What makes a film a classic? In this video series, film scholar Bruce Isaacs looks at a classic film and analyses its brilliance.

Read more: It's Back to the Future Day today – so what are the next future predictions?

Back to the Future is that rare Hollywood film that is both a blockbuster and a cult classic, and was easily the highest grossing film that year. In this episode of Close-Up, we look at the politics underpinning Back to the Future in the era of Reagan’s America.

See also:

Hitchcock’s Vertigo Antonioni’s The Passenger Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind Steven Spielberg’s Jaws Hitchcock’s Psycho The Godfather Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette Darren Aronofsky’s Requiem for a Dream The great movie scenes: The Matrix and bullet-time

Bruce Isaacs does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.