Psycho's Movie Reviews #98: Flashdance (1983)

Flashdance is a 1983 American romantic drama dance film directed by Adrian Lyne and starring Jennifer Beals as a passionate young dancer who aspires to become a professional ballerina (Alex), alongside Michael Nouri playing her boyfriend and the owner of the steel mill where she works by day in Pittsburgh. It was the first collaboration of producers Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer, and the presentation of some sequences in the style of music videos was an influence on other 1980s films including Footloose, Purple Rain, and Top Gun, Simpson and Bruckheimer's most famous production. It was also one of Lyne's first major film releases, building on a television commercials. Alex's elaborate dance sequences were shot using body doubles (Beals' main double was the uncredited French actress Marine Jahan, while a breakdance move was doubled by the male dancer Crazy Legs).

The film opened to negative reviews by professional critics, including Roger Ebert, who panned it as "great sound and flashdance, signifying nothing" (and eventually placed it on his "most hated" list). It was a surprise box-office success, becoming the third-highest-grossing film of 1983 in the United States. Its worldwide box-office gross exceeded $200 million. The soundtrack, compiled by Giorgio Moroder, spawned several hit songs, including "Maniac" (performed by Michael Sembello), and the Academy Award–winning "Flashdance... What a Feeling", which was written for the film by Moroder, with lyrics by Keith Forsey and the singer Irene Cara. Flashdance is also often remembered for its film poster featuring Beals sporting a sweatshirt with a large neck hole (according to the actress, her look in the scene came about by accident after she simply cut a large hole at the top of one that had shrunk in the wash).

Plot:

Alexandra "Alex" Owens (Jennifer Beals) is an eighteen-year-old welder at a steel mill in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, who lives with her dog, Grunt, in a converted warehouse. Although she aspires to become a professional dancer, she has no formal dance training and works as a nightly cabaret performer by night at Mawby's, a neighborhood bar and grill.

Lacking family, Alex forms bonds with her coworkers at Mawby's, some of whom also aspire to greater artistic achievements. Jeanie (Sunny Johnson), a waitress, is training to be a figure skater, while her boyfriend, short-order cook Richie (Kyle T. Heffner), hopes to become a stand-up comic.

One night, Alex catches the eye of customer Nick Hurley (Michael Nouri), the owner of the steel mill where she works. After learning that Alex is one of his employees, Nick begins to pursue her on the job, though Alex turns down his advances at first. Alex is also approached by Johnny C. (Lee Ving), who wants Alex to dance at his nearby strip club, Zanzibar.

After seeking counsel from her mentor, retired ballerina Hanna Long (Lilia Skala), Alex attempts to apply to the Pittsburgh Conservatory of Dance and Repertory. Alex becomes intimidated by the scope of the application process, which includes listing all prior dance experience and education, and she leaves without applying. Leaving Mawby's one evening, Richie and Alex are assaulted by Johnny C. and his bodyguard, Cecil. Nick intervenes, and after taking Alex home, the two begin a relationship.

In a skating competition, Jeanie falls twice during her performance and sits defeated on the ice and has to be helped away. Discouraged at the fact that most likely will never achieve her dreams, and after Richie has left Pittsburgh to try his luck in Los Angeles, Jeanie begins going out with Johnny C. and works for him at Zanzibar as one of his strippers. After finding out from Jake, Alex quickly goes over and drags her out, much to Jeanie's initial anger until she realizes her terrible life decision.

After seeing Nick with a woman at the ballet one night, Alex throws a rock through a window of his house, only to discover that it was his ex-wife (Belinda Bauer) whom he was meeting for a charity function. Alex and Nick reconcile, and she gains the courage to apply to the Conservatory. Nick uses his connections with the arts council to get Alex an audition. Alex is furious with Nick, as she did not get the opportunity based on her own merit, and decides not to go through with the audition. Seeing the results of others' failed dreams and after the sudden death of Hanna, Alex becomes despondent about her future, but finally decides to go through with the audition.

At the audition, Alex initially falters, but begins again, and she successfully completes a dance number composed of various aspects of dance that she has studied and practiced, including breakdancing, which she has seen on the streets of Pittsburgh. The board responds favourably, and Alex is seen joyously emerging from the Conservatory to find Nick and Grunt waiting for her with a bouquet of roses.

Production:

In April 1980, Thomas Hedley sold the movie idea for development to Casablanca, a Los Angeles production company, for $300,000 and 5% of the net, as reported in The Globe and Mail, and later sold to Paramount.

