Hello,I have not had the opportunity to view the DVD version of Fame yet but I plan to order it, so someday soon! However, I thought it was worth my time to interject on a couple of the reviews that have been posted.
First: one lady commented that this movie was not suitable for her child because of the language and nudity, so it deserved 1 star. Please note that this movie was rated R in the theatre, and is listed as Rated R here on Amazon. How much clearer does one need to be. Rated R MEANS not suitable for children. Do not blame the movie for your poor judgement. Do not use this review in deciding to purchase the DVD.
Second: A gentleman commented that this movie did not contain all of the music from the original stage production. Well,unless I am mistaken, that would be because the movie came first. The musical expanded upon the movie, as did the television show. So please know this when using his review.
Just my two cents on the matter. :)This Alan Parker film came out in 1980, after the director had horrified everyone with visions of Turkish Prison in MIDNIGHT EXPRESS. But here we have a loving valentine to the kids of New York who dream of being performers at the high school for performing and visual arts. It's a musical, but one where the songs and dancing come out of the kids naturally as they goof off or perform for themselves or each other. You get to see four years of high school, and about 8 kids who reach varying levels of realizations about how hard the world really is when you want to be famous.
Finally FAME gets the DVD treatment! A widescreen transfer, featurettes, and a wonderful video commentary that shows 4 of the leads TODAY talking about their 15 minutes of notoriety as a star of FAME. It's a fun experience to see how they have aged, and what they remember of the filming. Alan Parker is the real star of the commentary though! He gets to talk over the entire movie, but thankfully he's witty and informative. My favorite tidbit was the original name of FAME was HOT LUNCH! Okay... that would have been ... disaster.
Best reason to own this? The music! You can watch the movie once, but I dare you to ever forget the title song "FAME". My personal fave is "Out Here On My Own" for sentimental reasons. You'll want to sign up for dance, voice, and acting lessons after this one.
See where all the hoopla started! Before the television shows, before the musical hit the stage ... there was this gritty movie showing foul-mouthed kids trying to make it in The Big Apple. Or at least through high school!
Buy Fame: The Original Movie (2010) Now
This Alan Parker film came out in 1980, after the director had horrified everyone with visions of Turkish Prison in MIDNIGHT EXPRESS. But here we have a loving valentine to the kids of New York who dream of being performers at the high school for performing and visual arts. It's a musical, but one where the songs and dancing come out of the kids naturally as they goof off or perform for themselves or each other. You get to see four years of high school, and about 8 kids who reach varying levels of realizations about how hard the world really is when you want to be famous.Finally FAME gets the DVD treatment! A widescreen transfer, featurettes, and a wonderful video commentary that shows 4 of the leads TODAY talking about their 15 minutes of notoriety as a star of FAME. It's a fun experience to see how they have aged, and what they remember of the filming. Alan Parker is the real star of the commentary though! He gets to talk over the entire movie, but thankfully he's witty and informative. My favorite tidbit was the original name of FAME was HOT LUNCH! Okay... that would have been ... disaster.
Best reason to own this? The music! You can watch the movie once, but I dare you to ever forget the title song "FAME". My personal fave is "Out Here On My Own" for sentimental reasons. You'll want to sign up for dance, voice, and acting lessons after this one.
See where all the hoopla started! Before the television shows, before the musical hit the stage ... there was this gritty movie showing foul-mouthed kids trying to make it in The Big Apple. Or at least through high school!A classic, not a Schindler's List or Silence of the Lambs type classic mind you, but an inspiring movie nonetheless that I will always remember. Im a student at a performing arts school in NYC-so much like the "Fame" school, and the movie captured the reality and pressure and desire and troubles so wonderfully. The characters were quite realistic...my absolute favorites were Leroy and Ralph, played brilliantly by Barry Miller. I get a kick out of seeing Paul McCrane play soft-spoken actor Montgomery...a far cry from Romano on ER! Fame deals with the rejection as well as the triumph in a school where its all about making it. The acting is top-notch. From Leroy, the troubled dancer who really grabbed my heart, to Doris, who thrives in the end, the characters arent one-dimensional like in so many movies you see. They didnt sugar-coat anything. They dealt with the problems of youth-learning disabilities, abuse, perfectionism, pregnancy without coming off as lecture-like. Not to mention the incredible score. I love this movie I had to buy a copy. I hope you like it as much as me!On its release "Fame" resonated for me because I was 18, headed for NYC, and full of many of the same hopes and dreams as its characters had. I also saw it with a group of friends, all of us recent high school grads, and whether we were off to study medicine or law, music or architecture, the movie captured the essence of what its like to be on the way to new dreams. The score is brilliant through and through, and the performances nuanced, sweet and special. From the auditions at the outset of the movie to the final sweeping "Body Electric" the film is powerful for anyone who came of age in the 70s. We can all relate to seeing "Rocky Horror" for the first time, doing the "Time Warp" and being on the losing side of love. And, those of us with overbearing mothers could understand Doris's embarrassing moments with her own backstage mom. The film has guts, emotion, and passion to spare, and still stands as one of the last great musicals Hollywood produced. This one deserves a full re-release on DVD, and is far superior to later spin-offs like "Footloose" and "Flashdance." They all started here, with "Fame."


No comments:
Post a Comment