User:Wildroot/Back to the Future

{{otheruses4|the first film in the Back to the Future trilogy|information on the series|Back to the Future (series)}} {{Infobox Film | name = Back to the Future | image = Back to the future.jpg | caption = Theatrical poster by [[Drew Struzan]] | director = [[Robert Zemeckis]] | producer = [[Neil Canton]] [[Bob Gale]] '''[[Executive producer]]s:''' [[Steven Spielberg]] [[Kathleen Kennedy (film producer)|Kathleen Kennedy]] [[Frank Marshall (film producer)|Frank Marshall]] | writer = Bob Gale Robert Zemeckis | starring = [[Michael J. Fox]] [[Christopher Lloyd]] [[Crispin Glover]] [[Lea Thompson]] [[Thomas F. Wilson]] | music = [[Alan Silvestri]] | cinematography = [[Dean Cundey]] | editing = Harry Keramidas [[Arthur Schmidt]] | studio = [[Universal Studios|Universal Pictures]] [[Amblin Entertainment]] U-Drive Productions | distributor = '''United States:''' Universal Pictures '''Foreign:''' [[United International Pictures]] | released = July 3, 1985 | runtime = 116 minutes | country = United States | language = English | budget = [[United States dollar|$]]19 million | gross = $381.11 million | followed_by = ''[[Back to the Future Part II]]'' }} '''''Back to the Future''''' is a [[1985 in film|1985]] [[science fiction film|science fiction]] [[adventure film]] directed by [[Robert Zemeckis]], co-written by [[Bob Gale]] and produced by [[Steven Spielberg]]. The film stars [[Michael J. Fox]] as [[Marty McFly]], as well as [[Christopher Lloyd]], [[Crispin Glover]], [[Lea Thompson]] and [[Thomas F. Wilson]]. ''Back to the Future'' tells the story of Marty McFly, a teenager who is accidentally sent back in time from 1985 to 1955. He meets his parents in high school, accidentally attracting his mother's romantic interest. Marty must repair the damage to history by causing his parents to fall in love, while finding a way to return to 1985. Zemeckis and Gale wrote the script after Gale mused upon whether he would have befriended his father if they attended school together. Various film studios rejected the script until the [[box office]] success of Zemeckis' ''[[Romancing the Stone]]'', and the project was set up at [[Universal Studios|Universal Pictures]] with Spielberg as [[executive producer]]. [[Eric Stoltz]] was originally cast as Marty McFly when Michael J. Fox declined as he was busy filming the TV series ''[[Family Ties]]'', but during filming Stoltz and the filmmakers decided Stoltz was miscast so they asked Fox again and he managed to work out a timetable so he gave enough time and commitment to both: the subsequent recasting meant the crew had to race through reshoots and post-production to complete the film for its July 3, 1985 release date. When released, it became the most successful film of the year, grossing more than $380 million worldwide and receiving critical acclaim. It won the [[Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation]] and the [[Saturn Award for Best Science Fiction Film]], as well as [[Academy Award]], [[British Academy of Film and Television Arts|BAFTA]] and [[Golden Globe Award|Golden Globe]] nominations. [[Ronald Reagan]] even quoted the film in the 1986 [[State of the Union Address]], and in 2007, the [[Library of Congress]] selected it for preservation in the [[National Film Registry]]. It marked the beginning of a [[Back to the Future trilogy|franchise]], with ''[[Back to the Future Part II]]'' and ''[[Back to the Future Part III]]'' released back-to-back in 1989 and 1990, as well as an [[Back to the Future: The Animated Series|animated series]] and [[Back to the Future: The Ride|theme park ride]]. ==Plot== Marty McFly is a 17-year-old living in [[Hill Valley (Back to the Future)|Hill Valley]], [[California]]. On the morning of Friday, October 25, 1985, his eccentric friend, scientist [[Emmett Brown|Dr. Emmett "Doc" Brown]] (Lloyd), calls him, asking to meet at 1:15am the following morning at [[Hill Valley (Back to the Future)#Twin Pines Mall|Twin Pines Mall]]. Upon arriving home from school, Marty finds the family car wrecked in the driveway, ruining his plans to spend the weekend with his girlfriend [[Jennifer Parker|Jennifer]] ([[Claudia Wells]]). Inside the house, he finds his meek, nerdy father, [[George McFly|George]] (Crispin Glover), being bullied by his supervisor [[Biff Tannen]] (Thomas F. Wilson), who had borrowed and wrecked the car. At dinner that night, Marty's mother [[Lorraine Baines McFly|Lorraine]] (Lea Thompson) recounts how she and George first met when her father hit George with his car as George was "bird-watching". [[File:McFly