CHAPTER 16 – AMERICAN CINEMA IN THE 1980s
Multiple Choice
1. The device which profoundly altered how people watched movies in the 1980s was which of
the following?
a. the 8-track player
b. the color television
c. the 3-D glasses
d. the VCR
2. Which of the following is true about the resurgence of studios in the 1980s?
a. practiced vertical integration
b. established a genre of story
c. refused to make movies with older directors
d. all of the above
3. One form of movie which gained renewed popularity with audiences in the 1980s was which
of the following?
a. race car movies
b. military movies
c. spy movies
d. none of the above
4. One of the characteristics of the Reagan Era was an emphasis on
a. science.
b. exploration.
c. urban renewal.
d. traditional values.
5. Which actor in the 1980s continued to direct movies which where in direct opposition to the
iconic figure he struck on the screen?
a. John Huston
b. Kirk Douglas
c. John Wayne
d. Clint Eastwood
6. Unlike their predecessors, young director emerging in the 1980s often
a. knew more about movies than life
b. worked off cultural grants
c. starred/acted in their movies
d. all of the above
7. A principal source for many of the emerging stars of movies in the 1980s was
a. stage
b. foreign movies
c. university
d. television
8. The movie that became one of the hallmarks of feminist cinema in the 80s was
a. Body Heat
b. Tootsie
c. Annie Hall
d. Romancing the Stone
9. Barry Levinson’s respect for his characters as evidenced in Rain Man is exemplified by his use
of a. telephoto lens
b. long takes
c. close ups
d. all of the above
10. The director who was a protégé of Steven Spielberg and made Back to the Future:
a. Joe Dante
b. Lawrence Kasdan
c. James Cameron
d. Robert Zemeckis
11. All of the following are true of David Lynch movies except
a. “a dream of dark and troubling things”
b. “make[s] the irrational seductive and terrifying at the same time”
c. successfully adapted Herbert’s classic novel Dune for the screen
d. dredges up images and inchoate concepts from the subconscious
12. The Oliver Stone film considered superior to Platoon is
a. Talk Radio
b. Natural Born Killers
c. Born on the Fourth of July
d. Salvador
13. While black Americans continued to make in-roads into Hollywood, perhaps the best black
American director proved to be the star of Nike basketball shoe commercials: he was?
a. Spike Lee
b. Forest Whitaker
c. Eddie Murphy
d. Carl Franklin
14. The director who basically remained beyond studio ties with movies like Lianna and Eight
Men Out is
a. Carl Franklin
b. John Sayles
c. Kevin Smith
d. Anthony Hopkins
15. Which of the following is not one of David Lynch’s strange movies?
a. The Fly
b. Blue Velvet
c. Eraserhead
d. The Elephant Man
16. The director who seems to revel in grotesque physical transformations is
a. David Cronenberg
b. Jonathan Demme
c. John Huston
d. Oliver Stone
17. Terry Gilliam began animating short films on television with
a. Second City
b. Saturday Night Live
c. HeeHaw
d. Monty Python
True/False
(Place a T or an F in the line following the sentence.)
1. The use of widescreen processes increased in the 1980s to accommodate audiences’ renewed
interest in the big-screen experience.
2. In the early 80s, Hollywood wisely decided to back the nascent movie-rental business using
video-tape technology.
3. Disney’s Touchstone studio is an example of the re-emergence of the studio system (though
this new system lacked the power of the old system) in Hollywood.
4. Packaging and marketing often turned an okay movie like Stakeout into a blockbuster.
5. Hollywood resisted the increasing influence of Reagan conservatism.
6. Television had virtually no influence on movies or movie making.
7. It is likely that Lawrence Kasdan would have been terribly unhappy working in the old studio
system, directing conventional movies.
8. Robert Zemeckis knew immediate success when he entered the movie because he worked for
Steven Spielberg.
9. Oliver Stone had trouble avoiding criticizing the conservative status quo of the 1980s.
10. Tim Burton likes fable-like narratives, the grotesque and the bizarre, black comedy and
campy wit, as well as youth and childhood fears.
Matching
1) Terry Gilliam ___
2) Jonathan Demme ___
3) David Lynch ___
4) Mark Lester ___
5) Oliver Stone ___
6) Robert Zemeckis ___
7) Barry Levinson ___
8) Spike Lee ___
9) Lawrence Kasdan ___
10) David Cronenberg ___
a. Do the Right Thing
b. Salvador
c. The Fly
d. Commando
e. Eraserhead
f. Rain Man
g. Something Wild
h. Brazil
i. Romancing the Stone
j. The Big Chill
ANS:
Short Answer
1. Why was the Disney studio successful in the 80s?
2. What element was lacking in young directors of the 80s that indicated that their passion for
filmmaking was “unconnected to anything deeper than celluloid”?
3. What generally became of women actors and women’s pictures in the 80s?
4. What are the principal traits of Spike Lee’s cinematic world?
Essay Questions
1. How would you describe the vision of the maverick directors of the 80s?
2. What was the influence of President Reagan and the conservative cultural climate he called
for?
3. How effective was the revived studio system in producing high-quality movies?
4. How did home-video tape players (VHS) influence movie making in the 80s?