A legend died Thursday in New York. 59 year-old writer and film director John Hughes suffered a heart attack while he was taking a walk in Manhattan. You can read the report here.
Hughes was in many ways the voice of teen consciousness during the 1980s. His movies include the modern classics of Sixteen Candles, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, and The Breakfast Club. During the early 90s he went on to direct more family oriented movies like Home Alone and Uncle Buck. Other classic Hughes’ movies you might remember: National Lampoon’s Vacation, Weird Science, Pretty in Pink, and Planes, Trains, and Automobiles.
It’s baffling to think that so many of the movies that I grew up loving came from one man! I mean how many awesome movies can one guy make? He was truly brilliant.
He had a profound understanding of the reality of the law to boot. His movies gave voice to the teenager’s struggle under expectations. The Breakfast Club alone tackled the pressures of teen relationships, parents, coaches, grades, college, reputations, etc. It showed that all of us, though different, are dealing with the same pressure. The universality of the Law comes in loud and clear. It manifests in different ways, but it leaves us all desperate for grace, acceptance, understanding, friendship…in short, love. If you haven’t seen The Breakfast Club, you simply must go out and rent it tonight! Or rent any of his movies. I promise you’ll enjoy ’em.
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COMMENTS
4 responses to “Director John Hughes has Died”
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Wow, that is a real loss. Thank you for sharing, Sean – I couldn't agree with you more. Ever since Hughes wandered off into the sunset in the mid-90s, I've wondered what was going on, what he's been up to, why he just walked away and stopped giving interviews or directing movies. Maybe he just knew when to call it quits? who knows…
Off the top of my head, the relationship in Uncle Buck between John Candy and Juliette Lewis always struck me as rather Gospel-ish… And since everyone seems pumped about Creation right now, let us never forget the creation scene in Weird Science. It is etched into my brain forever.
Definitely! I love Uncle Buck. We had a copy of that on LaserDisc – super hi-tech:)
Weird Science was one of my favorite punerty period movies for obvious reasons.
Another scene of his that love is from Ferris Beuller's Day Off when Cameron is in catatonic shock by the pool and falls in. It's almost a baptism scene because after that moment Cameron begins to express himself more (he kills the car).
I smell a Mbird at the movies post about Ferris coming…
That was supposed to read "puberty period movies".
Thanks for your words about our universal need for grace and the way that truth is expressed in The Breakfast Club, one of the finest films ever made.