House.jpg|thumb|left|The McFly house]] That night, Marty meets Doc as planned in the parking lot of Twin Pines Mall. Doc presents a [[DeLorean DMC-12]] which he has modified into a [[DeLorean time machine|time machine]]. As Marty [[videotape]]s, Doc explains the car travels to a programmed date and time upon reaching 88 miles per hour using [[plutonium]] in a [[nuclear reaction]] to generate the 1.21 [[gigawatts]] of power it requires. Demonstrating how to program the machine, Doc enters in November 5, 1955 as the target date, explaining that it was the day he conceived the idea of the flux capacitor; the device which "makes time travel possible." Before Doc can depart for his planned trip into the  future, a group of [[Libya]]n [[terrorism|terrorists]], from whom he stole the plutonium, arrive in a [[Volkswagen Bus|Volkswagen bus]] and murder him. Marty jumps into the DeLorean and is pursued by the Libyans until he accelerates to 88 miles per hour and is inadvertently transported back in time to 1955. The car's starter fails shortly thereafter; Marty hides it, and makes his way into town on foot. He finds that the [[town square]] now reflects the [[popular culture]] of the 1950s, and that the clock tower which was destroyed sometime in ''his'' past is once again functioning. Marty runs into his own father, then a teenager, being tyrannized just as he was in 1985 by Biff, then the school [[bullying|bully]]. Marty follows George (who turns out to be a [[voyeurism|peeping tom]], not a [[ornithologist|birdwatcher]]) as he is about to be hit by a car; Marty pushes George out of the way and takes the impact. The car turns out to be driven by Lorraine's father, resulting in Lorraine becoming [[infatuation|infatuated]] with Marty instead of George. Marty is disturbed by her flirtations, which contrast sharply with the [[prude|prudish]] mother he is familiar with. He flees from her home to find Doc Brown. [[File:Ca Universal DeLorean.jpg|thumb|right|DeLorean]] Doc initially believes that Marty is a lunatic, but he convinces Doc by recounting the story of how Doc got the inspiration for the flux capacitor, and then by showing Doc the videotape of the 1985 experiment. However, when he hears his older self describe the power requirements for time travel, Doc is shocked. He tells Marty that aside from plutonium, the only possible source of that much power is a bolt of [[lightning]], which cannot be predicted. Marty remembers that the lightning strike at the clock tower will occur the following Saturday (November 12, 1955) at 10:04pm. As a result, Doc begins planning a way to harness the bolt's power. Doc also deduces that Marty, by saving his father from the car, has prevented his parents from meeting, and instructs him to set things right. After several failed attempts at playing matchmaker, Marty eventually works out a plan to have George appear to rescue Lorraine from Marty's overt sexual advances on the night of a school dance, so he can leave to make his return to 1985. However, Biff shows up unexpectedly and orders his friends to lock Marty in a car trunk. Heavily intoxicated, Biff jumps into the car and attempts to force himself on the horrified Lorraine. George arrives as he and Marty have planned and is shocked to find Biff instead of Marty. Biff orders him to turn around and walk away, but George cannot bring himself to ignore Lorraine's pleas for help. When Biff pins his arm behind his back and laughs as he knocks away Lorraine who tries to defend him, George finally snaps and knocks out his tormentor with a single punch. A smitten Lorraine follows George to the dance floor, where they kiss for the first time, ensuring Marty's existence. Doc, meanwhile, has used cables to connect the clock tower's antenna to two lampposts, which he plans to have Marty drive under in the DeLorean, now sporting a [[lightning rod]], the moment the lightning strikes. Before Marty can leave, Doc finds a letter in his coat pocket that Marty has written, warning him about his future murder. Doc indignantly tears up the letter without reading it, describing the dangers of altering the future. Marty instead adjusts the time machine to take him back to 1985, the parallel year, ten minutes earlier than he left, giving him time to warn Doc. Upon his return to the future, however, the car stalls and Marty arrives at the mall too late to save Doc. As Marty begins crying behind his friend's body, Doc wakes up and opens his [[NBC suit|radiation suit]] to reveal a [[ballistic vest|bulletproof vest]]. He shows Marty the letter he had written, taped