Another film that we watched was ‘Footloose’ this movie was created about 30 years after ‘Rebel Without A Cause’ Wren is the main character, he has just moved to a small isolated town from the big city. When he arrives he carried on living life as he would as if he was in the city. Other people take offence to the behaviour he is causing and they soon show him how he is supposed to lead his life where they live. In this film there is a lot of contemporary music, we know this because there is a lot of dancing. The characters are represented as rebelling teenagers to do their best to disobey their parents. This film has some very important key scenes, one of which is when Wren and Willard first meet, at first they take the mickey out of each other then the become friends. This is important because this is the most common way that boys will analyze each other in films of this genre. Also another key scene is when they are driving tractors toward each other in a game of chicken there is some non-digetic music playing in the back ground to create tension. Wren gets his shoelace tangled with the accelerate pedal forcing him to drive at speed toward the other tractor.
‘Rebel Without A Cause’ and ‘Footloose’ are very similar, in both of the films a male character comes into an isolated area and rebels against the rules set, parents and the law. The way the boys meet other boys in both films is very macho and testosterone fuelled. A main similarity with in the films is when they are racing/ playing chicken in both films a person is restricted by an item of clothing, which prevents them from escaping the vehicle. In ‘Rebel Without A Cause’ the villain gets trapped in the car door by his sleeve and in ‘Footloose’ Wren gets entangled in the peddle which forces him to keep going not allowing him to brake free. The tension is increased due to the non-digetic sound track, which builds to a dramatic conclusion.
‘The Breakfast Club’ was made in 1985. It is about five high school kids who all have received a Saturday detention in the isolated school library. Mis-en-scence creates a lonely and deserted atmosphere. This film has very contains stereotypical characters: a princess, a criminal, a jock, a brain/nerd and a basket case. All of these characters are the extreme examples of the type of person they are portraying. In this film the characters don’t rebel against their parents although they do rebel against their teacher instead. This film contains mainly non-digetic music, apart from some of the scenes where there music reflects the mood that they are in. When there is some digetic sound all the characters break outs into expressive dance.
I think that ‘The Breakfast Club’ differs quite constabulary to ‘Footloose’ and ‘Rebel Without A Cause’ although there are some similarity such as the two main male characters who have a fight to sort out rank although in this film nether boy decides to dominate the other one as they are equally matched and therefore take a informed decision to stay out of each others way. ‘The Breakfast Club’ is quite different to all the others as there are fewer features in compassion to the original teen movie.
‘Coyote Ugly’ is a modern teen film in the genre about a woman who is following her dreams and aspirations. The mis-en-scence of the first part of the film is quite isolated although the second part of the film is a contrast as is set in the suburbs of busy New York where there are constantly things going on. There are some very obvious themes in this film such as following dreams and aspirations; also there is romance between the two main characters. The music in this film is mainly digetic due to the music in the club where she works or her singing. An important scene in this film is when she applies to become a coyote. This is because who she is as a person when she frustrated and then starts to question why she has not been given the job immediate this shows her determination to be somebody.
This film is very different to the rest of the films, as the main features of the traditional teen movie have been changed to create a more modern and realistic film. The similarities between the films are that they are all trying to make something happen to create a more fun and appealing environment for hem to live in.
In answer to the essay question I think that the teen movie has evolved over the years. The range of films has proved this that we have watch, it shows that the films have changed over time just like teenagers have evolved to become who they are today. If they had not evolved over the years they would of lost the minds of teenagers today.
