Warner Bros. | 1980 | 134 mins. | Rated R
Along with Grease and Saturday Night Live, 1980’s Fame was one of the films that provided the soundtrack for my childhood. My group of friends knew the words to every song; imagining they could sing like Coco or dance like Leroy. Watching the film again on Blu-ray, I realized that while times have changed—kids today might be more likely to pursue their dreams by trying out for American Idol, rather than preparing for a life as a touring musician—but the style of director Alan Parker’s (Midnight Express) still resonates. No matter the decade, there will always be a group of kids who yearn to be artists, to entertain, to be famous.
The film follows an eclectic group of talented students at New York’s Academy of Performing Arts from the moment they audition to the moment they graduate. While several kids move in an out of the story, it’s the tales of four students that make up the bulk of the narrative. There is Ralph (Barry Miller), the emotionally volatile comedian whose brash likability can quickly turn into vitriolic hatred; Doris (Maureen Teefy), the shy vocalist who longs to break out of her shell; Coco (Irene Cara), who aspires to be a multi-talented star, but whose blind ambition leads her down unexpected dark alleys; and Montgomery (Paul McCrane), the sensitive and caring musician who harbors a painful personal secret. A film that follows a group of students through four years at a performing arts school could have been an uninteresting mess. Fortunately, Christopher Gore’s Oscar nominated screenplay allows each of the main characters to fully develop, and choose their own path, throughout the course of the film.
Much to Gore’s credit, he males the story fairly gritty; we understand that in all likely hood, most of these kids won’t make it to the big time. Even if they do, we are privy to the rocky road it takes to get there. We share in the joy when the shy, quiet Doris lets loose at a midnight screening of Rocky Horror, cringe at the pain when Ralph’s one-man show ends after he starts popping pills to stay up late at night with new friends, shrug at the inevitability when we see the formerly popular acting student (Boyd Gaynes) who, years later, is working in a cheap diner to make ends meet, and we shiver when Coco, at the apartment of a man who claims to be a filmmaker, is forced to undress in front of the camera.
Hot of the Turkish prison drama Midnight Express, director Alan Parker was able to switch gears and effectively capture the drama and fun Christopher Gore’s script, and incorporate the celebrated score of Michael Gore—from the up tempo title cut, used as the students dance in the street in front of the school, to Coco’s tender reading of “Out Here On My Own.” Fame resonates after all of these years, because performer or not, anyone who went to high school is bound to recognize some of these kids. Some of us just wish we could have danced on the lunchroom tables too.
The 1.78:1 1080p/24 VC-1 presentation is pretty good for a film that’s thirty years old. Colors are surprisingly crisp, with no signs of fading or bleeding. While saturation levels are satisfying, black levels do seem a bit unnatural. However, this is likely caused by attempts to even out the contrast. The film has a more than slight film of grain throughout, which may leave some with the impression that this is only a slight step up from the DVD. While it’s definitely not reference grade material, fans of the film will like;y want to make the upgrade.
The soundtrack for Fame is provided in an English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless mix from Warner that expands the film’s original soundstage a bit with ambience in the surrounds and low frequencies that extend down to the mid-low range. Other than these upgrades, the sound remains front-heavy, with dialogue steady and clean. Most importantly, the musical numbers sound good, though there isn’t as much bass as I might have expected.
The special features are repeats of the DVD edition with no exclusives to the new high definition format.
• Commentary by Director Alan Parker: The director is insightful, as he offers his thoughts on how certain scenes were shot, and some interesting memories along the way.
• On Location with Fame (11.56) — This is an archival mini-documentary on the making of Fame.
• Fame Field Trip (10.59) — This featurette offers an updated look at the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts in New York City.It was originally shot for the 25 th anniversary DVD release.
• Interviews with Cast and Crew: It’s interesting to hear some of the cast give their thoughts, albeit, briefly, on the film.
• Theatrical Trailer
• Soundtrack Sampler (CD) — Contains “Fame” and other songs.
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