Adrian Lyne was not the first choice as director of Flashdance. David Cronenberg had turned down an offer to direct the film, as had Brian De Palma, who instead chose to direct Scarface (1983). At the time, Lyne's background was primarily in directing television commercials, such as his 1970s UK commercials for Brutus Jeans (which may conceivably be seen as anticipating the visuals and style of Flashdance). Executives at Paramount were unsure about the film's potential and sold 25% of the rights prior to its release. The film was shot between October 18, 1982 and December 30, 1982.

Flashdance is often remembered for the sweatshirt with a large neck hole that Beals wore on the poster advertising the film. Beals said that the look of the sweatshirt came about by accident when it shrank in the wash and she cut out a large hole at the top so that she could wear it again.

Casting:

Three candidates, Jennifer Beals, Demi Moore, and Leslie Wing, were the finalists for the role of Alex Owens. Two different stories exist regarding how Beals was chosen. One states that then-Paramount president Michael Eisner asked women secretaries at the studio to select their favorite after viewing screen tests. The other: the film's scriptwriter Joe Eszterhas claims that Eisner asked "two hundred of the most macho men on the [Paramount] lot, Teamsters and gaffers and grips ... 'I want to know which of these three young women you'd most want to fuck'".

The role of Nick Hurley was originally offered to Kiss lead man Gene Simmons, who turned it down because it would conflict with his "demon" image. Pierce Brosnan, Robert De Niro, Richard Gere, Mel Gibson, Tom Hanks, and John Travolta were also considered for the part. Kevin Costner, a struggling actor at the time, came very close for the role of Nick Hurley, which went to Michael Nouri.

Crew:

Flashdance was the first success of a number of filmmakers who became top industry figures in the 1980s and beyond. The film was the first collaboration between Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer, who went on to produce Beverly Hills Cop (1984) and Top Gun (1986). Eszterhas received his second screen credit for Flashdance, while Lyne went on to direct 9½ Weeks (1986), Fatal Attraction (1987), Indecent Proposal (1993), and Lolita (1997). Lynda Obst, who developed the original story outline, went on to produce Adventures in Babysitting (1987), The Fisher King (1991), and Sleepless in Seattle (1993).

Filming:

The dimly lit cinematography and montage-style editing are due in part to the fact that most of Jennifer Beals' dancing in the film was performed by a body double. Her main dance double is the French actress Marine Jahan, while the breakdancing that Alex performs in the audition sequence at the end of the film was doubled by the male dancer Crazy Legs. The shot of Alex diving through the air in slow motion during the audition sequence was performed by Sharon Shapiro, who was a professional gymnast. The producers of the film stated they had made no secret of having used a double for Beals, and that Jahan's name did not appear because Paramount Pictures shortened the closing credits.[18] Marine Jahan was told that her involvement was hidden because "they didn't want to break the magic of the film".

Music:

"Flashdance... What a Feeling" was performed by Irene Cara, who also sang the title song for the similar 1980 film Fame. The music for "Flashdance... What a Feeling" was composed by Giorgio Moroder, and the lyrics were written by Cara and Keith Forsey. The song won an Academy Award for Best Original Song, as well as a Golden Globe and numerous other awards. It also reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in May 1983. Despite the song's title, the word 'Flashdance' itself is not heard in the lyrics. The song is used in the opening title sequence of the film, and is the music Alex uses in her dance audition routine at the end of the film.

Another song used in the film, "Maniac", was also nominated for an Academy Award. It was written by Michael Sembello and Dennis Matkosky. A popular urban legend holds that the song was originally written for the 1980 horror film Maniac, and that lyrics about a killer on the loose were rewritten so the song could be used in Flashdance. The legend is discredited in the special features of the film's DVD release, which reveal that the song was written for the film, although only two complete lyrics ("Just a steel town girl on a Saturday night" and "She's a maniac") were available when filming commenced. Like the title song, it reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in September 1983.

Other songs in the film include "Lady, Lady, Lady", performed by Joe Esposito, "Gloria" and "Imagination" performed by Laura Branigan, and "I'll Be Here Where the Heart Is", performed by Kim Carnes.

The soundtrack album of Flashdance sold 700,000 copies during its first two weeks on sale and has gone on to sell over six million copies in the U.S. alone. In 1984, the album won the Grammy Award for Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or a Television Special.

Release/Reception/Box Office:

Flashdance was released in the United States on April 15, 1983.