back together. When asked about his belief in not altering the future, Doc replies, "I figured, what the hell?" The next morning, Marty finds his family has been changed for the better. Most notably, Lorraine is physically fit and is no longer prudish, and George has become a self-confident novelist who confidently confronts a servile Biff. Just as Jennifer and Marty reunite, Doc arrives, insisting frantically that he has visited the future and that they must go back with him to work out a problem concerning their future children. The three take off into the sky in a newly upgraded DeLorean that can fly, and disappear into the future. ==Development== ===Writing=== Writer and producer Bob Gale conceived the idea after he visited his parents in [[St. Louis, Missouri]] after the release of ''[[Used Cars]]''. Searching their basement, Gale found his father's high school yearbook and discovered he was president of his graduation class. Gale thought about the president of his own graduating class, who was someone he had nothing to do with.<ref name=makingof/> Gale wondered whether he would have been friends with his father if they went to high school together. When he returned to California, he told Robert Zemeckis his new concept.<ref name=first>{{cite book | author= Michael Klastornin; Sally Hibbin | title = Back To The Future: The Official Book Of The Complete Movie Trilogy | location = London | publisher = [[Hamlyn (publishers)|Hamlyn]] | year = 1990 | pages = 1–10 | isbn = 0-600-571041}}</ref> Zemeckis subsequently thought of a mother claiming she never kissed a boy at school, when in reality she was highly promiscuous.<ref name=freer>{{cite news|author=[[Ian Freer]]|title=The making of Back to the Future|work=[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]]|date=January 2003|pages=183–187}}</ref> The two took the project to [[Columbia Pictures]], and made a development deal for a script in September 1980.<ref name=first/> Zemeckis and Gale set the story in 1955 because mathematically, a 17-year old traveling to meet his parents at the same age meant traveling to that decade. The era also marked the birth of [[rock n' roll]] and [[suburb]] expansion, which would flavor the story.<ref>Klastornin, Hibbin, p.61-70</ref> Originally, Marty was a [[Copyright infringement|video pirate]], the time machine was a refrigerator, and he needed to use the power of an atomic explosion at the [[Nevada Test Site]] to return home. Zemeckis was "concerned that kids would accidentally lock themselves in refrigerators", and the original climax was deemed too expensive. The [[DeLorean time machine]] was chosen because its design made the gag about the family of farmers mistaking it for a [[flying saucer]] believable. The writers found making Marty's friendship with Doc Brown believable difficult before they created the giant guitar amplifier, and only resolved his [[Oedipus complex|Oedipal]] relationship with his mother when they wrote the line "It's like I'm kissing my brother." Biff Tannen was named after Universal executive [[Ned Tanen]], who behaved aggressively towards Zemeckis and Gale during a script meeting for ''[[I Wanna Hold Your Hand (film)|I Wanna Hold Your Hand]]''.<ref name=freer/> The first draft of ''Back to the Future'' was finished in February 1981. Columbia Pictures put the film in [[turnaround (filmmaking)|turnaround]]. "They thought it was a really nice, cute, warm film, but not sexual enough," Gale said. "They suggested that we take it to [[Walt Disney Pictures|Disney]], but we decided to see if any other of the major studios wanted a piece of us."<ref name=first/> Every [[major film studio]] rejected the script for the next four years, while ''Back to the Future'' went through two more drafts. During the early 1980s, popular teen comedies (such as ''[[Fast Times at Ridgemont High]]'' and ''[[Porky's]]'') were risqué and adult-aimed, so the script was commonly rejected for being too light.<ref name=freer/> Gale and Zemeckis finally decided to pitch ''Back to the Future'' to Disney. "They told us that a mother falling in love with her son was not appropriate for a [[family film]] under the Disney banner," Gale said.<ref name=first/> The two were tempted to ally themselves with Steven Spielberg, who produced ''Used Cars'' and ''I Wanna Hold Your Hand'', which both flopped. Spielberg was initially absent from the project because Zemeckis felt if he produced another flop under him, he would never be able to make another film. Gale said "we were afraid that we would get the reputation that we were two guys who could only get a job because we were pals with Steven Spielberg."