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You see, unlike other musical products like Grease or Cry Baby, films like Flashdance and Footloose, though undeniably entertaining, are definitely products of their time.
In terms of Flashdance
– one of the first films for uber producer Jerry Bruckheimer - there’s
just something so indisputably daggy about jumbo headphones, fluoro
leg-warmers and outrageous perms in today’s age that we perhaps
considered the norm back in the Reagan era. And considering Flashdance
was as much about the female fashions, as it was ‘that audition’, it
was ultimately only going to hurt the viewing experience in the years
to come. Unlike Grease, Flashdance also took itself so gravely serious that the appeal was undoubtedly going to wane once the fads, fashion and storyline dated.
Still,
looking back on it, you can understand why we all went ga-ga for it –
it had an infectious soundtrack, a great lead (though not classically
beautiful, Jennifer Beals still had “something”), and a rousing
storyline (girl wants to dance, girl gets the chance to show
prestigious school what she’s made of) that also became sort of a
musical staple in the 80s (Girls Just Want to Have Fun, being another example). It essentially had all the required elements and it worked…. Up until about 1988.
A Fun Time-Warp for fashion tragics.
EXTRAS
Unlike the previous release of Flashdance, this new 'Collector’s Edition'
actually comes with quite good extra features. There’s several
featurettes on the making of the movie (The History of Flashdance, The
Look of Flashdance, The Music and Songs, The Choreography, and The
Flashdance Phenomenon), as well as interviews with the major players,
but more so… there’s a CD featuring all the tunes from the movie, so
you can recreate the ‘Maniac’ scene over-and-over again in the comfort
of your own lounge room or, ah, bedroom - - just in case the rest of
the family is home at the time. Conclusion:
Movie 70% Extras: 70%
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