LibGuides: COMM 220: Introduction to Film: Teen / High School

Classic Teen & High School Films on DVD

What characteristics define the Teen Film? Visit the “Film Genres” page on the American Movie Classics (AMC) web site to find out! Can't decide which teen film is your favorite? Entertainment Weekly magazine sorts it all out in this annotated list of the "50 Best High School Movies."

Rebel Without a Cause by Ray, Nicholas.
Call Number: PN 1997 .R4 R283 1999
ISBN: B0007US7EE
Publication Date: Produced 1955; DVD released 1999
To Sir With Love by Clavell, James.
Call Number: LA 639 .L8 B7 2004
ISBN: B00003L9C1
Publication Date: Produced 1966; DVD released 2004
In this adaptation of the autobiographical novel by E.R. Braithwaite, a new teacher is faced with handling rowdy working-class punks in his classroom. Set in the East End section of London, Sidney Poitier gives a memorable performance in a story that explores racial and class conflict in the 1960s.
Outsiders by Coppola, Francis Ford.
Call Number: PS 3558 .I6 0977 2008
ISBN: B001BGS16W
Publication Date: Produced 1983; DVD released 2008
Even though this film is a period piece based on the 1967 novel by S.E. Hinton, its themes are timeless. Two rival cliques -- one rich and entitled, the other poor and without much hope for the future -- can't find a way to avoid conflict. Someone will inevitably come to a violent end, but how will the surviving friends live with what they've done? This film turned its cast of hunky young actors into stars, some of whom ended up being labeled the "Brat Pack."
Breakfast Club by Hughes, John.
Call Number: PN 1995.9 .T44 B7 2008
ISBN: B00RJXKUVA
Publication Date: Produced 1985; DVD released 2008
Can a rebel, princess, outcast, geek, and jock tolerate each other long enough to get through Saturday detention? The staying power of this John Hughes classic, starring Molly Ringwald, is exemplified by the scenes in "Pitch Perfect" (released in 2012) that refer to both its characters and soundtrack. "Don't you forget about me" -- even if we wanted to, we can't.
Stand By Me by Reiner, Rob.
Call Number: PS 3561 .I483 S72 2000
ISBN: B00003CXIP
Publication Date: Produced 1986; DVD released 2000
Based on a novella by Stephen King and directed by Rob Reiner, this heartwarming story captures that fleeting moment when the carefree fun of childhood starts to fade away, only to be replaced by the more rigid societal boundaries of adulthood. The four buddies sense that this will be the last summer they'll be allowed to just hang out -- soon college prep classes, part-time jobs and parental expectations will start closing in. Will they remain friends? The ending is all the more poignant because we know that Corey Feldman went on to have even more problems in real life than his character did in the movie, and River Phoenix is no longer with us.
Heathers by Lehmann, Michael.
Call Number: PN 1995.9 .G57 H4 2011
ISBN: B0053TWVQ4
Publication Date: Produced 1988; DVD released 2011
Dead Poets Society by Weir, Peter.
Call Number: PN 1997 .D4137 2006
ISBN: B00004CXPT
Publication Date: Produced 1989; DVD released 2006
Young men at a stuffy all-boys boarding school are inspired by a new teacher to "seize the day," and break from tradition to pursue their passions. Robin Williams poured his manic energy into playing Mr. Keating, whose unorthodox teaching methods include standing on top of his desk -- and having his students do the same -- to see a different perspective. But will they cave in to parental pressure to conform, or become the free thinkers Mr. Keating hopes they will be?
Say Anything by Crowe, Cameron.
Call Number: PN 1995.9 .L6 S29 2009
ISBN: B002JOUNE8
Publication Date: Produced 1989; DVD released 2009
Clueless by Heckerling, Amy.
Call Number: PR 4034 .E44 H42 2006
ISBN: B01M9B4FDS
Publication Date: Produced 1995; DVD released 2006

Now Streaming: Films on Demand

Since the invention of the soundtrack, filmmakers have used music to set the mood, both with the score and by including songs that were popular in the era depicted by the film. It's no surprise that movies about teenagers would do the same, pairing themes like rebellion with rock 'n' roll, or first love with romantic ballads. Songs from a film often become more popular than the movie itself. Here are a few examples of films whose musical selections were the highlight of the production.

Grease -- Adapted from the Broadway play, this 1978 blockbuster pre-dated the High School Musical franchise by nearly 40 years, but the themes are the same: boy meets girl, and high jinks ensue. Fans didn't care that star John Travolta (playing a high school senior) was actually 23 years old, and love interest Olivia Newton-John was even older.