<ref name=storm/> One producer was interested, but changed his mind when he learned Spielberg was not involved. Zemeckis chose to direct ''[[Romancing the Stone]]'' instead, which was a box office success. Now a high-profile director, Zemeckis approached Spielberg with the concept, and the project was set up at [[Universal Studios|Universal Pictures]].<ref name=freer/> Executive [[Sidney Sheinberg]] made some suggestions to the script, changing Marty's mother's name from Meg to Lorraine (the name of his wife, actress [[Lorraine Gary]]) and to replace Brown's pet [[chimpanzee]] with a dog.<ref name=freer/> Sheinberg wanted the title changed to ''Spaceman from Pluto'', convinced no successful film ever had "future" in the title. He suggested Marty introduce himself as "Darth Vader from the planet Pluto" while dressed as an alien forcing his dad to ask out his mom (rather than "the planet Vulcan"), and that the farmers' comic be ''Spaceman from Pluto'' rather than ''Space Zombies from Pluto''. Spielberg dictated a memo back to Sheinberg, where he convinced him they thought his title was just a joke, thus embarrassing him into dropping the idea.<ref name=faber>{{cite book | author = [[Joseph McBride (writer)|Joseph McBride]] | title = Steven Spielberg: A Biography | publisher =[[Faber and Faber]] | date =1997 | location =[[New York City]] | pages = 384–385 | isbn = 0-571-19177-0 }}</ref> ===Casting=== {{seealso|Minor characters in Back to the Future films}} [[Image:StoltzasMcFly.jpg|thumb|250px|A photo of the first time travel test with Eric Stoltz as Marty McFly]] '''[[Michael J. Fox]]''' was the first choice to play '''[[Marty McFly]]''', but he was committed to the show ''[[Family Ties]]''.<ref name=second>Klastornin, Hibbin, p.11-20</ref> ''Family Ties'' producer [[Gary David Goldberg]] felt that Fox was essential to the show's success, particularly with costar [[Meredith Baxter]] on [[parental leave|maternity leave]], and refused to allow him time off to work on a film. ''Back to the Future'' was scheduled for May 1985 and it was late 1984 when it was learned that Fox would be unable to star in the film.<ref name=freer/> Zemeckis' next two choices were [[C. Thomas Howell]] and [[Eric Stoltz]], the latter of whom impressed the producers enough with his portrayal of [[Roy L. Dennis]] in ''[[Mask (film)|Mask]]'' – which was yet to be released – that they selected him to play Marty McFly.<ref name=makingof/> Because of the difficult casting process, the [[start date]] was pushed back twice.<ref name=start>{{cite book | author = Norman Kagan | title = The Cinema of Robert Zemeckis | year = 2003 | month = May | publisher = [[Rowman & Littlefield]] | chapter = Back to the Future I (1985), II (1989), III (1990) | pages = 63–92 | location = Lanham, Maryland | isbn = 0-87833-293-6}}</ref> Four weeks into filming, Zemeckis decided Stoltz was miscast. Although he and Spielberg realized reshooting the film would add $3 million to the $14 million budget, they decided to recast. Spielberg explained Zemeckis felt Stoltz was too humorless and gave a "terrifically ''dramatic'' performance". Gale further explained they felt Stoltz was simply acting out the role, whereas Fox himself had a personality like Marty McFly. He felt Stoltz was uncomfortable riding a skateboard, whereas Fox was not. Stoltz confessed to director [[Peter Bogdanovich]] during a phone call, two weeks into the shoot, that he was unsure of Zemeckis and Gale's direction, and concurred that he was wrong for the role.<ref name=freer/> Fox's schedule was opened up in January 1985 when Meredith Baxter returned to ''Family Ties'' following her pregnancy. The ''Back to the Future'' crew met with Goldberg again, who made a deal that Fox's main priority would be ''Family Ties'', and if a scheduling conflict arose, "we win". Fox loved the script and was impressed by Zemeckis and Gale's sensitivity in sacking Stoltz, because they nevertheless "spoke very highly of him".<ref name=freer/> [[Per Welinder]] and [[Tony Hawk]] assisted on the skateboarding scenes, though Hawk had to leave the film because he was taller than Fox, having doubled for Stoltz in various scenes.<ref name=commentary>Robert Zemeckis, Bob Gale. (2005). ''Back to the Future: The Complete Trilogy'' DVD commentary for part 1 [DVD]. Universal Pictures.</ref> Fox found his portrayal of Marty McFly to be very personal. "All I did in high school was skateboard, chase girls and play in bands. I even dreamed of becoming a rock star."