John Hughes

You might have heard in recent days about the passing of film director John Hughes. Hughes is best known for his work in teen oriented films during the 1980's. Unlike the beach camp of past decades, Hughes' films were marked by a level of angst and insecurity that made the films very mature yet still teen oriented.

The writing and directing within Hughes' films captures the essence of being a teen, without the over the top jokes and absurdities that so often characterize films of past and future decades. The films of Hughes are also intertwined with the decade of the 1980's, and the films manage to capture the mood and feel of the decade, particularly that of the 1980's in suburban Chicago.

Hughes only directed eight films, although he was the writer on over two dozen other pieces. He key works include three films starring actress Molly Ringwald: Sixteen Candles, the Breakfast Club, and Pretty in Pink, of which Hughes directed the first two. A later film that he authored, Some Kind of Wonderful, is a retelling of Pretty in Pink, with the gender roles reversed.

The release of Planes, Trains, and Automobiles in 1987 saw a move away from the teen genre for Hughes. Much of his later work was comedy for a general audience, including writing the early 1990's hit Home Alone.

Hughes would leave film altogether by the time of his death. Few films in the teen genre have come close to approaching the level of the 1980's work of Hughes. There was a bit of hope for the genre with the release of the teen slasher film Scream in 1996, but this descended into a glurge of copycat films and WB influenced teen comedies that did not meet expectations.

Finding articles on Hughes and his work is easy in Galileo. Click on the 'search' tab and search for 'John Hughes.' You will find articles on his recent death and critique of his films. Be sure to limit your articles to full text.

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