BUREAU OF ARTS AND CULTURE CLASSIC FILMS: TWELVE MUST SEE FILMS and WHY





BUREAU OF ARTS AND CULTURE CLASSIC FILMS  
TWELVE MUST SEE FILMS  and  WHY 

AMERICAN GRAFFITI     BIG WEDNESDAY    BREAKING AWAY     CROOKLYN  
LA BAMBA   THE OUTSIDERS   QUADROPHENIA   REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE  
REPO  MAN       SWING  KIDS        THE  GRADUATE       WEST  SIDE  STORY  

These 12 Classic Youth Films Express a certain Social Angst that is 
still very much relevant for the Youth of Today's Current Society.

AMERICAN GRAFFITI
One of the most important films reflecting on American Pop  Culture ever. Produced by Francis Ford Coppola. Directed by  George Lucas. Starring a cast 
of new stars that have all gone  on to have stellar careers in the film industry: actors, directors, producers. Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard, Harrison Ford, Cindy  Williams, Suzanne Somers, Kathleen Quinlan, Candy Clark,  Charles Martin Smith, Mackenzie Phillips, Bo Hopkins.   A Film that holds up every time it is viewed. A nostalgic look at  a time and a place in America just before we were hit with the  death of the Kennedy's & other social leaders, Vietnam and a  complicated world which forever changed our lives in America.   This film went onto inspire the Television Show : HAPPY DAYS. As well as many teen/music films such as DAZED & CONFUSED  by Independent Film Maker Richard LINKLATER. One can also see that this film production opened the door for Alan ARKUSH's  Classic Musical Teen Film: 
ROCK & ROLL HIGH SCHOOL. 





BIG WEDNESDAY 
The most authentic fictional SURF FILM ever created. Directed & co - written 
by John Milius, who would go on to put a surf  scene in just about every film he would ever participate in, famously: the surf scene in APOCALYPSE NOW. 
This film seems  to capture West Coast Surf culture with the perfect blend of the  nostalgic aspects of the early days on into the more cynical ones.  Friendships, initiations, love, war and growing up with the waves. Another perfect ensemble cast, an original musical score and a  voice over narration that perfectly tells the story like a good book. For a full Review Scroll down.





BREAKING AWAY  
Growing up poor or middle class in an area where others are more  privileged 
is one of the themes running through this hilarious and charming film about 
Biking, Friendship, Playing by the Rules and  yes, ' Breaking Away ' from the 
pack, traditions and false ideals.  A story about finding & respecting yourself 
in a world that refuses  to do so. Dennis Quaid in an early and heartfelt performance. Directed  by Peter Yates with a screenplay by Steve Tesich. 
A great use of  Classical Music throughout the entire production. Other cast members  include: The incredible Paul Dooley as the dad, Barbara Berrie as 
the  Mom and Dennis Christopher, Daniel Stern and Jackie Earle Haley as  
' The Cutters ' [ for cutting school ].  A fabulous uplifting production.  




CROOKLYN
Spike Lee dishes up this family film which is loosely based on scenarios  
created by his brother and sister and thier early childhood in Brooklyn.  
A hilarious film that personifies the 1970's with all the pitch perfect  hooks 
and props, music and experiences that define the period. A  heartbreaking 
and yet wonderfully funny film that nails exactly what  many of us went 
through during our childhood experiences in America  at that particular 
time and place. Outstanding performances by the  entire cast. As usual 
Spike Lee's casting choices from Del Roy Lindo  as the dad, Alfre Woodard 
as the mom and a whole crop of new  actors as well as Isaiah Washington, 
RuPaul, Vondie Curtis-Hall and of  course Zelda Harris as the young girl 
who plays our lead character.  With a great soundtrack, richly produced 
and as usual great direction.  





