Raging Bull and Do the Right Thing closely follow Ferris Bueller's Day Off and Pee Wee's Big Adventure?
Sure. I gave up trying to somehow assume a dignified air of complete critical objectivity and mention films that I love that others may not see as great, partially to encourage others to re-examine these films and partially because I just love the hell out of them. Besides, it is the personal choices that make these lists interesting.
In Defense of Ferris Bueller's Day Off:
In addition to being one hell of a funny film,
Ferris Bueller's Day Off is the American Dream of the younger generation realized in a single character: a bright, young kid who can control those in authority over him and live fully without responsibility or consequence. This isn't as interesting as what Hughes does with this idea, however. Instead of turning it into some kind of straightforward comedy of errors, Hughes lets Ferris get away with everything by making a superhero movie. Ferris Bueller is a superhero and his superpower is being able to charm his way out of responsibility.
The world in which this film takes place is not reality, it is not the world as seen through Ferris Bueller's eyes; it is the world as it revolves around Ferris Buller. Ferris's family, friends, schoolmates and indeed the whole city of Chicago are stuck giving in to the boy's charm and helping him on his path to self-indulgence. That's what the "Twist and Shout" scene is, Ferris' realization of the extent of his power and utilization of that power to have a good time while the whole city of Chicago dances and cheers him on.
At the very beginning of the film, Hughes sets up this "other-world" by having Ferris interact with the viewer by talking directly into the camera. This is not just a cute, novel device that the filmmaker thought would be cool to use. The fact that Ferris Bueller does this sets up the facts that, A) this is just a movie and the main character knows it, B) because Ferris Bueller can control the very camera that films him, perhaps he can control any and everything else that comes his way and can use it as a situation for self-indulgence and fun, and C) because the film takes place outside of reality it is then removed from any moral responsibility to disclaimer Ferris' actions and attitudes.
Ferris Bueller's Day Off is a great film and those are a few of my reasons for thinking so. I didn't even hit on more technical aspects such as Hughes' use of music (particularly music from other films) or Jeffrey Jones' brilliant comic performance as Ed Rooney. Taken simply as a comedy, I think
Ferris Bueller works to great effect. But if viewed as a great film, I believe
Ferris Bueller has as much to offer as any film on that list. That is why I placed it at number four.
A Brief Defense of Pee-Wee's Big Adventure:
This same mode of examination and analysis can be used to observe
Pee-Wee's Big Adventure, which manages to hit on the simulacrum of Hollywood storytelling and its relationship to boring, everyday life without losing any of Burton's style or love of bizarre detail.
Pee-Wee's Big Adventure, like
Ferris Bueller's Day Off, has a keen realization of its own "movieness" and decides to play with the conventions of film for comedic effect and cultural observation. Ending the film by making Pee-Wee's adventure into a Hollywood action film with James Brolin as Pee-Wee and Morgan Fairchild as Dottie was one of the more clever attacks on Hollywood's reinterpretation of reality (even reality as far-removed from
reality as that of Pee-Wee's adventure).
"Let's take a breather Dottie, the X1 needs to cool down."
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Of course, lengthy essays could be written about each film on that list, not just the ones generally considered to be complex or critically acceptable to call
great films. As Gamblor mentioned earlier in the thread, comedy became a viable part of the 80's cinematic experience and I think a list of the greatest films of the 1980's without mentioning at least a couple of comedies would be lacking. I chose those two films (as well as eight others) to sit above
Raging Bull and
Do the Right Thing for any number of reasons. But their greatness is assured and (as Losing the Horse brought up) generally unquestioned. I questioned their greatness and still found them to be great films, but there were other films I wanted to spend more time and energy emphasising.
