Day 16: At The Ballet

A CHORUS LINE (1985)

Directed by Richard Attenborough

Starring: Michael Douglas, Alyson Reed, Terrence Mann

A group of dancers auditioning for a Broadway show are required by the choreographer Zach (Douglas) to bear their souls if they want any chance of getting cast.  Most of them are desparate enough, so, though a series of songs and wonderful dances, they reveal the most intimate parts of their lives. 

A life in the arts is the dream for a lot of people.  Many just want to do it for the fame and the money, but there are others who act or write or sing or direct because they love what they do.  And they just want to make a living doing it.  That is what is at the heart of A Chorus Line.  Every hopeful on the stage is required to do something they’ve probably never done before; they must explain why it is they want to dance.  What did they give up?  What did they leave behind?  What makes what you do so important to who you are? 

It would be nice if all of these questions were answered, but they’re not.  Many are just touched upon.  But the songs that accompany the monologues are all wonderful, capturing the emotion of the moments and memories of a very diverse group of people.

Richard Attenborough may seem an odd choice to direct this film.  Known for more epic material such at A Bridge Too Far and the Oscar-winning Ghandi, he was a director much more in the vein of David Lean.  But he does a very nice job making the audience intimate with the cast.  Each musical number is done in a unique way that calls to mind the MGM musicals of old.  A lot of the older cinematic tricks are pulled out here, making the numbers remeniscent of everyone from Busby Berkley to Bob Fosse. 

The biggest flaw in the film is the love story that was tacked on between Zach and his old flame/star dancer Cassie (Reed).  Through a series of flashbacks, we are shown very little of how they came to meet and/or fall in love.  With so little information, it’s hard to have a love story that resonates, and this one doesn’t.  But the focus remains on the extremely talented and diverse cast of characters hoping for their big break, which is where it needs to be.

Now I’m sure there are purists who are such big fans of the original show that they’ll take issue with a good deal of this movie – many original reviews I’ve read were pretty harsh.  But if I want their opinions, I’ll read their blog.  This is my blog, and I say this film is great.  I come from a theater background myself.  I know a thing or two about expectation, rejection, anticipation and nervousness.  And I also know many diverse and colorful people, and I saw a lot myself and them in the characters.  So if it doesn’t resonate with people from another backgroud, that’s okay.