So Hollywood in the 1980s tells the story of two generations of reconciliation. In "Golden Pond" in 1982, not only did Henry Fonda's grandfather and grandson reach mutual understanding, but also reached mutual forgiveness with his daughter, Jane Fonda, both in the film and in reality. In 1983, the smashing "Star Wars" series also ushered in its final chapter. In this film, the evil father Black Warrior was finally influenced by his son Luke. He sacrificed himself to save his son. .
In 1985, there was also a far-reaching film that showed the reconciliation of two generations in a subtle meaning, and that was "Back to the Future" directed by Robert Zemigis.
Martin originally had a pair of parents who made him unfortunate: his father was weak and incompetent, resolute, and accomplish nothing, while his mother was conservative, rigid, and prosperous. However, all of this changed history through his journey back to 30 years ago, that is, 1955. His father became a man of courage and success, and his mother became enlightened and full of life.
Zemigis once said that he wanted to tell American audiences through this film that the future is not doomed, and that everything can be changed through hard work. As at the beginning of the film, when Martin was ridiculed by his teacher, he vowed to say: "History can be changed."
This effort to rejuvenate from decadence was exactly what US President Reagan tried to do in the 1980s. Reagan’s supporters praised him for invigorating the low morale and frustration Americans faced in 1980. This is indeed what Reagan hoped.
In the theme of the Republican election in 1984, Reagan mentioned that the long night has passed, and it is now "the morning of America"! He wants to arouse people's re-identification of the United States, make the country more united, and tell all Americans that they are about to see a new beginning, an economic and spiritual rebirth!
Rejuvenate and start again, this is the concept advocated by Reagan when he was re-elected as president in 1984. Reagan himself may be a symbol of a person who has recovered from the trauma of the split in the 70s. Don’t forget that poor Reagan was assassinated in 1981. Fortunately, he became the only person in American history who had not been assassinated. The dead president. The assassin was inspired by the movie "Taxi Driver" by Martin Sikoses, a new Hollywood boy, and committed the crime.
Reagan recovered from the trauma, and he stood up again! Reagan believed that the United States, and all Americans, should, like him, recover from the trauma of the 1960s and 1970s, and regain the self-confidence and high spirit of being an American.
How to recover from trauma? In addition to reconciling two generations like "Golden Pond" and "Star Wars 3", another way is to reshape history!
"Back to the Future" was not the only movie to do this in 1985. It was also in 1985 when Stallone returned with his popular masterpiece "First Blood 2". Like "First Blood" in 1982, the hero in the story who recovered from the trauma of the Vietnam War once again showed his power. "First Blood 2" is bolder than the first, because Rambo returned to Vietnam this time, and, this time, he won!
At the beginning of the film, Rambo asked his chief: "Will we win this time?" The answer is yes! If the United States suffered a defeat in the "Vietnam War" in 1975, then in 1985, Rambo won back for the United States on the screen. He single-handedly killed a company of Vietnamese troops and rescued a group of American prisoners of war.
Reagan clapped his hands after watching the film. After the Lebanese terrorists released 39 American hostages, Reagan declared: "I watched "First Blood" last night and I know what to do next time this happens."
Now, let's watch again. Look at the story of "Back to the Future". What does it mean for Martin to travel from 1985 to 1955? In my opinion, this crossing means an erasure, which will be discarded from 1985 to 1955 in the 60s and 70s, and what remains is the dialogue between the two eras.
What era is 1955? It was "Eisenhower's dormancy", from the armistice of North Korea in 1953 to 1957. This is an era most missed by the older generation of Americans. The Great Depression has ended, the US economy has developed rapidly, and life has become increasingly prosperous. More importantly, the civil rights movement and youth culture have not yet begun.
Even the young youths who later carried out the revolution were full of longing for this era, such as George Lucas's "American Style Painting". This Coppola’s little buddy, in this youth film, rarely put more warmth and warmth, there is no fierce confrontation, no angry shouts, only a night of partying between young men and women, and after the revelry A touch of sadness: Because it was 1962, Eisenhower's re-election ended, and the Vietnam War began. At the end of the film, Lucas used subtitles to tell the audience the future of those youths, one of whom died in the Vietnam War.
Therefore, for Americans, the mid-1950s was the last "golden age" in the United States, and there will be only confrontation and trauma in the following days. In the 1980s, Reagan wanted to regain this glory.
In "Back to the Future", Reagan's dialogue with 1955 has always existed. When Martin traveled back to 1955, he saw a Western movie "Cattle Queen of Montana" (Cattle Queen of Montana, 1954) starring Reagan being shown in the movie theater in the center of the town. When Martin found Dr. Brown, Dr. Brown’s first question was: "If you come from 1985, then tell me who was the president at that time?" Martin replied that it was Reagan. Dr. Brown said that actors can also be presidents?
From the perspective of the story, Martin and his parents are undoubtedly in a state of division and trauma at the beginning of the film. Martin witnessed his father being bullied. The cowardly, middle-aged man who couldn't lift his head was a generation that grew up in the 60s and 70s.
But when Martin came to the United States in 1955, which was still in the "golden age", he changed his parents so that they would not make the mistakes of the 60s and 70s, when Martin returned to 1985 again , The magical reconciliation and brilliance appeared! Martin's family became prominent, Martin's parents became empathetic, and Martin's father restored his self-confidence and dignity, which belonged to the Americans.
This is not an excessive interpretation of the director's intentions. Because it was the same director, Robert Zemigis, who made another film "Forrest Gump" in 1994 that was left behind by liberal intellectuals. This time, without even having to resort to crossing, the director asked Forrest to restore America's traumatic history.
Forrest Gump experienced the Vietnam War, the Civil Rights Movement, and the Watergate Incident. But A-Gump has always believed in the values espoused by his mother, the older generation of Americans, and insisted on this worldview to the end. Relying on this kind of values, A-Gump succeeded. He influenced the Vietnam War veteran who had his legs broken, and also touched Jenny.
He always loved the rebellious Jenny, and Jenny, after experiencing the hustle and bustle and confrontation of the 1960s and 1970s, was finally influenced by Forrest Gump, and reached with the society and the middle-class values of family ethics. Reconciliation (in the end they established their own family).
Published in 1986, this satirical novel used to mock Reagan's so-called American spirit is full of warmth and emotion under Zemigis's treatment. The trauma of history was truly repaired at this moment. All of us viewers, with Agan’s kind eyes, reviewed the 60s and 70s, and reconciled with the United States, with God, and with the spirit of the United States.
(PS: Finally, I still have a feeling. I always feel that the villain Biff in "Back to the Future" looks very similar to Nixon. This person is believed to have caused the division and the collapse of belief in the United States in the 1960s and 1970s. .Of course, this is what I feel, and it has no basis.)
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