LA BAMBA
 A musical bio that lovingly tells the story of singer Ritchie Valens, though  
at the same time, tells a basic family dynamic of growing up, falling in love, 
being accepted or not and dealing with life's opportunities under pressure. 
A fabulous soundtrack that helped to put the band Los Lobos on the map. 
This was a follow up to the success of Luis Valdez's play & film ZOOT SUIT. 
With themes that describe the latino experience, musical prodigies, inter  
racial love and crossing over into the mainstream American music charts.  
This film, along with the Buddy Holly Story, Great Balls of Fire and the  
many films on Elvis Presley,opened the door for the entire genre of music  biographies that have lead up to: RAY, Walk the Line, Sid and Nancy.   
Lou Diamond Phillips in his first starring role, Esai Morales in a pinnacle  
supporting role as Ritchie's brother, Rosanna DeSoto as the mom and  
Joe Pantoliano, Elizabeth Pena, Brian Seltzer and Tony Genaro supporting. 





The OUTSIDERS 
An outstanding adaption of an S. E. Hinton novel by Francis Ford Coppola. 
The perfect film that reflects life on the, ' other side of the tracks '. Another  
film that has a cast of new stars that will all go onto great careers in film: 
C. Thomas Howell, Matt Dillon, Emelio Estevez, Rob Lowe, Patrick Swayze,  
Tom Cruise, and Coppola regulars: Tom Waits, Diane Lane & Glen Withrow.  
Heroic & authentic, sympathetic & rough, innocent & tough, all without  
any slips in performance, style or structure, a really great film about family,  friends, tribes and looking back one more time, before moving forward again.  What's it like to be an American in middle America ? This is what it's like. 




QUADROPHENIA  
The first of several great films created by The Classic Rock & Roll Band: 
The WHO. A semi autobiographical tale of Mods and Rockers in and around 
the London music  scene just prior to the creation of bands like the WHO. 
The clash between the Mods & the rockers, not unlike the same clash we 
see within the other films listed in  this review: The Outsiders, Breaking 
Away, Rebel without a Cause, Big Wednseday. The Who will go onto create, 
The Kids are Allright & the Classic Rock opera TOMMY.  Being authentic, 
demanding respect from authority, rebelling against previous values  and 
searching for acceptance, but ultimately tossing it all away for self respect 
are  just a few of the themes in this great fictional film. Once again, many 
of the cast  members will become regulars and have entire careers and comebacks time & time again. Most notably: Ray Winstone in Sexy Beast, Timothy Spell in the films by the great Mike Leigh, Sting and of course a very young  Phil Daniels, Leslie  Ash, Mark Wingett, Phil Davis. Directed by Franc Roddam. With music by The WHO  and the use of period music specifically Booker T and the MG's classic 'Green Onions', which is also used in American Graffiti and The Flamingo Kid [ another great film ]. 




REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE 

The benchmark of all great films about growing up. There had many teen 
films before, but none could ever touch it after. The fact that it was 
filmed 
in technicolor put it a cut above the juvenile delinquent genre that had been mostly filmed in low budget black & white. Of course, the pinnacle performance 
by James Dean in a role that absolutely never goes out of style. Each generation rediscovers this film and immediately relates. His sensitivity, his search for truth, his sympathy towards Sal Mineo and his love for  Natalie Wood as well as the need to be accepted and respected all ring true to the kids  of today's society. 
The other films in this article could never have existed without the creation 
and popularity of Rebel without a Cause. This is the quintessential teen film. 
Although, it also speaks to the ever changing evolution from one generation 
to another.  A great original soundtrack, rich technicolor with realistic and dramatic performances. Supporting roles by Jim Backus [ the Voice of Mr Magoo ] and Dennis Hopper. Directed by Nicholas Ray and written by Stewart Stern based 
on a story by Irving Schulman. 




