FLASHDANCE: Paramount Presents...Blu-ray reissue (Paramount, 1983) Paramount Home Video

In 1697, famed French author, Charles Perrault wrote an endearing and enduring fable about a scullery girl who marries a prince. In the roughly 300+ years since, that story has been told countless times, and, in a myriad of permutations. Today, Perrault’s Cinderella is alive and well. Walt Disney built an entire empire on its legacy. But the sentiment behind the dream that is a wish the heart makes, can equally apply to both sexes and, in fact, never entirely departs our consciousness, even after the twilight of our youth. Perhaps this, above all else, remains the strength in Perrault’s escapist fantasy - that at any moment we might achieve the impossible with just a little faith, guidance and perpetuation of belief in ourselves. It remains a powerful notion, that miracles can and do occur, unearthed from even the most graceless profession, location and time. In the case of Adrian Lyne’s Flashdance (1983 – and jokingly referred to as ‘flesh’ dance), our simple country girl has morphed into an uninhibited exotic dancer with dreams of becoming a ballet dancer in Pittsburgh, circa 1983. Ah me, the 80’s - a period in American movie culture thought to be on its death bed a scant three years earlier, only to be joyously resuscitated during the Reagan era.

For one reason or another, audiences who had all but shunned movie culture in the late 1970’s began to fall in love with going to the movies all over again in the ‘80’s; a renaissance in Hollywood partly owed Ronald Reagan’s presidency. Reagan had, of course, been an actor during Hollywood’s golden era, had watched as the merciless cost-cutting and government interventions and scandals of the mid-1950’s, systematically pulverized these seemingly indestructible bastions of American entertainment to rubble by the late 1960’s. By 1971, the movie business was hardly desirable – the land of dreams, now Hollywood Babylon.  While pundits penned their dirges and eulogies to the Hollywood of yore, suggesting an era not too far off when society would look back on going to the movies with the same fondness as riding in a horse and buggy, the backlots bulldozed to make way for condos and high-rises, Reagan was busy passing legislation to reverse the Consent Decrees of 1950, effectively to allow studios again to acquire and expand their corporate holdings. Unimpeded, the surviving majors dug in their heels as, perhaps, never before, becoming corporate-owned conglomerates, once more interested in the art and craft of picture-making. Regrettably, for some, this salvation came too late – particularly MGM and United Artists.

But an even more phenomenal revivification was afoot in 1983 - the return of the audience into theaters and the worldwide debut of the home video market. This latter, unanticipated turn of events took off as few in the industry might have supposed. Perhaps in their decade-long abstinence, audiences had awakened to the realization of what had almost been lost to them for all time, returning in ever-increasing numbers and raise the demand for more and more studio-grown product. Of all the studios to have survived the mid-70’s lean years and deluge, perhaps none was more primed for a comeback than Paramount – the studio that had played host to the likes of Cecil B. De Mille, Billy Wilder and Ernest Lubtisch among others, but had effectively slid into ninth place just prior to the instating of Robert Evans as its production chief in 1970. Evans took risks – ones that paid off rather handsomely, and, by 1980, Paramount was on very solid ground. If a dream is indeed a wish the heart makes, then Evans’ wishes were being amply granted and pushed to the front of the line, the studio’s upswing continuing under newly instated production chief, Don Simpson.

With its Cinderella-esque tale of a headstrong female welder/part-time exotic dancer who has steadfast dreams of making it big in the legitimate world of dance, Flashdance was precisely the sort of feminist ‘feel good’ audiences had been secretly craving. The improbability of this scenario mattered not in 1983. In fact, it helped stir the precepts of the Cinderella fable anew for a generation since jaded by senate probes, wage freezes, oil embargoes and a foundering middle class, plagued by chronic unemployment and recession. Setting Flashdance at the epicenter of this bewildered/disillusioned, and, economically depressed pop culture anchored the story, not only in a reality most could relate to, but also an immediate believability that made everyone cheer for the fictional heroine, Alex Owens. Jennifer Beals is not Central Casting beautiful, but earthy, blue collar, exceptionally gifted and essentially genuine – all necessary traits to make the transformation take hold of the heart. The movie’s transformative quality – from gutsy go-getter to amiable Junior Miss with an attitude – is precisely what brought audiences into theaters in 1983; that, with a little willful passion and an awful lot of penetrating effort, one could rise above circumstances on their own individual terms, but without sacrificing personal integrity to make their achievements stick. What a feeling, indeed!

