What’s with the sudden interest in 70s and 80s inspired films and TV shows?
Recently, there has been a significant amount of mid-to-late 20th Century-inspired media being produced, notably Netflix’s critically acclaimed series Stranger Things and The Get Down. However, there are some that believe that rather than this being a genuine interest or appreciation of the 70s-80s era, it’s simply Netflix (and other production companies) capitalising on audiences’ nostalgia. But is this actually a problem?
"If the audiences watching nostalgia media don’t know any better, then it could create a collective misunderstanding of what past eras were like."
Of course, these companies are first and foremost businesses, so naturally making money is one of their main goals - partly so they can create more shows and films. What’s most interesting about this prominence of nostalgia media is that the majority of the target audience members (the millennial generation) would not have been alive when these shows and films are set/influenced by.
And it isn’t just films and TV shows; video games are also enjoying a retro renaissance, with the continuation of franchises, and remakes. Clearly there is an audience for this nostalgia media, partly due to society’s need to remember the past, though some academics, such as Pickering and Keightley, believe that these created a ‘distorted’ view of times gone by due to ‘rose-tinted viewing’, with the negatives of an era downplayed in favour of the positives. ‘Nostalgia merchants’ such as Netflix therefore may be doing more harm than good if their intention truly it to try and stave off ‘social amnesia’ as they are arguably misrepresenting, for instance, the 1980’s in Stranger Things.
If the audiences watching nostalgia media don’t know any better, then it could create a collective misunderstanding of what past eras were like. However, as long as history classes continue in schools and censorship doesn’t become rampant, I say let businesses create what films and shows they want to make money from. Besides, there are loads of historical documentaries on Netflix to binge, from Roman Empire: Reign of Blood, to Hiroshima, Hitler’s Bodyguard to Althea.
Recent nostalgia media
Stranger Things, Netflix (2016-present); set early ‘80s
Thor: Ragnarok, Marvel (2017); ‘80s aesthetics
Guardians of the Galaxy 1 and 2, Marvel (2014 and 2017); ‘80s music
The Get Down, Netflix (2017); set 1977
Castlevania, Netflix (2017); based off 1989 video game Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse by Konami
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