A Chorus Line

Buy This Item A Chorus Line by MGM (Video & DVD)  Available from Amazon  $7.49  on 9-21-2008     Michael Douglas stars as a choreographer who subjects 16 dancers to a grueling audition in this Academy AwardÂ(r)-nominated* adaptation of the landmark Broadway musical. Featuring Marvin Hamlisch's OscarÂ(r)-nominated* music and Jeffrey Hornaday's (Flashdance) sizzling choreography, this thrilling portrayal of life behind the velvet curtain is truly "One Singular Sensation"! After narrowing down hundreds of Broadway hopefuls, Zach (Douglas) leads a select group of dancers on the tryout of their lives. In an audition twist, Zach asks each performer personal and intimate questionswith results that powerfully affect not only the young performers but the hardened stage veteran as well. *1985: Original Song, Sound, Film Editing Reader Reviews I've never seen this on stage so I can't compare the film to the original production. I can imagine that it must have been dazzling at the time. The concept of introducing the dancers as real people is great and enables us to care about them over and beyond their ability to dance. The whole Broadway mystique is evoked and one is amazed at the sacrifices these people make for the love of dance and the theater. Most of the cast was good. I can understand that the choices were for excellent dancers, first, then some singing ability and some looks and personality, plus a diversity of sexes, ethnic groups etc. They managed to come up with a pretty good group although I did find some of them forgettable. I thought Michael Douglas was actually quite good as the hyper-talented but bastardly choreographer. The weak spot in the film was the character of Cassie, who plays a central part in the story. She is a great dancer and can sing well enough but has no charisma and is generally painful to watch (especially in the flashback scenes in which she has really horrible hair!) One has a hard time imagining Michael Douglas in love with her. If a more sympathetic or attractive woman had filled that role, the whole film would have had more sparkle. I think that a major attraction for the musical was its novelty--a style that was breakthrough at the time but it which has been imitated so frequently that by now, unless it's done really well, it's a bit lackluster. I think diehard dance fans will enjoy it more than the general public.

A Chorus Line Available from Amazon Price: $7.49 Updated on 9-21-2008.

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