{"id":1110,"date":"2016-09-07T15:42:43","date_gmt":"2016-09-07T15:42:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/?p=1110"},"modified":"2018-08-07T02:50:32","modified_gmt":"2018-08-07T02:50:32","slug":"theatre-in-film-a-chorus-line-1985","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/theatre-in-film-a-chorus-line-1985\/","title":{"rendered":"Theatre in Film: A Chorus Line (1985)"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"fusion-one-full fusion-layout-column fusion-column-last fusion-spacing-yes section-header-post\" style=\"margin-top:;margin-bottom:;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper\"><h3>Theatre in Film: <em>A Chorus Line<\/em> (1985)<\/h3>\n<font size=\"2\" color=\"grey\"><span style=\"border:1px solid ;-webkit-border-radius:50%;-moz-border-radius:50%;border-radius:50%;-moz-box-shadow: 0 0 3px rgba(0,0,0,.3);-webkit-box-shadow: 0 0 3px rgba(0,0,0,.3);box-shadow: 0 0 3px rgba(0,0,0,.3);margin-right:25px;float:left;\" class=\"fusion-imageframe imageframe-glow imageframe-1 hover-type-none author-image\"><a class=\"fusion-no-lightbox\" href=\"http:\/\/performerstuff.com\" target=\"_self\"> <img src=\"http:\/\/mgs.performerstuff.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/authorimage.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"img-responsive\" style=\"-webkit-border-radius:50%;-moz-border-radius:50%;border-radius:50%;\"\/><\/a><\/span><p>Written by Ashleigh Gardner<\/p>\n<p>September 6, 2016<\/p>\n<\/font><div class=\"fusion-clearfix\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-clearfix\"><\/div><div class=\"fusion-one-full fusion-layout-column fusion-column-last fusion-spacing-yes section-body-post\" style=\"margin-top:;margin-bottom:;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper\"><p style=\"text-align: left;\">Have a love affair with theatre\u00a0<em>and\u00a0<\/em>film? Me too! It\u2019s an ongoing relationship that\u2019s a thrill to have, and Performer Stuff\u2019s\u00a0Theatre in Film series celebrates the\u00a0great films that effectively depict a life in the theatre.<em>\u00a0<\/em>Part III\u00a0in our ongoing\u00a0tribute to theatre-centric cinema continues\u00a0with the 1985 stage-to-screen\u00a0adaptation of Kirkwood, Dante,\u00a0<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hamlisch, and Keban\u2019s Broadway musical\u00a0<em>A Chorus Line.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: left;\"><em>A Chorus Line<\/em>\u00a0(1985)<\/h4>\n<br><div align=\"center\"><div class=\"fusion-video fusion-youtube\" style=\"max-width:600px;max-height:350px;\"><div class=\"video-shortcode\"><iframe title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/q6H97werl_A?wmode=transparent&autoplay=0\" width=\"600\" height=\"350\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div><\/div><\/div><br><p><b>Director: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Richard Attenborough<br \/>\n<\/span><b>Starring: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Michael Douglas, Terrence Mann, Alyson Reed, and Sharon Brown<\/span><\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: left;\">What happens:<\/h4>\n<br><p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dancers from all over New York gather on the stage of a Broadway theatre in hopes of being cast, not as a lead role, but in the chorus of the next hit Broadway show. The show\u2019s choreographer, Zach (Michael Douglas), is a gruff, no-nonsense overseer and his tough yet gentle assistant choreographer, Larry (Terrence Mann), commands the stage as he orchestrates audition routine after routine. Zach\u2019s secretary, Kim (Sharon Brown), does her best to keep the auditions running smoothly, and all three &#8212; Zach, Larry, and Kim &#8212; attempt to deal with the arrival of Zach\u2019s ex-girlfriend, Carrie, a former Broadway dancer who has had her fill of Hollywood and is back in New York seeking a job. <\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Zach cuts the hopefuls down to 16 dancers, all from different backgrounds and experience levels. He informs them that this won\u2019t be like other auditions. \u201cI don\u2019t want anybody to try to act,\u201d he says. He wants dancers who are vulnerable, real. Zach grills them on who they are as people, initiating a sort of therapy session, and what transpires over the next hour and a half is an interweaved set of stories from each dancer in which every performer attempts to show Zach that they can dance and bear their soul at the same time.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: left;\">Why it matters:<\/h4>\n<br><p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Though our \u201cTheatre in Film\u201d series generally focuses on the importance of a film and the themes of theatre it explores, sometimes a side trip is necessary in order to explore why a theatre-centric film does so <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">poorly. <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We think that movies should be the most capable of capturing theatre the best; after all, film comes from theatre. Sometimes, however, a director\u2019s understanding of how to adapt the spirit of theatre to the screen encounters difficulty. This is one of those times. <\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A Chorus Line<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, upon its 1985 release, was hailed by only four prominent reviewers as a hit. Nine others gave it lukewarm to negative reviews, one reviewer calling it \u201can expensive souvenir program\u201d. Why did it do so poorly? The answer may lie in aspects that are entirely the tragic fault of director Attenborough. The stage musical expresses the reality of theatrical life while including Hamlisch and Kleban\u2019s music and lyrics; the screen adaption, instead, can\u2019t seem to decide on whether it\u2019s a straight play <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">or <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">a musical. Musicals, by nature, occur in heightened realities of fantasy and therefore require a heightened style of acting to match the fantastical spirit of their musical numbers. Attenborough\u2019s cast acts for the camera, not the overall musical story, and it results in choppy tone shifts (which aren\u2019t helped by the tinny, false, pre-recorded sound of every song). The honesty expressed by characters while they monologue doesn\u2019t transfer to their respective musical numbers. And the most detrimental aspect of this film\u2019s effect on the story of <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A Chorus Line<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">? Flashback moments from Carrie\u2019s point of view that aren\u2019t clearly shown to be flashbacks (unless you count the change in the length of her hair &#8212; long in flashbacks and short in the present). The way these moments are edited together make it appear as though there is a passing of time <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">forward<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> instead of a flash to the past. <\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, despite being condemned by most critics as a mediocre, ineffective, corny, halfhearted, and tonally inconsistent attempt at a stage-to-screen musical adaptation, the film achieves exactly what it\u2019s meant to: a slice of life portrait of the inner workings of a Broadway dance audition. <\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We see every step of the process: dancers arriving at the theatre, obtaining their audition numbers, getting dressed in tights and legwarmers and leotards, learning the combinations, and then celebrating their triumphs when they make the cut&#8230;or mourning their failures when they don\u2019t. The love story between Zach and Carrie, although a bit distracting, reminds us of complications that can occur when love is found in the midst of our professional lives, especially when that love is found <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">through <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the profession. <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A Chorus Line <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">displays what a tough business theatre is, especially for dancers, who must endure the harsh judgement of directors, and whose livelihood and legacy may depend upon one shot at something big.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Below is an alternate trailer &#8212; more of a commercial &#8212; that shows various actors from the film\u00a0briefly talking about what\u00a0<em>A Chorus Line\u00a0<\/em>is about in terms of the business of theatre. &#8220;You&#8217;re either in&#8230;or you&#8217;re out.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"fusion-video fusion-youtube\" style=\"max-width:600px;max-height:350px;\"><div class=\"video-shortcode\"><iframe title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/POQstRUyjFo?wmode=transparent&autoplay=0\" width=\"600\" height=\"350\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div><\/div><br><br><p>This film is the first featured in Part III of \u201cTheatre in Film\u201d. See below for the others in Part III.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/theatre-in-film-series-all-that-jazz-1979\/\"><strong><em>All That Jazz\u00a0<\/em>(1979)<\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/theatre-in-film-series-tootsie-1982\/\"><strong><em>Tootsie<\/em>\u00a0(1982)<\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/theatre-in-film-the-dresser-1983\/\"><strong><em>The Dresser<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0<strong>(1983)<\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/theatre-in-film-to-be-or-not-to-be-1983\/\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong><em>To Be Or Not To Be\u00a0<\/em>(1983)<\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Want to start with\u00a0<strong>Part I<\/strong>? Check out\u00a0<strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em><a href=\"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/theatre-in-film-42nd-street-1933\/\">42nd Street\u00a0<\/a><\/em><\/span>(1933)<\/strong>. Didn\u2019t get to read\u00a0<strong>Part II<\/strong>?\u00a0Begin with\u00a0<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em><a href=\"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/theatre-in-film-series-the-band-wagon-1953\/\"><strong>The<\/strong>\u00a0<strong>Band Wagon\u00a0<\/strong><\/a><\/em><\/span><strong>(1953)<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fusion-clearfix\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-clearfix\"><\/div><hr \/>\n<h5 style=\"text-align: left;\"><em><strong>Ashleigh Gardner<\/strong>\u00a0received her AA in Theatre\/Drama\/Dramatic Arts\u00a0from Valencia College and\u00a0her Bachelors Degree in English Literature and\u00a0Masters Degree in Literary, Cultural, and Textual Studies from\u00a0the University of Central Florida. She is a playwright, an actor, and PerformerStuff.com\u2019s Editor.\u00a0<\/em><\/h5>\n<h5 style=\"text-align: left;\">Thumbnail image from\u00a0<em>A Chorus Line.\u00a0<\/em>Copyright \u00a9 Columbia Pictures 1985.<\/h5>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" [...]","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1111,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[259,265],"tags":[388,106,319,80,56,14],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1110"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1110"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1110\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1111"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1110"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1110"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1110"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}