<ref name=second/> '''[[Christopher Lloyd]]''' was cast as '''[[Doc Brown]]''' after the first choice, [[John Lithgow]], became unavailable.<ref name=freer/> Having worked with Lloyd on ''[[The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension|The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai]]'' (1984), producer [[Neil Canton]] suggested him for the part. Lloyd originally turned down the role, but changed his mind after reading the script and at the persistence of his wife. He [[improvisation|improvised]] some of his scenes,<ref>Klastornin, Hibbin, p.31-40</ref> taking inspiration from [[Albert Einstein]] and conductor [[Leopold Stokowski]].<ref name=q&a>Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale Q&A, ''Back to the Future'' [2002 DVD], recorded at the [[University of Southern California]]</ref> Brown pronounces [[gigawatt]]s as "jigowatts", which was the manner a physicist said the word when he met with Zemeckis and Gale as they researched the script.<ref name=commentary/> '''[[Crispin Glover]]''' played '''[[George McFly]]'''. Zemeckis said Glover improvised much of George's nerdy mannerisms, such as his shaky hands. The director joked he was "endless[ly] throwing a net over Crispin because he was completely off about fifty percent of the time in his interpretation of the character".<ref name=freer/> '''[[Lea Thompson]]''' was cast as '''[[Lorraine McFly]]''' because she had acted opposite Stoltz in ''[[The Wild Life (film)|The Wild Life]]''. Her [[prosthetic makeup]] for scenes at the beginning of the film, set in 1985, took three-and-a-half hours to apply.<ref>Klastornin, Hibbin, p.21-30</ref> '''[[Thomas F. Wilson]]''' was cast as '''[[Biff Tannen]]''' because the original choice, [[J. J. Cohen]], was considered too unconvincing to bully Stoltz.<ref name=freer/> Cohen was cast as one of Biff's cohorts. Had Fox been cast from the beginning, Cohen would have probably won the part because he was much taller than Fox.<ref name=commentary/> ===Production=== [[Image:Hill Valley Court House.jpg|thumb|right|Courthouse Square as it appeared in ''Back to the Future''.]] Following Stoltz's departure, Fox's schedule during weekdays consisted of filming ''Family Ties'' during the day, and ''Back to the Future'' from 6:30 pm to 2:30 am. He averaged five hours of sleep each night. During Fridays, he shot from 10 pm to 6 or 7 am, and then moved on to film exterior scenes throughout the weekend, as only then was he available during daytime. Fox found it exhausting, but "it was my dream to be in the film and television business, although I didn't know I'd be in them simultaneously. [It] was just this weird ride and I got on."<ref name=NBC>Michael J. Fox, Robert Zemeckis, Bob Gale, Steven Spielberg, [[Alan Silvestri]], ''The Making of Back to the Future'' ([[television special]]), 1985, [[NBC]]</ref> Zemeckis concurred, dubbing ''Back to the Future'' "the film that would not wrap". He recalled that because they shot night after night, he was always "half asleep" and the "fattest, most out-of-shape and sick I ever was".<ref name=freer/> [[File:BacktotheFuutreLyonEstates.jpg|thumb|left|Lyon Estates set used in the film]] The [[Hill Valley (Back to the Future)|Hill Valley]] town square scenes were shot at [[Courthouse Square]], located in the Universal Studios backlot. Bob Gale explained it would have been impossible to [[filming location|shoot on location]] "because no city is going to let a film crew remodel their town to look like it's in the 1950s." The filmmakers "decided to shoot all the 50s stuff first, and make the town look real beautiful and wonderful. Then we would just totally trash it down and make it all bleak and ugly for the 1980s scenes."<ref name=NBC/> The interiors for Doc Brown's house were shot at the [[Robert R. Blacker House]], while exteriors took place at [[Gamble House (Pasadena, California)|Gamble House]].<ref>Klastornin, Hibbin, p.41-50</ref> Filming wrapped after a hundred days on April 20, 1985, and the film was delayed from May to August. But after a highly positive test screening ("I'd never seen a preview like that," said [[Frank Marshall (film producer)|Frank Marshall]], "the audience went up to the ceiling"), Sheinberg chose to move the release date to July 3. To make sure the film met this new date, two editors, Arthur Schmidt and Harry Keramidas, were assigned to the picture, while many sound editors worked 24-hour shifts on the film. Eight minutes were cut, including Marty watching his mom cheat during an exam, George getting stuck in a telephone booth before "saving" Lorraine, as well as much of Marty pretending to be Darth Vader. Zemeckis almost cut out the [[Johnny B. Goode]] sequence as he felt it did not advance the story, but the preview audience loved it, so it was kept. [[Industrial Light & Magic]] created the film's 32 effects shots, which never satisfied Zemeckis and Gale until a week before the film's completion date.