3:17PM, Aug 09, 2009
To mark the passing of John Hughes, Sky Movies will be showing a trio of his best movies tonight. The 80s writer/ director died of a heart attack last week at the age of 59.
Although his famous teen films focussed solely on affluent Illinois suburbs, they transcended class (and oceans) to strike a chord with pimply adolescents like no other films were doing.
The Breakfast Club was his Catcher In The Rye, making stars of Emilio Estevez, Ally Sheedy, Anthony Michael Hall, Judd Nelson (despite being ten years too old) and, particularly, Molly Ringwald.
Ringwald was something of a Hughes muse, also starring in Sixteen Candles, and most, famous of all, Pretty In Pink.
Hughes’ other great creation as writer/director was Ferris Bueller, the high-school know-it-all, who should have been insufferable, but as played by Matthew Broderick was a key 80s movie character. Ferris Bueller's Day Off also proved the value of VHS, flopping at the cinema, but going onto rake in mega-bucks at sleepover parties the world over. This would also happen with minor Hughes works Some Kind of Wonderful and the Jennifer Connelly starring One Wild Night.
But, beyond growing pains cinema, as a writer, Hughes was also responsible for The National Lampoon’s movies, Mr Mom, The Great Outdoors, and the masterful Planes, Trains & Automobiles.
You can see three of John Hughes's greatest hits on Sky Movies Modern Greats this Sunday evening.
6.20pm - Sixteen Candles
8pm - Breakfast Club
9.40pm - Ferris Bueller's Day Off
