A Chorus Line (1985)
Review by HTQ4
Film:
DVD:

Written by Arnold Schulman, based on the play by Nicholas Dante & James Kirkwood Jr.
Original Music by Marvin Hamlisch
Directed by Richard Attenborough
Starring Michael Douglas, Alyson Reed, Vicki Frederick, Cameron English, Yamil Borges

Features:

• "Marvin Hamlisch: From Broadway to Hollywood" Featurette
  

Released by: MGM
Rating: PG-13
Region: 1
Anamorphic: Yes

My Advice: Own it, if you love musicals

Zach (Douglas) has a bad reputation for being a great director. His bad reputation is with the dancers as being a hardass in his auditions. This time, though, he's got something special in mind for his auditionees. Instead of just looking at a bunch of bodies moving around onstage, this time, he's going to ask them personal questions. So, what happens when a bunch of dancers get stripped of their anonymity... the only thing that has helped them through thousands of auditions before?

For people in the business, this is a show near and dear to everyone's heart. It shows how dangerous and humiliating the audition process can be, but it also shows what happens when performers are forced to do the one thing they never think about doing...being themselves. Douglas is perfect as the domineering and deadly director that every dancer wants to work for, but is scared to death to audition for. Attenborough really succeeded in capturing the feel of the stage show on film here. The choices he made for how to frame each shot to really show how naked these performers could feel. The casting choice for the auditionees is very strong: they are not very strong singers, but they move very well as dancers. The music is stunning, but the audio seems a little wrong, but I think it's just because my ears have grown accustomed to the amazing sound reproduction that we have in the early 21st century. After all, this movie was nominated for the Best Sound Oscar in 1985. Anyway, if you are part of this industry called entertainment, at least on the performance side of things, you really can't help but fall in love with this piece.

The DVD is a fair treatment of the movie. The featurette is nice, but it sure would be nice to get Attenborough's recollections down on a commentary track. I don't want to sound like I'm putting him in an early grave, but none of us are getting any younger, are we? How about a separate commentary track with some of the actors who played some of the dancers? Anyway, enough about what would have been needed on the disc and get down to talking about what's really there.

What they don't give us in a commentary track with Attenborough they more than make up for in the interview with Marvin Hamlisch. He talks up everything about this musical that you would ever want to know. He discusses everything from his days at Julliard to the type of piano on which he wrote the show. This is not just some little trivial little piece of fluff, this is Hamlisch talking about his experience with this show and how it has shaped his life in the days since. It really is wonderful. I have to say that it is complete, but somehow it makes you feel that if they were this thorough with this interview, how would interviews with the other cast and crew be? I really wanted more--which is testament to how good the film itself is.

So, if you are a lover of the American Musical, this movie simply must be on your shelf. And, if you are not that hardcore about musicals, you will definitely want to rent it. You won't be sorry.