<ref name=freer/> ===Music=== Alan Silvestri collaborated with Zemeckis on ''Romancing the Stone'', but Spielberg disliked that film's score. Zemeckis advised Silvestri to make his compositions grand and epic, despite the film's small scale, to impress Spielberg. Silvestri began recording the score two weeks before the first preview. He also suggested [[Huey Lewis and the News]] create the theme song. Their first attempt was rejected by Universal, before they recorded "[[The Power of Love (Huey Lewis and the News song)|The Power of Love]]". The studio loved the final song, but were disappointed it did not feature the film's title, so they had to send memos to radio stations to always mention its association with ''Back to the Future''.<ref name=freer/> In the end, the track "[[Back in Time]]" featured in the film, playing during the scene where Marty arrives back in 1985, and again during the end credits. [[Huey Lewis]] himself [[cameo appearance|cameoed]] as the school teacher who dismisses Marty's band for being too loud.<ref name=NBC/> ==Reception== ===Release=== ''Back to the Future'' opened on July 3, 1985 on 1,200 screens in North America. Zemeckis was concerned the film would flop because Fox had to film a ''Family Ties'' special in London and was unable to promote the film. Gale was also dissatisfied with Universal Pictures' tagline "Are you telling me my mother's got the hots for me?" Yet ''Back to the Future'' spent 11 weeks at number one.<ref name=freer/> Gale recalled "Our second weekend was higher than our first weekend, which is indicative of great [[word of mouth]]. ''[[National Lampoon's European Vacation]]'' came out in August and it kicked us out of number one for one week and then we were back to number one."<ref name=storm>{{cite news | author = Scott Holleran | title = Brain Storm: An Interview with Bob Gale | url = http://www.boxofficemojo.com/features/?id=1258&pagenum=all&p=.htm | work = [[Box Office Mojo]] | date = 2003-11-18 | accessdate = 2008-10-19}}</ref> The film went on to gross $210.61 million in North America and $170.5 million in foreign countries, accumulating a worldwide total of $381.11 million.<ref>{{cite web | title = Back to the Future | work = [[Box Office Mojo]] | url = http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=backtothefuture.htm | accessdate = 2008-10-09}}</ref> ''Back to the Future'' had the fourth-highest opening weekend of 1985 and was the top grossing film of the year.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.boxofficemojo.com/yearly/chart/?yr=1985&p=.htm | title = 1985 Domestic Totals | work = [[Box Office Mojo]] | accessdate = 2008-10-09}}</ref> Adjusted for inflation, the film is the [[List of highest-grossing films in the United States and Canada|58th highest-grossing film in North America]], as of October 2008.<ref>{{cite web | title = Domestic Grosses Adjusted for Ticket Price Inflation | url = http://www.boxofficemojo.com/alltime/adjusted.htm | work = [[Box Office Mojo]] | accessdate = 2008-10-09}}</ref> [[Roger Ebert]] felt ''Back to the Future'' had similar themes to the films of [[Frank Capra]], especially ''[[It's a Wonderful Life]]''. Ebert commented producer "Steven Spielberg is emulating the great authentic past of [[Classical Hollywood cinema]], who specialized in matching the right director (Robert Zemeckis) with the right project."<ref>{{cite news | author = [[Roger Ebert]] | title = Back to the Future | work = [[Chicago Sun-Times]] | url = http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19850703/REVIEWS/507030301/1023| date = 1985-07-03 | accessdate = 2008-10-09}}</ref> [[Janet Maslin]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'' believed the film had a balanced storyline. "It's a cinematic inventing of humor and whimsical tall tales for a long time to come."<ref>{{cite news | author = [[Janet Maslin]] | title = Back to the Future | work = [[The New York Times]] | date = 1985-07-03 | accessdate = 2008-10-09}}</ref> [[Christopher Null]], who first saw the film as a teenager, called it "a quintessential 1980s flick that combines science fiction, action, comedy, and romance all into a perfect little package that kids and adults will both devour."