It’s like in the scene where she sees dancers on TV, straightens up without thinking about it, and then spins, spilling her Pepsi: This isn’t just an imitation of a style-it’s an outward expression of an inner confidence developing. I have always had terrible posture, but after watching this, I found myself standing more like a dancer does, and positioning my feet with more intention. All of this is said with music and dance numbers, no words, and because it expresses so much through just movement, I kinetically felt it. She enjoys when she sweats, because to her, it means she’s making progress. There’s no glory in this, and it’s hard to tell whether she’s getting anywhere or just going insane. She works in her boots all day so she can pay the rent, then comes home and takes them off, not to relax, but to strip herself of the world so that she can do her real work. Every visual exaggeration and every word of dialogue relentlessly serves the theme-emphasizing how funny, scary, and exciting it feels to do what you actually want to do, such as live by yourself. The side characters-the comedian friend, the bar owner, and the antagonist’s sidekick Cecil-are all particularly entertaining, and are always quipping the exact right lines to provide comic relief, while still experiencing parallel struggles to that of the protagonist. Every shot is composed like a panel-the faces and hair of the characters lit and placed exactly how they should be in frame in order to illicit the vibe they need to.
#Flashdance soundtrack review movie#
And yes, the bar where she dances at night has too many good stage props for how poor it seems, but the characters inside it are too well crafted for me to care.Īccept that this movie is essentially a musical comic book, and you’ll enjoy it way more. Yes, the fact that she can dance like mad and run faster than a man in them doesn’t make sense-but I’m too intrigued by the fact that her character wants to, to care.
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Yes, trampling over graveled train tracks in heels doesn’t make sense-but I’m too excited about the gorgeous setting and lighting and cinematography to care. But even those scenes aren’t without charm. It’s remembered as an ‘80’s movie’ for silly, surface reasons, but really, it’s a human movie.ĭon’t get me wrong, it’s not without its stupid scenes, most of which do involve high heels. It’s mistaken for a glamorous romp about a girl with high heels on, when really, it’s the struggle of a woman alternating between bare feet and work boots. I think it has to do with it being so iconic to its era that people have become blind to its timeless themes and legitimate beauty. In fact, I was so impressed by it that I watched it again a couple days later.
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Few take it seriously-it’s got a 30% on Rotten Tomatoes, and the screenplay got a Razzie.ĭid we see the same movie? Because to me, Flashdance is a cohesive and universally relatable work of art. When mentioning having recently seen this for the first time, more than anything I hear, “Too bad you didn’t see it in the ‘80‘s-it was great then, but now it doesn’t hold up.” Even people who like it seem to only like it ironically, for its leg warmers and soundtrack. Flashdance (1983) Written by Thomas Hedley Jr.