Fame (1980)

Load of rubbish!!

Admirable film.

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

Ginger Rogers, Katherine Hepburn and Frank Sinatra, fame is associated with glitz and glamour, big parties, more money than you can ever could dream off and millions of adoring fans all screaming your name. But what they don't tell you is that fame can also be associated with a world of no trust, self loathing, and drug abuse, loss of a perspective or reality and heart break. For every rags to riches story, is a slow painful descent from the heavens and the stars into a hell were you constantly face the dark side of humanity. For every Beyonce there is a Marilyn Monroe, for every Clint eastwood there is a Kurt Cobain and for every Jerry Seinfeld there is a Michael Jackson. Fame has the beautiful, yet macabre ability to change some people's lives, and destroy others. So why do we risk so much and seek it so adamantly? Everyone has their own reason for wanting fame, but the most common is our quest for acceptance, and when you're a young teenager in the most populated city on earth, you can still feel more isolated than if you were the only person there. 1980 was the very forefront of the massive boom in coming of age films, which details the lives of young people and their trials and tribulations of the difficult and confusing transition into adulthood whilst trying to recover from pain of watching their childhood end. But whilst later films like Dazed and Confused and American Pie took more of a light hearted and humorous tone, it was Alan Parker who brought us a more realistic, gritty and niche magnifying glass into the lives of teens in New York City. They come from all walks of life, from the poor Bronx to the right upper eastside of Manhattan, however what they all have in common is a whole lot of ambition, dreams and talent and insatiable hunger for fame, but the world is cruel and not everyone has what it takes to make it. Over the course of; Auditions, freshman, sophomore, junior and senior year we follow the lives of; Leroy (Gene Anthony Ray) the hot headed naturally gifted dancer who can't read, Montgomery (Paul McCrane) a ultra serious thespian struggling to come to terms with his homosexuality, Ralph a street wise compulsive liar, Bruno (Lee Curreri) who is by far ahead of his time and lastly Doris a personality less shrinking violet who soon learns to blossom. Besides Doris who seems forced by her mother to pursue a life in the creative arts, the exact motivations for each of the main characters reasons for wanting fame is generally unclear and the film never really explicitly defines them, but as the audience we don't care because in each of these kids we see a little bit of ourselves, and thus will them to success with all our hearts. Similar to a Robert Altman film we weave effortlessly through the ensembles lives, experiencing their uplifting highs as well as their crushing lows as if we were actually standing right next to them throughout. Warning don't expect any fairy tales and happily ever afters in Fame; there is abortion, exploitation, attempted suicide, racial divides, death and drug abuse in Christopher Gore script that never stops shocking you and sending you on an emotional roller-coaster, as you immerse yourselves in the lives of these teens, laughing and crying as they do and eventually falling in love with them. Working so expertly with such a young cast of relatively unknowns and producing such a excellent piece of filmmaking, wasn't a flash in the pan or fluke by Alan Parker, because you just have to look back to the toe tapping all kids gangster musical Bugsy Malone as a further demonstration of Parkers ability to work so well and nurture young talent into giving such breath taking performance. In particular the one that stood out to me the most in Fame was Barry Miller as Ralph we was able to pull of the most dynamic and layered character with ease and charm, but never being afraid to lay out his entire soul to the audience. You just have to look at the scene he shares with his mother, sister and preacher in church as an example, a scene absolutely dripping with raw emotion. I personally was one of those people to fall in love not just with the characters but with the film as a whole because it has the grace of ballerina, the power of a Ballard and the ability to provoke thought like a Shakespearean actor. Fame stands fearless, toe to toe with controversy and bat an eye lid, but it's not serious all the time there is a swimming pool full of fun gushing into every scene; the boys in the toilets trying to see into the girls changing rooms and the spontaneous soul-drenched dance numbers, that gallivanted a whole generation of New Yorkers to risk a beat down and try to pirouette on top of a taxi if you haven't already laughed enough. Bring him a well deserved BAFTA nomination, Fame sits aptly next Mississippi Burning and American Express as some of Alan's greatest crowning achievements, which helped him win BAFTA Academy Fellowship Award, the highest honour the British Film Academy can give any filmmaker in 2013. While the immediate legacy of Fame was the double Oscar Winning sing- along inspiring song named 'Fame' named after the film which won the film an Oscar for best original score and a Oscar for best song for Michael Gore. But what really stands out was the films ability to influence later coming of age films in the likes of Footloose and The Breakfast Club, however it should come as great surprise to know that the film only ranked at #42 on Entertainment Weekly's 2006 list of the "50 Best High School Movies". Shocking!

