Description:
Alex, a woman working two jobs as a welder and cabaret dancer, aspires to attend a prestigious ballet school, but she does not have the private training expected of candidates.
Where to watch:
It's currently included with Max, Paramount+ and Hoopla subscriptions.
It also can be rented at all of these places:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/p/flashdance/8d6kgwzl5rzn ($3.99)
https://www.amazon.com/Flashdance-Adrian-Lyne/dp/B001DTTG16 ($4.29 or $3.79) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-o5Rnpq8uU ($3.99)
https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/flashdance/umc.cmc.5dm3obgqlmlr4r5ymxa2rtb6s ($3.99)
https://www.vudu.com/content/browse/details/Flashdance/28050 ($3.99)
Where to chat:
Discussion 7:45pm on February 19 (2024) at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/2272006912 Meeting ID: 227 200 6912
Notes:
This film was disliked by critics but was a box office success. It featured popular tunes including one that won an Oscar, and incorporated 80s music video style dance routines in the style of the new cable channel called MTV. This quasi-musical stylistic choice was then widely emulated in subsequent popular 80s films.
It was a breakout hit for 20-year old actress Jennifer Beals who took a semester off from her Literature degree studies at Yale to accept the role. The actress' dance routines were performed by stand-ins. Although she is not a dancer, she has achieved success in multiple martial arts.
The film was inspired by a true story of Maureen Marder, a welder and exotic dancer in Toronto. Although paid for the rights to her story, she became unhappy after the film was a big success and spent years unsuccessfully suing the film's producers.