<ref>{{cite web | author = [[Christopher Null]] | title = Back to the Future | url = http://www.filmcritic.com/misc/emporium.nsf/reviews/Back-to-the-Future | work = FilmCritic.com | accessdate = 2008-10-09}}</ref> [[Dave Kehr]] of ''[[Chicago Reader]]'' felt Gale and Zemeckis wrote a script that perfectly balanced science fiction, seriousness and humor.<ref>{{cite news | author = [[Dave Kehr]] | url = http://onfilm.chicagoreader.com/movies/capsules/651_BACK_TO_THE_FUTURE | title = Back to the Future | work = [[Chicago Reader]] | accessdate = 2008-10-09}}</ref> ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' applauded the performances, arguing Fox and Lloyd imbued Marty and Doc Brown's friendship with a quality reminiscent of [[King Arthur]] and [[Merlin]].<ref>{{cite web | work = [[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] | url = http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117788826 | date = 1985-07-01 | title = Back to the Future | accessdate = 2008-10-09}}</ref> The ''[[BBC]]'' applauded the intricacies of the "outstandingly executed" script, remarking that "nobody says anything that doesn't become important to the plot later."<ref>{{cite web | work = [[bbc.co.uk]] | url = http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2000/10/05/back_to_the_future_1985_review.shtml | title = Back to the Future (1985) | accessdate = 2006-11-29}}</ref> Based on 44 reviews collected by ''[[Rotten Tomatoes]]'', 96% of critics gave the film positive reviews.<ref>{{cite web | work = [[Rotten Tomatoes]] | url = http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/back_to_the_future/ | title = Back to the Future | accessdate = 2008-10-09}}</ref> ''Back to the Future'' won the [[Academy Award for Sound Editing]], while "[[The Power of Love (Huey Lewis and the News song)|The Power of Love]]", the [[sound design]]ers, and Zemeckis and Gale ([[Academy Award for Writing Original Screenplay|Original Screenplay]]), were nominated.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://awardsdatabase.oscars.org/ampas_awards/DisplayMain.jsp?curTime=1225077604778 | title = 58th Academy Awards | work = [[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]] | accessdate = 2008-10-26}}</ref> The film won the [[Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation]]<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.thehugoawards.org/?page_id=34 | title = 1986 Hugo Awards | work = The [[Hugo Award]]s | accessdate = 2008-10-26}}</ref> and the [[Saturn Award for Best Science Fiction Film]]. Michael J. Fox and the [[visual effects]] designers won categories at the [[Saturn Awards]]. Zemeckis, composer Alan Silvestri, the [[costume design]] and supporting actors Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover and Thomas F. Wilson were also nominated.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.saturnawards.org/past.html | title = Past Saturn Awards | work = [[Saturn Award]]s.org | accessdate = 2008-10-26}}</ref> The film was successful at the [[39th British Academy Film Awards]], where it was nominated for [[BAFTA Award for Best Film|Best Film]], original screenplay, visual effects, [[production design]] and editing.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.bafta.org/awards-database.html?sq=Back+to+the+Future | title = Back to the Future | work = [[British Academy of Film and Television Arts]] | accessdate = 2008-10-09}}</ref> At the [[43rd Golden Globe Awards]], ''Back to the Future'' was nominated for [[Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy|Best Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy)]], original song (for "The Power of Love"), [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy|Best Actor in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy]] (Fox) and [[Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay|Best Screenplay]] for Zemeckis and Gale.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.goldenglobes.org/browse/film/23660 | title = Back to the Future | work = [[Hollywood Foreign Press Association]] | accessdate = 2008-10-26}}</ref> ===Legacy=== [[President of the United States|President]] [[Ronald Reagan]] referred to the movie in his 1986 [[State of the Union Address]] when he said, "Never has there been a more exciting time to be alive, a time of rousing wonder and heroic achievement. As they said in the film ''Back to the Future'', 'Where we're going, we don't need roads.'"