1980s films and music videos referenced the 1930s
When viewing today’s Mid-Week Match-Up, you may wonder what 1930s movies we’ve taken screen shots from, or which Busby Berkeley musicals have influenced this post. Believe it or not, all of the images above are from the 1980s! Perhaps it was the throwback to Art Deco (also called ’80s Deco) that sparked a revival of Hollywood-esque glitz and glam in the 1980s, or maybe the decade of decadence sent designers in search of past displays of excess. Whatever the source, we approve!
Get ready for feathers, ruffles, potted palms and tile floors. Today’s post is a sign of things to come. Over the next few of weeks, Mirror80 will be spotlighting the ’80s fascination with the ’30s, from graphic design to fashion to interior design. Are you a fan of the Hollywood Regency style, first popular in the 1930s (hello lacquer and mirrors)?! Thanks to today’s interior designers, such as Kelly Wearstler and Jonathan Adler, the style is back big time. And Mirror80 thinks 1980s furniture, artwork and home decor accessories fit right in. We’ll show you how! Stay tuned for more exciting interior design posts…
But for today, we’ll end by crediting the screen shots above. We begin at the top left and head clockwise: The music video for “Is It Love” by Mr. Mister (1986), The Great Muppet Caper (1981), the music video for “Always Something There to Remind Me” by Naked Eyes (1983), The Great Muppet Caper, the video for “Always Something There to Remind Me,” and the video for “Is It Love.”
Enjoy, and have a sparkly day!
Another great video with 1930's/40's art deco influence is The Motels Only the Lonely. In fact, the entire stable of videos directed by Russell Mulcahy in the early 80's were throwbacks to that time period. His videos also made popular the images of billowing curtains, wine glasses spilling in slow motion onto satin tablecloths or bedspreads, hazy gauze-filtered photography, tables being overturned and their contents spilling in slow motion, and lots of use of venetian blinds casting shadows over faces. the Hungry Like the Wolf video by Duran Duran also has lots of these elements, but Only the Lonely, in my opinion stands out as one of the most visually striking.
Wow–thanks for your wonderful comment, John, and my apologies for the slow reply! I love that you mentioned so many wonderful '80s music video images and conventions. It makes me want to overturn a table later, just for fun! Thanks also for calling my attention to the Motels video, which I hadn't watched in years. You're absolutely right about its '30s influences. Cheers!