Flashdance was first brought to the attention of producer, Linda Obst by screenwriter, Tom Hedley, who had written it based on the experiences of woman who danced in bars in Vancouver. The distinction made was that these women did not dance to strip, but toiled with aspirations of becoming legitimate dancers someday. Obst, who had been unhappily working at Casablanca Films took a leap of faith, sharing his concept with producer, Jerry Bruckheimer and Don Simpson. Obst saw Flashdance as a woman’s empowerment piece. Bruckheimer pursued Adrian Lyne to direct – an assignment Lyne was less than enthusiastic to accept – at first. Bruckheimer concurred. The script needed work. So, Rolling Stone writer, Joe Esterhas was brought in to juice-up the scenario. Six months later, Lyne was contacted again, greatly impressed by the reshaping, but even more so with Simpson’s overwhelming passion for the projection. In one, 9-hour phone session, the terms were agreed upon and Flashdance began its 2-week location shoot in Pittsburgh. Lyne exploited the town’s postmodern landscape of abandoned factories to stunning effect, his keen artistic sense, relishing the urban decay to create a sort of contemporary ‘love among the ruins’ between Alex Owen and Nick Hurley (Michael Nouri).

Nouri’s participation on the project was kismet. He had contemplated The Osterman Weekend for director, Sam Peckinpah, a deal practically signed when Flashdance was brought to his attention. In viewing Flashdance today, one is immediately struck by Nouri’s stillness, his ability to convey so much while appearing to do so little, his rectitude and introspection, the perfect counterbalance to Jennifer Beals’ fiery disposition. Beals – a Cinderella story if ever there was one - just seventeen at the time, was on a layover in New York after her luggage was lost on a return trip from Europe, placing her at the right place, at the right time, to audition for the part. Adrian Lyne was immediately struck by Beals’ ability to simultaneously convey vulnerability and yet, great determination. From the moment he set eyes on her, Lyne was most enthusiastic to have Beals in the movie. It took Bruckheimer a little longer to warm up to the idea. Only after several other actresses – including Cynthia Rhodes - were tested, and, in fact, Michael Eisner intervened, did Beals get the part.

From the onset it was apparent Beals lacked the precision of a trained dancer. Thus, much of her routines were an ingenious amalgam of Beals, shot in close-up, and, at least two other dancers and a gymnast – one male – cleverly photographed in silhouette, or half-shadow, skillfully edited in such a way as to be virtually imperceptible to the naked eye. In the meantime, Lyne went about crafting the visual look of Flashdance from a patchwork of principle photographed lensed in Pittsburgh and L.A. and sets expressly built for the production at Paramount, including Mawby’s Bar – the hub for so many of the story’s pivotal moments and virtually all except for two of its memorable dance routines. Flashdance begins with a few bars of ‘What A Feeling’ – the iconic Giorgio Moroder pop tune, sung with genuine passion by Irene Cara – laid under a montage as welder, Alex Owens bicycles on her way to work through the gritty downtown streets of Pittsburgh, photographed in the steely blue-gray of dawn. To her coworkers at the construction site, Alex is just one of the guys. Indeed, she even goes unnoticed by her boss, Nick Hurley (Michael Nouri) until he turns up one evening at Mawby’s Bar – a blue collar watering hole where the mostly male clientele come to watch supple young women perform exotic dances. Alex is just one of the headliners at this club, performing a stunning routine with cascading water, backlit to accentuate the splash effects and fairly setting Nick’s heart on fire in the process.

