Flashdance is a 1983 American romantic drama film directed by Adrian
Lyne and starring Jennifer Beals as a passionate young dancer who
aspires to become a professional ballerina (Alex), alongside Michael
Nouri playing her elder suitor and the owner of the steel mill where
she works by day in Pittsburgh. It was the first collaboration of
producers Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer, and the presentation of
some sequences in the style of music videos was an influence on other
1980s films including Footloose, Purple Rain, and Top Gun, Simpson and
Bruckheimer's most famous production. It was also one of Lyne's first
major film releases, building on a reputation for making popular
television commercials. Alex's elaborate dance sequences were shot
using body doubles (Beals' main double was the uncredited French
actress Marine Jahan, while a breakdance move was doubled by the male
dancer Crazy Legs).The film opened to negative reviews by professional
critics, including Roger Ebert, who panned it as "great sound and
flashdance, signifying nothing" (and eventually placed it on his "most
hated" list). Nevertheless, it was a surprise box-office success,
becoming the third-highest-grossing film of 1983 in the United States.
Its worldwide box-office gross exceeded $200 million. The soundtrack,
compiled by Giorgio Moroder, spawned several hit songs, including
"Maniac" (performed by Michael Sembello), and the Academy
Awardâ€"winning "Flashdance... What a Feeling", which was written for
the film by Moroder, with lyrics by Keith Forsey and the singer Irene
Cara. Flashdance is also often remembered for its film poster
featuring Beals sporting a sweatshirt with a large neck hole
(according to the actress, her look in the scene came about by
accident after she simply cut a large hole at the top of one that had
shrunk in the wash).Alexandra "Alex" Owens (Jennifer Beals) is an
eighteen-year-old welder at a steel mill in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,
who lives with her dog, Grunt, in a converted warehouse. Although she
aspires to become a professional dancer, she has no formal dance
training, and works as a sensual dancer by night at Mawby's, a
neighborhood bar and grill that hosts a nightly cabaret.
Lyne and starring Jennifer Beals as a passionate young dancer who
aspires to become a professional ballerina (Alex), alongside Michael
Nouri playing her elder suitor and the owner of the steel mill where
she works by day in Pittsburgh. It was the first collaboration of
producers Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer, and the presentation of
some sequences in the style of music videos was an influence on other
1980s films including Footloose, Purple Rain, and Top Gun, Simpson and
Bruckheimer's most famous production. It was also one of Lyne's first
major film releases, building on a reputation for making popular
television commercials. Alex's elaborate dance sequences were shot
using body doubles (Beals' main double was the uncredited French
actress Marine Jahan, while a breakdance move was doubled by the male
dancer Crazy Legs).The film opened to negative reviews by professional
critics, including Roger Ebert, who panned it as "great sound and
flashdance, signifying nothing" (and eventually placed it on his "most
hated" list). Nevertheless, it was a surprise box-office success,
becoming the third-highest-grossing film of 1983 in the United States.
Its worldwide box-office gross exceeded $200 million. The soundtrack,
compiled by Giorgio Moroder, spawned several hit songs, including
"Maniac" (performed by Michael Sembello), and the Academy
Awardâ€"winning "Flashdance... What a Feeling", which was written for
the film by Moroder, with lyrics by Keith Forsey and the singer Irene
Cara. Flashdance is also often remembered for its film poster
featuring Beals sporting a sweatshirt with a large neck hole
(according to the actress, her look in the scene came about by
accident after she simply cut a large hole at the top of one that had
shrunk in the wash).Alexandra "Alex" Owens (Jennifer Beals) is an
eighteen-year-old welder at a steel mill in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,
who lives with her dog, Grunt, in a converted warehouse. Although she
aspires to become a professional dancer, she has no formal dance
training, and works as a sensual dancer by night at Mawby's, a
neighborhood bar and grill that hosts a nightly cabaret.
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