular.
There were plenty of big hits for all the family to enjoy, some of which, like Ghostbusters, weren’t afraid to be a bit dark. Gremlins provided a great combination of cuteness, mystery, fantasy and scares as Gizmo (looking like the perfect depiction of a marketable cuddly toy) would eventually unwittingly unleash a host of vile, slimy, and certainly for kids, scary looking creatures. We also had the feel good family thrills of Romancing the Stone, Splash, and a film which really struck a chord with kids of the time, The Karate Kid. Indiana Jones made his second outing and again, in a film which pushed the limits of the ratings board and pulled no punches in trying to terrify the youngsters watching (we were tough little blighters in those days!).
Music and film would combine as the movie soundtrack rose and rose in prominence during the 80’s. 84 saw many a cult hit as Kevin Bacon got Footloose, Walter Hill delivered cult favourite Streets of Fire and Prince launched himself into the stratosphere with Purple Rain. Elsewhere many future qoute-a-thon’s were birthed with the release of This is Spinal Tap, which also pioneered the comedy mockumentary that would become greatly in fashion over the turn of the millennium on film and TV.
1984 also saw the beginning of one cinematic juggernaut and the end of another. Sergio Leone brought to a close a career as a genre-redefining director of the Western, with his fantastic gangster epic, Once Upon a Time in America. A film often forgotten given it came in a period after the gritty gangster faze brought about by The Godfather had run its course by the end of the 70’s (when the blockbuster and escapism became the in thing). The same year the Coen brothers began their directorial careers with the impeccably woven crime drama, Blood Simple. A film which not enough people have seen. The world also had its introduction to the king of the world himself, James Cameron. For Cameron, a disastrous first film (Piranha 2) might have been his death knell, and following up with, in principal, a B picture which even the producers felt was nothing more than a film to try and tap into the video market, seemed destined to see Cameron disappear to obscurity. Unexpectedly though, The Terminator was a genre defying master-work which remains Cameron’s best film, and indeed that of the star it launched, Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The year would also prove a breakout for a lot of stars/and franchises. Eddie Murphy, already something of a household name thanks to his stand-up comedy and early film role in Trading Places, hit it big as wise-cracking cop, Axel Foley in Beverley Hills Cop. It still remains one of the most brilliantly crafted fish out of water comedies and cop action films. It even received an Oscar nomination for it’s screenplay (and no doubt in part aided and abetted by Murphy’s constant, and brilliant, ad-libbing). Freddy Kruger (Robert Englund) made his debut in A Nightmare On Elm Street, which not only saw a new horror franchise born but also launched New Line Cinema into the big time. The first of far too many Police Academy also hit cinemas and introduced the world to Steve Guttenberg as well as “that guy who does the funny sounds with his voice (Michael Winslow).”
A few cult hits would also emerge. Cult followings don’t come as culty as the Trekkies and they were treated to the third motion picture. Sci-Fi enthusiasts were also divided by Dune a film which evokes strong opinions from lovers and haters. Likewise more divisive science fiction would provoke debate over the films, as well as the relation to their source material, with 1984 and 2010 both released.
The big critical success of the year, which proved an Oscar magnet, was Amadeus. The exceptional fictionalised account of Mozart’s rise and death through the eyes of a jealous rival, Salieri (F Murray Abraham). Abraham walked away with a well deserved Oscar for a truly remarkable performance and something of a one hit wonder for the gifted actor who quickly disappeared into the relative obscurity of supporting roles, European cinema and B Movies. Likewise Tom Hulce whose portrayal of Mozart as a kind of giggling, imbecilic American rockstar also earned an Oscar nomination (losing out to Abraham) and wasn’t seen much in the mainstream again.
The list of great pieces of cinema, mixed with great pieces of entertainment go on and on for the year of 1984. There’s particularly a great array of these films which remain timeless. Many have already been, or are in the process of being, remade, but in almost all cases, the originals stand head and shoulders above the remakes. So look back and enjoy the best this great year had to offer cinema lovers. That’s not to say the year went completely right for everyone, as Sly Stallone will attest in regards to Rhinestone.
Please give us your comments on your favourites from 1984…
Tom Jolliffe
Originally published November 7, 2014. Updated April 13, 2018.
