Epic films
Definition Film genre defined by its broad
narrative scope and corresponding stylistic
grandeur
Historical epics became a relatively minor genre during
1980’s. The lavish epics of Hollywood’s golden era became
cost-prohibitive, as the major studios shifted their emphasis
from film production to distribution, and independent pro-
duction companies ushered in an era of successful teen-
oriented drama and comedies. Science-fiction epics, how-
ever, proved to be an exception to this trend.
The fate ofHeaven’s Gate(1980), an epic Western set
in nineteenth century Montana, helped convince
Hollywood to abandon the epic genre in the 1980’s.
Directed by Michael Cimino—whose Vietnam War
epic,The Deer Hunter(1978), had been widely ac-
claimed—the film was set during the Johnson
County Wars between cattle barons and poverty-
stricken immigrants. Originally running over five
hours, the film was roundly panned by critics and did
little to recoup its unprecedented $40 million in
costs. The film’s production studio, United Artists,
never recovered financially and was eventually ab-
sorbed by rival Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). After
such a debacle, few Hollywood studios—most of
which were owned by larger companies such as Gulf
& Western and Transamerica Corporation—were
willing to mount expensive productions entailing
such financial risk. Relatively inexpensive teenage
dramas and comedies, as well as more expensive but
more reliable “franchise” action pictures (including
theDie Hard, Rambo, and Indiana Jones films), con-
sistently proved the most successful films financially,
if not always critically, during the decade.
The Science-Fiction Epic The exception to the rule
were the sequels to George Lucas’sStar Wars(1977),
as well as other science-fiction films such asBack
to the Future(1985) andE.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial
(1982), the latter of which was the single most suc-
cessful film of the decade. Lucas’s incredibly success-
ful space epic allowed him to establish his own com-
pany to produce theThe Empire Strikes Back(1980)
andThe Return of the Jedi(1983). The initialStar Wars
trilogy qualifies as epic for its breadth of vision, both
literal and figurative. Lucas’s animation team skil-
fully created a galaxy of exotic creatures and locales.
The narrative, borrowing motifs from the Holly-
wood Western, Japanese samurai films, and arche-
typal myth, follows the rise of prototypical cultural
hero Luke Skywalker from obscurity to triumph, as
he eventually destroys the evil Empire. Adjusted for
inflation, the originalStar Warstrilogy is easily one of
the most financially successful film series of all time.
Moreover, in true epic tradition, their popularity
created a modern mythology: terms such as “hyper-
drive” and “the Force” and characters such as Luke
Skywalker, Princess Leia, Yoda, and Darth Vader
attained global currency.
Some Hollywood films reappraising the Vietnam
War, such as Oliver Stone’sPlatoon(1986) and Stan-
ley Kubrick’sFull Metal Jacket(1987), were loosely la-
beled “epic” by a few critics, but both films were in
fact smaller in scope and more dramatically intimate
than, for instance, Francis Ford Coppola’s mytho-
poetic Vietnam epicApocalypse Now!(1979). Simi-
larly, Martin Scorsese’sThe Last Temptation of Christ
(1988), with Jesus as an unwilling martyr, was not an
epic so much as an ironic inversion of the biblical
epic tradition of Hollywood’s Golden Age.Epics Abroad The historical epic remained alive in
the 1980’s largely through the work of non-American
producers and directors. Great Britain’s Sir Richard
Attenborough produced and directed one of the
most widely celebrated films of the decade, his epic
film biography of Indian nonviolent revolutionary
Mahatma Gandhi.Gandhi(1983) chronicled not
only the life of its individual subject but also his piv-
otal role in bringing about the end of the British co-
lonial system following World War II. The film won
the Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director,
and Best Actor (Ben Kingsley, in the lead role).
A few years later, working with an international
cast and international financing, Italian Bernardo
Bertolucci directedThe Last Emperor(1987). Also an
epic retelling of the end of an imperial system, the
film followed the last emperor’s life from his privi-
leged childhood in the Forbidden City to his final
days as a humble gardener under Communist rule.
The film won nine Academy Awards, including Best
Picture and Best Director. Perhaps the greatest epic
film of the decade was Japanese master Akira Kuro-
sawa’sRan(1985; confusion). A loose retelling of
Shakespeare’sKing Lear(pr. c. 1605-1606),Rantells
a tale of personal and national disintegration in
which the Lear-like lead figure’s inner chaos culmi-
nates in a panoramic battle in which there are no340 Epic films The Eighties in America