Style: Musical Drama
Director: Richard Attenborough
Starring: Michael Douglas, Terrence Mann, Alyson Reed, Audrey Landers
Working Time: 118 minutes
Synopsis: At a Broadway theatre, choreographer Zach (Michael Douglas) and his assistant Larry (Terrence Mann) are presiding over open auditions for eight spots on the refrain line of a brand new present. A big group of hopeful dancers is whittled all the way down to 17 finalists, and Zach prods them one after the other to reveal their souls and share their private tales earlier than he makes the ultimate cuts. The method is difficult by the unannounced arrival of light star Cassie (Alyson Reed), Zach’s former protege (and lover) now struggling for any dancing job.
What Works Properly: A difficult-to-film Broadway mega-hit arrives on the display with middling outcomes. Director Richard Attenborough respects the single-set confines, and gives key finalist dancers with simply sufficient definition to distinguish journeys and spotlight collective desperation. The musical numbers are stored comparatively brief, contributing to an in-control working time, whereas Michael Douglas conveys chain-smoking stress stemming from the twin accountability of choosing dancers and influencing profession trajectories.
What Does Not Work As Properly: Intimacy, vitality, and the sense of a shared however aggressive expertise are notably lacking. The story’s soul is relegated to the background, the pure ardour for dancing and the sacrifice to attain a shot at nameless on-stage participation misplaced within the shuffle. In cinematic phrases, solely two musical numbers soar: Dance Ten; Appears Three (carried out by Audrey Landers as Val) and the ironic finale and show-stopper One (by the ensemble). The few flashbacks to the historical past between Zach and Cassie simply get in the way in which.
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