In 1983, before they were a powerhouse producing team ushering in hit films such as Top Gun and Days of Thunder, producers Jerry Bruckheimer and Don Simpson collaborated on a small-scale movie about dancing entitled Flashdance. Much to the surprise of everyone, and to the dismay of critics, this movie about a welder by day and dancer by night exploded at the box office to become the third highest grossing movie of the year and spawned a soundtrack that would sell over six million copies in the US alone. While the film is not an undisputed masterpiece, it has a place in popular culture that can never be overlooked.
Flashdance focuses on Alex Owens (Jennifer Beals), an eighteen-year-old welder in a steel mill in Pittsburgh who aspires to live out her dreams of becoming a professional dancer. Although she has no formal training, Alex does sensuously dance at a local neighborhood bar that hosts a nightly cabaret. It would be easy to throw up red flags on believability of the plot, but it is just easier to go along for the ride. One night, the gorgeous Alex catches the eye of Nick Hurley (Michael Nouri), who is surprised to learn that the object of his affection works for him at the steel mill he owns. Their budding relationship is really the least interesting part of the movie as the age difference and his romantic advances come across more creepy than endearing in the cold light of day. The movie is best when it is focusing on Alex being a strong, independent lady who is motivated to get herself into a formal dance program.
The movie itself is pretty light on plot, but makes up for it with a strong visual style and creative, exciting dance sequences. The choreography on display here is a lot of fun and feels true to the characters performing the numbers. Jennifer Beals is endlessly charming as Alex, and she gives the role a believability that may not have been as apparent on the page. Flashdance is carried by her performance along with the hit soundtrack that permeates nearly every inch of the movie. When you see Alex bouncing around to the titular song, you cannot help but be swept up in the joy the character is feeling from living up to her full potential. Flashdance is an extremely predictable and cheesy movie, but it would be a lie to say it’s not an entertaining ride.
Video Quality
This new release of Flashdance through the Paramount Presents line comes with a brand new 4K restoration overseen by director Adrian Lyne. I have never seen the original Blu-Ray to compare, but the results here are very pleasing for the most part. There is an excellent level of detail to the transfer throughout, especially in the more brightly lit scenes. Black levels are serviceable, but some detail in lost in certain darkly lit scenes. Colors are reproduced accurately here, with the neon at the club popping off the screen. The transfer has a nice amount of film grain that does not seem to have been digitally managed. A true blue 4K UHD disc probably would have been the better way to go with this new transfer, but the results of this Blu-Ray disc are very strong.
Audio Quality
Paramount brings the positively received DTS-HD MA 5.1 mix from the original 2013 Blu-Ray release back for this new disc. Seeing as this is mainly just a series of extravagant music videos linked by a thin plot, music noticeably takes precedent over all other elements. From the first moments of the film, the music envelops the room nicely with 80s synths courtesy of Giorgio Moroder. Dialogue and sound effects do not get buried by any means, but the soundtrack is the main element giving this track any sort of workout. Everything sounds well balanced among the speakers with directionality never being an issue. This is a stellar soundtrack that Paramount mercifully did not tinker with for this release.
Special Features
The Paramount Presents line continues the habit of dropping some previously existing extras that keeps this from being the definitive release for fans. While the new interview with Adrian Lyne is interesting, it would have been nice to have the other 30 odd minutes of missing extras from the previous release to round out the package.
- Filmmaker Focus – Director Adrian Lyne Discusses Flashdance: A newly filmed interview with director Adrian Lyne about what drew him to the project and its enduring popularity. It’s a brief six minutes, but a worthwhile addition to the package.
- The Look of Flashdance: A nine-minute discussion with the cast and crew about what made the movie stand out visually from the costumes to the lighting and shooting locations. There are some interesting anecdotes from Adrian Lyne about his decision to shoot scenes certain ways.
- Releasing The Flashdance Phenomenon: A nearly nine-minute look into the impact the film made at the box office and culture at large with the cast and crew.
- Theatrical Trailer: The original theatrical trailer featuring music from the hit soundtrack is presented here.
Final Thoughts
Flashdance is a film that you should have a pretty good idea going into it if it is going to be for you or not. If the premise sounds ridiculous to you and you hate 80s cheese, it is for the best that you stay far away. If these elements sound like a fun time to you, it is time to grab this disc, crank up the volume, and be transported to a world where a steel worker can also be an erotic dancer with a heart of gold. This new Blu-Ray provides the film with a nice A/V presentation along with a few entertaining extras. Recommended
Paramount Presents Flashdance will be available to purchase on Blu-Ray on May 19, 2020.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Paramount Pictures Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