<ref>{{cite web | title = President Ronald Regan's Address Before a Joint Session of Congress on the State of the Union | date = [[1986-02-04]] | url = http://www.c-span.org/executive/transcript.asp?cat=current_event&code=bush_admin&year=1986 | work = [[C-SPAN]] | accessdate = 2006-11-26}} </ref> When he first saw the joke about him being president, he made the projectionist of the theater stop the reel, roll it back, and run it again.<ref name=makingof>{{cite video| title = Back to the Future, The Complete Trilogy - "The Making of the Trilogy, Part 1" | medium = DVD | publisher = Universal Home Video | date = 2002 }}</ref> [[George H. W. Bush]] also referenced ''Back to the Future'' in his speeches.<ref>{{cite book | author= [[Bob Gale]]; [[Robert Zemeckis]] | title = Back To The Future: The Official Book Of The Complete Movie Trilogy | location = London | publisher = [[Hamlyn (publishers)|Hamlyn]] | year = 1990 | chapter = Foreword | isbn = 0-600-571041}}</ref> This movie ranked number 28 on ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'''s list of the 50 Best High School Movies.<ref>{{cite web|title=The 50 Best High School Movies|work=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|url=http://www.ew.com/ew/report/0,6115,1532588_1_0_,00.html|accessdate=2006-11-26}}</ref> In 2006, ''Back to the Future'' was voted the 20th greatest film ever made by readers of ''[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]]''.<ref>{{cite news | title = 201 Greatest Movies of All Time | pages = 97 | work = [[Empire (magazine)|Empire]] | date = March 2006 (Issue 201}}</ref> On December 27, 2007, ''Back to the Future'' was selected for preservation in the United States [[National Film Registry]] by the [[Library of Congress]] as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.loc.gov/film/nfr2007.html|title=National Film Registry 2007, Films Selected for the 2007 National Film Registry|accessdate=2008-02-04}}</ref> In June 2008, the [[American Film Institute]] revealed the [[AFI's 10 Top 10]] – the best ten films in ten "classic" American film genres – after polling more than 1,500 people from the creative community. ''Back to the Future'' was acknowledged as the 10th best film in the science fiction genre.<ref>{{cite news | title = AFI Crowns Top 10 Films in 10 Classic Genres | work = ComingSoon.net | date =2008-06-17 | url = http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=46072 | accessdate=2008-06-18 }}</ref> ''Back to the Future'' is among Channel 4's ''[[50 Films to See Before You Die]]'', being ranked 10th.<ref> {{cite news | title= Film4's 50 Films To See Before You Die | work= [[Channel 4]] | accessdate=2009-02-10 |url= http://www.channel4.com/film/reviews/feature.jsp?id=161521&page=4#comments }}</ref> When the film was released on [[VHS]], Universal added a "To be continued..." caption at the end to increase awareness of production on ''[[Back to the Future Part II]]'' and ''[[Back to the Future Part III|Part III]]''. This is not included on the films [[DVD]] release in 2002.<ref name=q&a/> ==References== {{reflist|2}} ==Further reading== *{{cite book | author = [[George Gipe]] | title = Back to the Future: A Novel | others = [[Novelization]] of the film | format = Paperback | year = 1985 | month = July | publisher = [[Berkley Books]] | isbn = 978-0425082058}} ==External links== {{wikiquote}} {{Commons|Back to the Future}} *{{official|http://www.bttfmovie.com/}} *{{imdb title|id=0088763|title=Back to the Future}} *{{Amg movie|3671|Back to the Future}} *{{rotten-tomatoes|id=back_to_the_future|title = Back to the Future}} *{{mojo title|id=backtothefuture|title=Back to the Future}} *[http://www.scifiscripts.com/scripts/back_to_the_future_original_draft.html February 24, 1981 draft of the screenplay] *[http://www.bttf.com/film_faq.htm Frequently asked questions] Written by Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale *[[wikia:bttf|Futurepedia: The ''Back to the Future'' Wiki]] on [[Wikia]] *[http://www.111webhost.com/sites/back-to-the-future.php Map of filming Locations] *[http://www.bigwaste.com/bttf/ Tour of filming locations] {{start box}}{{s-ach}} {{succession box | | before = ''[[The Terminator]]'' | after = ''[[Aliens (film)|Aliens]]'' | title = [[Saturn Award for Best Science Fiction Film]] | years = 1985 |}} {{end box}} {{Navboxes |title= Back to the Future |list1= {{bttf}} {{Robert Zemeckis}} {{Steven Spielberg productions}} {{Steven Spielberg}} }} {{DEFAULTSORT:Back To The Future}} [[Category:Back to the Future films]] [[Category:1985 films]] [[Category:1980s science fiction films]] [[Category:Hugo Award Winner for Best Dramatic Presentation]] [[Category:United States National Film Registry films]]

Related Articles