The next day, Nick makes a play for Alex during her lunch break at the construction site. She’s polite, but adamant about not entertaining his romantic ideas, repeatedly turning him down for lunch and dinner engagements and making it quite clear she has no intentions of getting involved with the boss. Nick’s persistent, however, and congenial to a fault. Alex, on the other hand, is a spitfire. Her best friend is Jeanie Szabo (Sunny Johnson), an insecure waitress at the club who becomes disillusioned and self-destructive after her boyfriend - wannabe comedian, Richie (Kyle T. Heffner) - makes an impromptu decision to go to Hollywood without her. Alex’s mentor is Hannah Long (Lilia Skala), an ex-Ziegfeld showgirl turned seamstress who sews all of Alex’s costumes, but senses the girl’s deeper passion is to belong to another world. Hannah takes Alex to the ballet and encourages her to audition for the local repertory company. In the meantime, local hustler, Johnny C. (Lee Ving) has his eyes on Alex and Jeanie, hoping to lure them away from Jake Mawby’s (Ron Karabatsos) bar into his seedy underworld of sex trade prostitution. Alex is not interested and neither is Jeanie at first. But Johnny chips away at Jeanie’s self-respect after Richie leaves town, especially after Jeannie’s dreams of becoming a professional skater are dashed in a disastrous performance on the ice.

In the meantime, Alex has decided to allow Nick to pursue her. Taking Nick back to her place – a makeshift apartment converted from an industrial loft – Alex seduces Nick on her own terms and the two become lovers. Everything seems to be going just fine, until Alex accidentally observes Nick leaving the ballet with a blonde. Riding her bicycle back to Nick’s house, Alex hurls a rock through his picture window before peddling off in a rage. The next day at work, she confronts Nick who confesses to attending the ballet with his ex-wife, Katie (Belinda Bauer) because both belong on the artists’ committee. Adrian Lyne’s direction is rather ambivalent about whether or not Nick took Katie home with him. But Nick’s explanation of events seems to satisfy Alex who, rather sheepishly, forgives him.  To prove his loyalty, Nick decides to pull a few strings on the art’s council, thus ensuring Alex will be invited by the committee to audition, despite her lack of formal training. Alex knows nothing of Nick’s philanthropy and is elated when the letter of admittance arrives, immediately sharing her good fortune with Hannah who could not be more pleased. To celebrate, Nick takes Alex to a fashionable restaurant where the two are confronted by Katie. The moment is fraught with friction, diffused only after Alex stands her ground and reveals to the ex, she is currently having an affair with Nick. It is a near perfect triumph, until Nick lets it slip on the car ride home, he knew about Alex’s invitation before she did, thereby exposing his hand in securing her the audition.

Humiliated by this realization, Alex storms off in a rage, striking Nick and rushing to Hannah’s for guidance only to discover from her landlady (Ann Muffly) Hannah has died in her sleep. Rescuing Jeanie from Johnny C.’s seedy nightclub - a lifestyle that could only lead to self-degradation and despair - Alex decides to grasp at the brass ring of success by auditioning for the committee anyway and win them over on her own terms. Nervous, Alex flubs her first attempt, but valiantly regroups, girding her resolve to perform a stunning routine - an eclectic mix of traditional ballet, exotic expressionism, and, even with bits of break-dancing (then on the cusp of becoming mainstream). Her audacity and sheer energy dazzle the committee. Emerging from the audition invigorated, and with the understanding that, today begins her life anew, Alex finds Nick waiting for her with an apology of roses. Alex removes a single long stem from his bouquet and giving it back to Nick, her gesture in gratitude for his having courage and faith in her, to have changed the circumstances of her life now, and very much, for the better.