Hard Days Night -- This classic Beatles "mockumentary" features the Fab Four being chased around London by adoring fans, when all they want to do is have a little fun sightseeing, before making a television appearance.

Jailhouse Rock -- This 1957 musical established Elvis Presley as a bona fide Hollywood star, but the movie's longevity was surpassed by that of its title song. You can see John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd performing it at the end of The Blues Brothers, released in 1980.

Rock 'n' Roll High School -- A teen comedy featuring punk rock from the Ramones.

Saturday Night Fever -- Disco hits the big screen in this dance movie starring John Travolta, and featuring six songs by the Bee Gees. Both the film and soundtrack album were wildly popular, but constant radio airplay ultimately incited the "Death to Disco" backlash, complete with angry mobs smashing and burning vinyl disco records.

Teen beach films -- Most Americans don't live near a beach, but these B-movies concocted for drive-in theaters in the 1960s -- featuring cool guys and perky girls in swimsuits -- made them wish they did. Why else would there be so many songs about surfing?

Genre-Related Books

Life Moves Pretty Fast: Lessons We Learned From Eighties Movies by Freeman, Hadley.
Call Number: PN 1993.5 .U6 F75 2016
ISBN: 9781501130458
Publication Date: 2016
In this book, author Hadley Freeman puts her obsessive movie geekery to good use, detailing the decade’s key players, genres, and tropes. She looks back on a cinematic world in which bankers are invariably evil, where children are always wiser than adults, where science is embraced with an intense enthusiasm, and the future viewed with giddy excitement. The book also considers how the differences between movies then and movies today say so much about society’s changing expectations of women, young people, and art -- and explains why "Pretty in Pink" should be put on school syllabuses immediately.
John Hughes: A Life in Film by Honeycutt, Kirk.
Call Number: PN 1998.3 .H84 H66 2015
ISBN: 9781631060229
Publication Date: 2015
He allegedly wrote "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" in four days, "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" in three days, "The Breakfast Club" in two days, and "Vacation" in a week. He never went to film school or studied cinema, and he spent most of his incredible career in the Midwest, far from the Hollywood Hills. John Hughes was indeed one of the most prolific and successful filmmakers in Hollywood history. He helped launch the careers of Andrew McCarthy, Molly Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall, Macaulay Culkin, and Judd Nelson. He made John Candy a household name. In this first illustrated tribute to the legendary filmmaker, author Kirk Honeycutt offers a behind-the-scenes look at the genius that was John Hughes -- from his humble beginnings in direct mail to his blockbuster success with classics like "Pretty in Pink," "Sixteen Candles," "Weird Science," and "Home Alone." Honeycutt also explores the darker side of John Hughes: his extreme sensitivity, his stormy professional relationships, and the devastation Hughes experienced after the death of his closest friend, John Candy. This is the must-read for fans of John Hughes.
Bullies and Mean Girls in Popular Culture by Oppliger, Patrice.
Call Number: P 96 .B85 O66 2013
ISBN: 9780786468652
Publication Date: 2013
This book addresses media role models in television, film, picture books, and the Internet in the realm of bullying and relational aggression. It highlights portrayals with unproductive strategies that lead to poor resolutions or no resolution at all. Young viewers may learn ineffective, even dangerous, ways of handling aggressive situations. Victims may feel discouraged when they are unable to handle the situation as easily as in media portrayals. They may also feel their experiences are trivialized by comic portrayals. Entertainment programming, aimed particularly at adolescents, often portrays adults as incompetent or uncaring, and include mean-spirited teasing. In addition, overuse of the term 'bully,' and defining all bad behavior as 'bullying,' may dilute the term and trivialize the problem.
You Couldn't Ignore Me If You Tried by Gora, Susannah.
Call Number: PN 1998.3 .H84 G67 2010
ISBN: 9780307408433
Publication Date: 2010
The films of the Brat Pack -- from "Sixteen Candles" to "Say Anything" -- are some of the most watched, best-selling DVDs of all time. The landscape that the Brat Pack memorialized -- where outcasts and prom queens fall in love, preppies and burn-outs become buds, and frosted lip gloss, skinny ties, and exuberant optimism made us feel invincible -- is rich with cultural themes and significance, and has influenced an entire generation who still believe that life always turns out the way it is supposed to. This book takes us back to that era, interviewing key players, such as Molly Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall, Ally Sheedy, Judd Nelson, Andrew McCarthy, and John Cusack, and mines all the material from the movies to the music to the way the films were made, to show how they helped shape our visions for romance, friendship, society, and success.