REPO MAN
Another small but interesting film about life in Los Angeles by director Alex 
COX,  who would later direct the classic Sid and Nancy biop on Sid Vicious of 
the Sex  Pistols Punk rock band that helped to start an entire revolution in 
rock and roll  music that still exists. Repo Man weaves between the new 
music of the time and  the different types of folks who inhabit Los Angeles. 
The film is a satire on all types  of people, much like the music of that time, 
bands like Black Flag, The Circle Jerks,  Iggy Pop, Suicidal Tendencies, The 
Plugz and FEAR all made fun of society, so too  does this film. With Emelio 
Estevez and Harry Dean Stanton battling it out with for  and among space 
aliens, low riders, musicians and of course stealing back automobiles. Car 
chases through the L.A. River, Low budget special effects and performances 
by  many real musicians such as band members of The Untouchables and 
Circle Jerks  make this a sort of time capsule of a time and a place. At the 
time, this film was  considered a cynical look at society, looking back at it 
today, its almost innocent.     





SWING KIDS 
Music, politics and friendship collide into a whirlwind force among a group 
of friends  in Germany during the take over of Europe.  Inspired loosely on 
actual events in the  life of people such as Django Reinhardt. Another cast 
of important actors including: Christian Bale, Frank Whaley, Robert Sean 
Leonard and Barbara Hershey. Loyalty is  the running theme in this music 
filled portrait which starts out as a story of friendship  but swiftly veers into 
a political thriller of the historical variety. An outstanding sound  track with 
great performances by an ensemble cast. The film asks us how far will we  
go to be a success in our own time and place ? Loyalty to friends, to our own values,  to our life may be more important than acceptance by the group, especially when the  group is a destructive, controlling and obvious plague 
on a free society such as ours.  




THE GRADUATE 
A hilarious, sensitive and heartbreaking story of one young man's journey into 
self discovery after graduating from college.  The film that put Dustin Hoffman 
on the map. A soundtrack that launched Simon & Garfunkle into music stardom.  
As well as introducing the directing career of, up to that point, comedian Mike Nichols who with Elaine May, had a string of successful comedic albums based 
on their night club act. With a screenplay co written by Buck Henry of Saturday Night live fame and career making appearances by Anne Bancroft, Norman Fell, Katherine Ross, William Daniels and Murray Hamilton uttering the now classic, phrase, " I have one word for you … PLASTICS." Which seems to personify the artificial world that Hoffman's character is thrust into. An entirely different kind 
of comedy that broke the mold on controversy, humor and the sad realities that would lay ahead for an entire generation in search of truth, love and once again, breaking away from the values of those that have preceded us. A great  film with 
a surprise ending that still to this day, is embarrassing, exulting & entertaining. Somewhere between the sympathetic soundtrack, the innocent performances 
and the heartfelt realities of life, a strange and original cinematic experience emerges. No film has ever matched this blend since. The graduate opened the 
door to a slew of new films that became a sort of a  new and different genre: 
The Heartbreak Kid & Carnal Knowledge among them.  
 



WEST SIDE STORY 
The classic updated version of Romeo & Juliet told here in New York City,  between two rival gangs of kids from different ethnic backgrounds. This  
film still holds up in every way, shape and form. Cinematography, costumes, dialogue, songs and of course the transformative choreography and music. 
Leonard Bernstein developed this project for well over a decade and to this  
day it is as fresh and relevant as any film about the youth of society today.  Romance, violence, loyalty and the difficulty in crossing over from the folks  
you were born with into the person you are in love with, are just a few of  
the themes touch on here. The song lyrics are so entirely up to date, that  it 
is downright astounding how fresh and relevant this film is. Marijuana,  Cops 
and Detectives, Gangs, Social Workers, Fashion and most of all Love. This film becomes more and more impressive as time goes on. West Side  Story contains performances by natalie Wood, Rita Moreno, Russ Tamblyn, David Winters, 
George Chakiris, Tucker Smith and a cast of outstanding  actors /dancers and 
of course a soundtrack that makes it an utter and  complete classic film that 
will never go out of style. 



[ Tap the titles below to visit links to these great classic youth films ] 




REPO  MAN       SWING  KIDS        THE  GRADUATE       WEST  SIDE  STORY  




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