Flashdance is a ‘feel good’ times ten; having lost none of its charm in the intervening decades. At times, Adrian Lyne’s direction becomes just a tad episodic. Several sequences degenerate into lengthy montages, barely linked together by the movie’s chart-topping soundtrack. This includes Cycle V’s ‘Seduce Me Tonight,’ Michael Sembello’s ‘Maniac’, and Joe Esposito’s memorable love ballad, ‘Lady, Lady, Lady’ among other instantly recognizable hits. There is a genuine, if extremely volatile, sexual chemistry brewing between Beals and Nouri. It really is hard to believe Beals was only seventeen when she made this movie. Her demeanor suggests a woman of the world well beyond her years. As a couple, Beals and Nouri emit some fairly potent sparks, the trick here - almost nothing occurs of the usual garden variety ‘sweatin’ up the sheets’ Hollywood never tires of exploiting. With the exception of a few cutaways to Beals and Nouri laying together in bed, almost all of Alex and Nick’s liaisons are played vertically, leaving most of what went on behind closed doors enough of a mystery to tantalize.

Michael Kaplan’s stripped-down wardrobe, favoring cutoff sweatshirts, leotards, leggings and leg warmers, created something of a minor fashion trend upon the movie’s release. It’s the clothing, and perhaps the hairstyles, that date Flashdance as a movie-land byproduct from the 1980’s. But otherwise, the movie remains as refreshing to see nearly 40 years later. Flashdance really does hold up, even from today’s jaded vantage and scrutiny. I suspect the picture will likely continues to work its magic because at its core its precepts are still very much aligned with Perrault’s impoverished scullery gal – a timeless resource, undiminished by the passing parade of youth, unencumbered by the evolution of style itself, and, as ever-relevant in this ever-changing world of ours because daydreams never die. What a feeling, indeed!

Paramount Home Video has reissued Flashdance as part of their Paramount presents…line up. In 2013, Paramount was merely content to license the picture to Warner Home Video for distribution. Comparing the new Blu with the old Warner release, one finds image quality to be virtually identical, despite the studio’s latest claim to having been derived from a newly mastered 4K source. Flashdance looks spectacular. Colors pop, with vibrant, deeply saturated reds, earthy brown and very natural flesh tones. Contrast is superb with velvety rich blacks and very crisp whites. Grain is appealingly rendered. Fine details abound. We get textures in brick and foliage, hair and skin, to add yet another layer of grittiness to the story: truly, a superior remastering effort. The 5.1 DTS audio sounds identical to the previously issued Blu-ray. Dialogue sounds quite natural and the pop soundtrack thunders with an intensity unheard – except, arguably, during the movie’s theatrical release.

While I cannot fault Paramount for either its packaging, to feature original poster art and lovely inserts and additional artwork, nor the quality of the 1080p transfer here (although, it remains suspiciously alike to the previously released Blu-ray) what I cannot abide is the studio’s short-shrift approach to extra content. The Warner Blu-ray included 5 featurettes, produced by Laurent Bouzereau, whose distinguished career has given us some very fine supplemental material over the years. These featurettes provided invaluable and fairly comprehensive coverage of the creation of Flashdance, with input from Bruckheimer, Lyne, Nouri and others in the cast and crew. Those extras, totaling an hours’ worth of content, have since been replaced by barely an 8 min. intro from director, Adrian Lyne, and the inclusion of only 2 of the original 5 featurettes devoted to The Look of Flashdance, and its ‘Phenomenon’. Cumulatively, these extras barely fill 20 mins. Why Paramount should be focusing these ‘supposedly definitive’ collector’s editions by cleaving original extra content is beyond me. It’s just a very dumb and very silly marketing ploy. New packaging is great, folks. But it doesn’t substitute for great content. Never did. Never will. Bottom line: given the absurd excision of original extras and the striking similarities between this 1080p transfer and the one already on tap, released through Warner Home Video, I don’t much see the point double-dipping for this reissue. So, judge and buy accordingly.

FILM RATING (out of 5 – 5 being the best)

4

VIDEO/AUDIO

5+

EXTRAS

2