Richard Along Long brings us his look at Mark L.Lester's Class Of 1984. Initially dismissed as just another exploitation film, Class Of 1984 is so much more, it's about the consequences of what happens when you push someone too far. Richard has sent along his review for this gem of a movie. Please check it out after the jump....
Andy
Norris (Perry King) starts work as a music teacher in a busy city
school. It doesn’t take long before he realizes the school system
is falling apart and that Peter Stegman (Timothy Van Patten) and his
gang are far more in control of what happens within the school’s
graffiti covered walls than the staff.
Inspired
by 1955’s Blackboard Jungle, another controversial movie of its
day, Class of 1984 is a dark power house of a movie that doesn’t
hold back.
As
Andy Norris tries to turn his music class around, and stop the
criminal activities taking place in the school, he is thwarted at
every step by Stegman, who pushes his drugs operation and takes down
everyone who gets in his way.
At
the time the film was released it seemed crazy to have security
guards, weapon checks and CCTV in schools. However, it’s a
prediction Lester made in 1982 that has sadly come true and is a
common sight in inner city American schools today.
Stegman’s
gang is a five piece punk manifesto, with Drugstore (played
fantastically by Stefan Arngrim) being the awkward, heroin addict,
dealer who seems to add to Stegman’s psychosis. Then we have
Fallon (Neil Clifford) and Barnyard (Keith Knight) who are the
heavies – Fallon with his chain and Barnyard with his overpowering
hulking size. Lastly we have Patsy (Lisa Langlois), a lost cause
that clings to Stegman’s arm and adds the venom and bitterness to
all her leaders’ remarks. All are scary and threatening, however
Stegman is the most psychotic, constantly losing his temper and
always being the anarchistic spokesperson for the group.
Mr
Norris takes verbal and physical abuse from the gang, despite
thinking Stegman is a hidden genius, after witnessing him play a
piano concerto skilfully and with intense passion. At every step
Stegman mocks Norris, plays against him and finally in some shocking
moments pushes the teacher over the edge to a climax were you can
expect some shocking and disturbing scenes.
What
is interesting is the relationship between Norris and Stegman. By
today’s standards we’d expect Stegman to be a tortured artist,
crying out for help, and whilst we get glimmers into his home life,
and the way he speaks lovingly and childlike to his mother, we are
constantly reminded
that this kid is evil to the core.
Expect
some heavy stuff with Class of 1984, but it’s so much more than an
exploitation movie. Many gang films that came after this missed the
heart of the movie, relying more on violence than story.
What
is beautiful in this movie is the tenderness of the friendship that
develops between Norris and Biology teacher Terry Corrigan (Roddy
McDowall). Terry is an alcoholic that has no respect from his
students. In Norris he finds friendship and he values his views,
even when he has a complete mental breakdown and resorts to teaching
his class at gunpoint, in a scene that took two days to film.
My
heart absolutely ached for Corrigan and his suffering. The acting
between King and McDowall is stunning and moving. During one scene
away from the school, in what should be a happy occasion, Corrigan is
in tears, questioning his life and is consoled by Norris in what is a
moving and upsetting scene, far more than any of the on screen
violence. McDowall had a quality as an actor to show and move the
audience with real heartfelt emotion whether it is here or as the
cowardly vampire hunter in Fright Night, the calculated bad guy Dr.
Peterson in Hart to Hart or in his tender portrayal of Cornelius in
Planet of the Apes. I have spoken to Stefan Arngrim (Drugstore)
several times about this movie and he told me McDowall was a great
person to work with, friendly and supportive to the younger cast
members.
This
is easily in my ten top favourite films ever made, Mark Lester saw a
vision of what was to come and portrayed it vividly. The direction
is stunning, the film has a fast pace but doesn’t rush over
anything. The acting is top notch and the opening theme by Alice
Cooper set the mood nicely for what’s to come. Also noted is a
young Michael J Fox who played bullied basin haired kid, Arthur, in
the movie way before Back to the Future or Teen Wolf.
It’s
very good at keeping you on the edge of your seat and feeling
everything that Andy Norris is going through from the insane gang to
the lacking headmaster. The film spirals into what is a frightening
climax which I won’t spoil for those that haven’t seen it.
A
fascinating fact about Class of 1984 is that when the film was
released in the UK, on the Thorn EMI label on VHS, it had been cut.
However, upon viewing the film when it was released on DVD by the
Mosaic Entertainment label in the 2000’s, not only was the violence
restored uncut, but scenes were filmed differently with more nudity
and violence. I now know that back in the eighties Lester had filmed
scenes differently so he could get a lower rating.
I
love Class of 1984, for what it is, it’s a perfect film. It’s
the story of a normal man who stands up for his beliefs when everyone
else is too scared to, a man who takes revenge and vengeance to a
level of understanding when nothing else will work.
Enjoy
Class of 1984, it’s an eye opener and during a time when many great
films came out in the 80’s I think this hidden gem is one of the
best.
Written by Richard Alan Long
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