Chapter 15

Option 4

Reaganite cinema was a term referring to Ronald reagan's "morning in America" after the long night of democratic misrule. It was prominent in film during the 1980s. There were three main themes to Reaganite cinema. The first was regeneration. The regeneration of the human spirit. Reagan promised to bring America back to life, just as he bounced back after being shot in an assassination attempt. His own recovery served as a symbol to Americans to persevere. Such as in films like Cacoon. Three senior citizens seek the fountain of youth. Back to School featured Rodney Dangerfield living the college kid's life while being a role model for his son. There was the nostalgia: coming of age in the past. Movies about characters who return to the golden age of the 50s or other time periods, and come back to the present full of the promise and spirit of the idyllic past, re energized and ready to confront the future. Themes seen in films like Back to the Future and Peggy Sue got Married. Another theme was paradise lost/paradise regained. Some films involved a rejection of life in the big city for that in the suburbs, in rural America, or in the untouched world of nature. Some find a renewed sense of community and a new, more positive sense of themselves as a result of their encounter with a more primitive, more innocent, rustic America. (Doc Hollywood, City Slickers, Return of the Jedi.) The other theme is striking back. The no-nonsense action films starring super-heroes like Stallone, Schwarzeneggar, and Willis came down firmly on the side of mainstream values. They promoted law and order, interracial harmony, police camaraderie and a celebration of the family, while striking back at things like terrorism and drug-trafficking, thing Reagan opposed.