Fame
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Movie Reviews of Fame
Movie Review: DISAPPOINTING TRANSFER - LOUSY EXTRAS
Summary: 2 Stars
"Fame" is the electrifying drama/musical from Alan Parker. It follows a troupe of wanna-be students through their trials and tribulations and it positively sizzles with memorable performances, potent songs and dazzling dance sequences. Criticized upon its release, "Fame" nevertheless managed to do boffo box office and made the successful transition to the small screen, becoming one of the most talked about and watched television series of the 1980's. Remember that name, Fame!Unfortunately there's nothing to stand up and cheer over with Warner Brothers lack luster transfer. It's softly focused, features a bleached out and faded color scheme, excessive film grain and some minor edge enhancement. During the dimly lit scenes fine details disappear into a muddy mess of blues, blacks and browns. Skin tones are often quite orangy and there is nothing natural about the color balancing that swings wildly from total saturation in some scene to incredible desaturation, almost to the point of looking black and white or, at the very least, tonal gray, during other moments. The soundtrack is remastered in 5.1. It's dated and strident but on the whole an ample job of a vintage 80's recording.
Extras: The back advertises a "Class Reunion" feature which in actuality is a collective audio commentary track with various cast members spouting off, sometimes needlessly, about their experiences in making the film. Also incl. - a vintage featurette that has dated badly and the film's original theatrical trailer. Come on, W.B. - you're slipping.
Bottom line: If you're a fan of this movie and can't live without it, buy it. But if you're looking for superb DVD mastering and vintage image quality - look elsewhere!
Movie Review: Class Reunion of a Great Film?
Summary: 2 Stars
I was thrilled to see that Fame was finally coming to DVD. I read the list of extras and couldn't wait to watch. Well, if you're like me, you're expecting current interviews with the actors that played Coco, Leroy, Montogomery and Co. What you get is a tour of the actual school in New York - that the film makers weren't even given permission to use in the film!O.k. kids, but again, not the real deal. Couldn't Warner's track down these people to sit for interviews and reminices like other DVDs (A Christmas Story)? I mean, the old featurette was pretty good, the commentary by Parker is o.k., but where is the original cast? This is one time where I feel truly taken by 'creative' advertising. Shame on you Warners.
Movie Review: Fame
Summary: 2 Stars
I forgot that I enjoyed the tv series a lot better than the movie. There were too many characters with too many issues and the movie was too short to cover them all. The tv series allowed these issues to be explored. It was was a good concept for a movie but not put together well at all. I forgot how disappointing the movie was.Movie Review: Don't see what the hype was all about
Summary: 1 Stars
I was 4 years old when this movie was released, but I vividly remember Irene Cara's smash song of the same name in 1980 (especially the chorus of, "Fame, I'm gonna live forever") and, after so many years, I was really looking forward to a great movie and boy was I disappointed.
I was thoroughly bored during the first half-hour. The audition sequence should have been cut down by half the time because it got boring after 15 minutes.
After this painful sequence, the movie finally gets underway. I tried to stick with the movie for the next hour and couldn't do it. I appreciated what the teachers had to say about the performing arts (it IS hard work - everybody's an actor, dancer, and/or musician but only a very small percentage actually make a living doing it), and I definitely appreciated the part about having to keep up your academic studies while pursuing a career in entertainment, but the movie just didn't flow for me. Perhaps it would have to do with the fact that I'm not one of those people who isn't proclaiming to anyone who'll listen that I'm an "actress" (and who rolls their eyes at those people who do).
Besides the slow pace of the story, "Fame" is very dated. The off-the-shoulder top (that became the rage of the early-80s due to Cara's video) and the depressed backdrop of the decaying inner city that characterized that "wonderful" decade known as the 1980s gives a potential viewer the incentive to stay away from this movie.
I don't get the hype about this film at all. - Donna Di Giacomo
Movie Review: This film is too old
Summary: 1 Stars
I bought it because I was enthusiastic about the musical I saw in different theatres. Now I am looking for the best opportunity to get rid of it and to minimise my net money loss. Do not buy this DVD unless you are aware of the following major drawbacks.
You will be disappointed when you saw the actual musical in a theatre. The movie is not complete and does not include all songs that make the musical so marvellous.
This movie is now 25 years old and not suitable for modern audiences. The casting is horrible from today's perspective. The characters meant to be beautiful are not perceived as beautiful by a modern audience, for example. Do not underestimate this, as it causes confusion and you will not understand the plot at all.
The plot is not as dramatic as required by modern society used to the action of modern movies. This may explain the complaints of other reviewers about the plot as such, that can actually be staged very well.
The originality, some legendary scenes, and the "fame" of the movie in general do not make up these disadvantages.
I look forward to a new modern movie that should be rather close to the original musical and ideally be based on the fabulous cast of London's Aldwych Theatre.