``An Sixteen Candles'' is John Hughes' directorial debut that shows his talent.

“A Sixteen Candles” Synopsis

Samantha (nicknamed Sam) celebrated her 16th birthday, but her sister's wedding was the next day and her family completely forgot about it. When I went to school feeling depressed, my friend sent me a questionnaire about my views on love. Sam honestly writes down the name of his crush, Jake, as the person he wants to have sex with, but the paper accidentally ends up in the hands of Jake himself. Sam, who knows nothing of this, runs into Jake at a school dance that night.

Index

• Unexpected performance in Japan
• A glimpse of the budding talent
• John Hughes and Molly Ringwald, Strange Code

Unexpected performance in Japan

American popular music has a tradition of using 16-year-olds as a motif, including Neil Sedaka 's `` It's a Wonderful 16 Years Old ,'' and these songs have often been used in movies. . For example, Johnny Burnett 's `` Dreaming 16 Year Old '' was used in the movie ` `American Graffiti '' (1973). At the end of ``The Fabulous Baker Boys '' (1989), there is a scene where brothers Jeff Bridges and Beau Bridges play this song. Also, the original title of the song "Soon to be 17" from " The Sound of Music " (1965) is " Sixteen Going on Seventeen ." Here, the lyrics express the wavering feelings of a girl and an adult in the transitional period.

And in John Hughes' 1984 Sixteen Candles, Stray Cats ' cover version of The Crests' 1958 hit ` `16 Candles '' plays during the end credits. The original title of ``Sixteen Candles'' is exactly ``Sixteen Candles.''

“A Sixteen Candles” Preview

`` Sixteen Candles '', released in 1984 , depicts the two-day life of a high school girl whose 16th birthday is forgotten by her family due to the confusion surrounding her sister's wedding tomorrow. Coincidentally, in Japan at the time, `` Aiko 16 Years Old '' (1983), which featured a 16-year-old high school student as the main character, was made into a movie starring Yasuko Tomita. For my generation, who were teenagers in the 1980s, ` `Sixteen Candles'' is a typical Hollywood movie that made us realize that ``in America, 16th birthdays are special for teenagers.''

It was released in theaters in Japan in 1985, but it was distributed by CIC and Universal and was shown in regional theaters along with Dune (1984). Therefore, in major cities such as Tokyo and Osaka, theaters such as `` Lover's The Game '' (1984) co-starring Demi Moore and Jon Cryer and ``Forbidden Love'' (1986) starring Virginia Madsen are held at Nibankan and Sanbankan. The story is that it was released a little later than usual as it was a double feature. In other words, the fact that it was treated as an appendix to the blockbuster release ``Dune'' shows that expectations were not high for it to do well at the box office in Japan.

Meanwhile, in North America, it recorded box office revenue of approximately $23 million. Considering that the production cost was $6.5 million, it was a commercial success. The success of ``Sixteen Candles'' gave both John Hughes, who was making his directorial debut, and Molly Ringwald, who was making her first lead role, the ticket to their next film.

A glimpse of the budding talent