Flashdance has been issued originally on VHS and Laserdisc with a Paramount Pictures DVD release on October 8, 2002 and a Special Collector’s Edition DVD in 2010. It was first released on Blu-ray Disc on August 13, 2013 by Warner Bros. with seven special features including a 15-minute featurette The History of Flashdance, a 9-minute featurette The Look of Flashdance, Flashdance The Choreography and teaser and theatrical trailers. The film was re-released on Blu-ray in the U.S. on May 19, 2020 by Paramount Presents with a new 4K remaster and packaging. It includes a new Filmmakers Focus interview with the director but excludes a few special features from the previous Blu-ray release.

On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 36% based on 44 reviews. The site's consensus is: "All style and very little substance, Flashdance boasts eye-catching dance sequences—and benefits from an appealing performance from Jennifer Beals—but its narrative is flat-footed". On Metacritic the film has a score of 39% based on reviews from 11 critics, indicating "generally unfavourable reviews".

Roger Ebert placed it on his list of Most Hated films, and in giving the film 1.5 out of 4 stars in his review, stated: "Jennifer Beals shouldn't feel bad. She is a natural talent, she is fresh and engaging here, and only needs to find an agent with a natural talent for turning down scripts". In his review for the Chicago Sun-Times, Ebert said "If Flashdance had spent just a little more effort getting to know the heroine of its story, and a little less time trying to rip off "Saturday Night Fever," it might have been a much better film." Variety compared the film to a series of music videos, "Watching Flashdance is pretty much like looking at MTV for 96 minutes. Virtually plotless, exceedingly thin on characterization and sociologically laughable, pic at least lives up to its title by offering an anthology of extraordinarily flashy dance numbers." Janet Maslin of The New York Times wrote: "With a score by Giorgio Moroder, and with ingenious costumes that are utterly au courant, Flashdance contains such dynamic dance scenes that it's a pity there's a story here to bog them down."

In a 1984 essay for the journal Jump Cut, critic Kathryn Kalinak questioned the characterization of Alex: "How could an 18 year-old woman land a skilled labour job as a welder in the unionized steel industry of an economically depressed union town? . . . Not only are any other women missing in the factory, so are employees, male or female, under 30."

Budget $7 million

Box office $201.5 million

My Review:

Released in 1983, "Flashdance" is a drama/music/romance film starring Jennifer Beals as, Alex Owens, an 18 year-old welder in Pittsburgh who dreams of being a professional dancer and longs to be accepted into a prestigious school. She dances at a nightclub in her spare time, which is contrasted by the strip club across the street, owned by a sleazebag who tries to lure the respectable dancers into his seedy lair (Lee Ving). One of her friends aspires to be a figure skater (Sunny Johnson) and another friend a stand-up comedian (Kyle T. Heffner). Meanwhile her tall, dark and handsome boss takes a liking to her (Michael Nouri).

This is an entertaining dance flick with the requisite early 80's soundtrack. All the dance sequences were performed by the uncredited French dancer Marine Jahan, who later sued the producers for not crediting her (the brief break-dancing scene was done by a dude). While the wide-eyed Beals and Jahan are in top shape and comely enough, I favor Sunny (the skater).

I was impressed by the quality characterizations for a relatively short sports movie. I call it a "sports movie" because that's essentially what it is – "Rocky" with a female protagonist and dancing instead of boxing. I also like the Pittsburgh locations. Despite my positive feelings, the less-popular "Heavenly Bodies," which came out 9½ months later and stars cutie Cynthia Dale, is superior IMHO.

stronaut John Glenn once said (about seeing earth from outer space) "To look out at this kind of creation and not believe in God is to me impossible". I bring this up because I more or less said the same thing when Jennifer Beals first lifted up her welding mask in 'Flashdance'. Wow. But she's more than a pretty face. The material may only be thimble deep, but Beals brings just the right mix of energy, grit and old fashioned spunk to the part and instantly gets us on her side. That she was only 18 at the time is mind boggling. No, it's not her dancing, and this is painfully obvious on a large HD TV, but she does just fine with the dramatic heavy lifting, such as it is.

Born out of the BIG Bang that was MTV, 'Flashdance' became a phenomenon in 1983. Marrying the visual style of the former with an old fashioned underdog tale in the spirit of Rocky, it captured people's imagination and remains a well loved guilty pleasure for many. So much so that it recently inspired a musical in the UK that has since traveled the U.S. as well.

It does one no good to hold the film up to any sort of deep scrutiny. Just put on your legwarmers and go with the beat. What a feeling; 7/10.

{Again, like Fame and St Elmo's Fire, the best thing about this movie is the theme song - and 'Maniac' I actually listen to this one more than 'Flashdance (What a Feeling)'}.