Flashdance
Short description
Alex Owens works as a welder in a Pittsburgh steel plant and dances at night in a bar to pay for the classical training she never had. Her goal is a place at a prestigious dance academy, but she avoids auditions because she is afraid of failing. Nick Hurley, the owner of the company where she works, becomes her lover and tries to help her behind the scenes, a gesture she resents when she learns of it. An older friend and former dancer encourages her along the way.
Adrian Lyne directed the film, his second feature after Foxes, ahead of Nine 1/2 Weeks, Fatal Attraction and later work such as Indecent Proposal and Unfaithful. Joe Eszterhas and Thomas Hedley Jr. wrote the screenplay, and Jerry Bruckheimer and Don Simpson produced. Jennifer Beals plays Alex, with Michael Nouri as Nick, alongside Sunny Johnson, Kyle T. Heffner, Cynthia Rhodes and Lee Ving among a credited cast of thirty-two.
Made for about seven million dollars, the film took roughly two hundred two million dollars worldwide, a large return on its budget that made it one of the year's biggest commercial successes. Audiences rate it modestly: on IMDb it holds 6.2 out of 10 from around sixty-four thousand votes, and on TMDB 6.5 out of 10 from about sixteen hundred votes. Critics were cooler still, giving it 4.8 out of 10 across forty-nine reviews, well below the audience scores.
What's left behind the scenes
- Actress Jennifer Grey repeatedly auditioned for the role of Alex, but was only offered the role of Jenny, which she turned down, and which Sunny Johnson eventually played.
- The film is based on the life story of Maureen Marder.
- Jennifer Beals' raw-neck sweatshirt became fashionable after the film's release. The actress brought it from home. It had shrunk after washing, so she cut off the collar because she could no longer get her head through it. Director Adrian Lyne and costume designer Michael Kaplan really liked this item of clothing in its new form.
- During the dance sequence, the song "It's Just Began" by Jimmy Castor Bunch is playing.
- Several dance numbers and musical cues from this film have been repeatedly used in other films and music videos by popular artists (Geri Halliwell, Jennifer Lopez, Beyoncé Knowles, Global Deejays).
- The episode where the film's heroine meets breakdancing dancers featured members of the Rock Steady Crew, including Crazy Legs (the dancer in the hat and jacket, who later removes some clothing and dances in a blue sweater) and Frosty Freeze (who performs last).
- According to the English version of Wikipedia, Crazy Legs also played the role of the heroine, performing a "spin" breakdancing move while wearing a wig and women's clothing. This can be seen in the final frames when the heroine is taking exams at a dance school (the episode lasts several seconds). This substitution of actors can be explained by the fact that there were relatively few breakdancers at the time.
- In 1982, Maureen Marder, whose life story formed the basis of the script, gave Paramount Pictures permission to adapt the story for the screen, receiving $2,300 in return. The film reportedly grossed $200 million worldwide.
- French actress and dancer Marine Jehan stood in for Jennifer Beals in the dance scenes. Sharon Shapiro served as a stunt double in some episodes, and Crazy Legs in the breakdancing scene.
- It can be noticed that a stunt double performs the complex dance elements instead of the heroine.
Similar movies
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