Fame is a film that is set at New York's High School of Performing Arts.It focuses on talented teens that train for showbiz careers. The story concentrates on five of the most gifted students namely:singer Coco Hernander,actor Ralph Garci/Raul Garcia,actor Leroy Johnson, and musician Bruno Martelli.They also include the story of the faculty members such as:Mr. Benjamin Shorofsky,a musical instructor; Elizabeth Sherwood,an English teacher; and Lydia,a dance instructor. The story covers four years of High School.It stars Lee Curreri,Irene Cara,Paul McCrane,Maureen Teefy,Barry Miller and Debbie Allen.Alan Parker directed the film.This is definitely an entertaining musical film.Anyone who wants to reminisce the 80's and their high school days will surely appreciate it.Aside from that,we are treated to great songs,musical performances and dance numbers.Who could forget Irene Cara's Oscar winning song,Fame and her other Oscar nominated song,Out Here on My Own?Aside from that,we are also treated to stories about High School students that experience different issues in life such as peer pressure,their sensitivity,overcoming pressures and expectations when showcasing their talents and achieving their potential in life.It may not be realistic all the time but is still one movie that will still surely enjoy after all these years.

I only watched this movie because I wanted to see it before I'm going to watch the new version.'Fame' is from the early eighties and one can clearly see and hear the stereotypical eighties' fashion style and music style. This gives me a somewhat nostalgic feeling of that period.The movie follows some students as they strive to become successful performing artists. They all go to school in New York and they all have so many hopes for their future.You really get to feel the eighties' spirit when you watch this movie and the movie has probably been spectacular at the time it premiered but I think that the eighties are very weird and entertaining. This movie is a classic of its time and I'm now looking forward to seeing the new up-to-date version of this same story.

Fame was released in the U.S. a year before I was born; I was too young to ever remember the original version of Fame- and yet I heard and read numerous things about it. Such as the fact that it spawned a TV series and that its soundtrack was led by the Irene Cara, Giogio Moroder hit, 'Fame'.Fame was arguably the first of its kind to portray and showcase the world of performing arts in the form of a feature length film. The lives, the struggles, the hurdles the students and some of the teachers undergo themselves were under the eye of the viewers.The performances were great, yet one which caught my eye in particular was Gene Anthony Ray, who played the troublesome yet promising Leroy. Angry, frustrated and at first rude, his character later became less angry and frustrated and more committed to his studies- not just with the practical in the performing but in the theoretical too. Irene Cara was good as Coco- the scene with her taking her blouse off while some pervy director was filming her was rather discomforting to watch-, as well as Paul McCrane for his amazing portrayal of a vulnerable but closeted homosexual trying to cope with life and enrolling on a performing arts school in New York, after he had been kicked out of the military when he told them he was gay. Ralph played by Barry Miller was interesting but at times, his character did grate on my nerves.The choreography was excellent, there were some good dance numbers involved and the 'hot lunch' scene in the cafeteria was worth watching. Another scene that was great was when the 'Fame' song was played and all the kids started rushing out into the streets of New York and danced wildly and without a care in the world. It was a street jam like no other.The only star to ever truly benefit from this in the long run was and is Debbie Allen- she later became a producer, director and star- though she mostly worked behind the scenes on shows such as Everybody Hates Chris and The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. Paul McCrane later went on to star alongside Peter Weller in the movie, 'Robocop', where he played a villain and E.R. as the judgemental, obnoxious Doctor Romano.British director Alan Parker shot this really well- he allowed the performers to dance, act, sing to their hearts content without wanting to interfere with and affect their styles.Throughout the duration of the movie, we see the various stages the students encounter during their 4 years- from their auditions to freshman year, all the way up to graduation in New York's High School For The Arts.Fame is one of those movies which caters for or is aimed at a particular audience that isn't necessarily the general mainstream movie loving community- it is definitely NOT for everyone.I for one enjoyed it because I have an interest in the arts- not technically in terms of being a performer because I am not one but as someone who appreciates that creativity and artistic expression can be channelled through hard work, commitment and passion towards what one does with their talents. Therefore, if you are an aspiring dancer, actor- or just someone who is creative, you might be interested in a movie such as this- though whether the events in Fame are anything like what it is in a performing arts college/school in real life, then that is a completely different matter altogether.The 2009 remake of this movie was released recently and frankly, it virtually pales by comparison. As for the original Fame, almost 30 years on though yes it is a bit dated but it is still a great movie, nonetheless.It's not an outright classic but as a 80s cult classic, in line with other 80s dance hit movies, such as Footloose and Flashdance, Fame hits the spot. Isn't it a coincidence that all those dance movies begin with the letter 'F'? Gritty, moving and intriguing, this one is worth a watch.