Dance and Music: 93

Bird (1988) is a biographical musical drama film, directed and produced by Clint Eastwood. In Kansas City, Missouri during 1939, young saxophonist Charlie Parker plays at the Reno Club, but his fast and erratic playing leads to a negative response from the audience. Moving to New York City, he performs at various jazz venues on 52nd Street and meets Dizzy Gillespie. Together, they develop a unique style of jazz that gains popularity as ‘bebop’. While playing with Dizzy, Charlie meets Chan Parker, a dancer and fellow fan of jazz. Despite his persistent attempts to ask her out, she rejects him and relocates to ...

Shot on scene in Portland, Oregon and Yaquina Head near Newport on the Oregon Coast, Permanent Record (1988) delves into the weighty topic of suicide and its impact on loved ones. The main character, David Sinclair, appears to have an enviable life – he’s intelligent, gifted, humorous, and well-liked. His closest companion is Chris Townsend, a unique individual. However, despite appearances, David struggles with mounting academic pressure and familial expectations. As a result, he chooses to keep his emotional turmoil hidden from those around him. During a gathering with his schoolmates by the shore, he strolls to the ...

Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story (1987) is an American experimental short biographical film that chronicles the last 17 years of singer Karen Carpenter’s life. It follows her journey from her ‘discovery’ in 1966, through her meteoric rise to fame, and ultimately to her tragic death due to anorexia. The story begins on February 4, 1983 in Karen’s childhood home in Downey, California where her mother, Agnes Carpenter, finds her body in a closet. Through flashbacks, we see key moments in Karen’s life such as signing with A&M records, experiencing success and then decline with her brother Richard as part of the duo The Carpenters, ...

In the movie Footloose (1984), directed by Herbert Ross, Chicago native Ren McCormack and his mother Ethel move to the small town of Bomont to stay with Ren’s aunt and uncle. At church, he meets Reverend Shaw Moore, his wife Vi, and their daughter Ariel, who is known for her rebellious nature. While at school, Ren becomes friends with Willard Hewitt and discovers that dancing and rock music are banned within the town limits by the town council. Despite this restriction, Ren falls for Ariel, much to the dismay of her boyfriend Chuck Cranston. In an attempt to impress Ariel and prove his worthiness, Ren challenges ...

The American musical crime drama film, The Cotton Club (1984), was co-written and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. It was based on James Haskins’ book of the same name. Protagonist Dixie Dwyer, a musician, collaborates with mobsters to advance his career but his plans are disrupted when he falls for Vera Cicero, the girlfriend of gangland kingpin Dutch Schultz. Brothers Sandman and Dixie from the neighborhood join The Cotton Club, a jazz club known for its predominantly black performers and white clientele. Mobster Owney Madden is the owner of the club, which he ...

Staying Alive (1983), the American dance drama film, served as the sequel to Saturday Night Fever (1977). Directed by Sylvester Stallone, the story follows Anthony ‘Tony’ Manero, a former disco king who takes his brother’s advice and pursues his dream of becoming a professional dancer. He now resides in a Manhattan flophouse and works as a dance instructor and waiter at a local club while hoping for a big break in Broadway’s modern dance productions. This move from Brooklyn has seemingly had a maturing effect on Tony’s personality. His diminished Brooklyn accent, avoidance of ...

Honkytonk Man (1982) is an American musical western comedy-drama that takes place during the Great Depression. The film was produced and directed by Clint Eastwood, who also stars alongside his son, Kyle Eastwood. During his audition, Red’s hopes are dashed when a coughing fit interrupts his performance. However, talent scouts from a record company are still impressed and set up a recording session for him. Unfortunately, Red’s tuberculosis takes a turn for the worse during this session and Smokey, a side guitarist played by country singer Marty Robbins, steps ...

Starring Clint Eastwood and Sondra Locke, Bronco Billy (1980) is an American Western comedy-drama film. He works as a stuntman in his troupe’s traveling circus, known as ‘Bronco Billy’s Wild West Show’, which bears resemblance to Buffalo Bill’s Wild West. As the owner and operator of the show, Bronco Billy performs in front of a small audience. His finale involves shooting balloons around his assistant on a rotating disc while blindfolded, followed by throwing a knife at the final balloon. However, due to the assistant’s accidental ...

All That Jazz (1979) is a musical drama film directed by Bob Fosse. It follows Joe Gideon, an ambitious theater director and choreographer, as he tries to balance staging his latest Broadway musical, NY/LA, and editing a Hollywood film he has directed called The Stand-Up. Despite being an alcoholic and a driven workaholic who chain-smokes cigarettes, Joe also has a reputation for being a womanizer who constantly flirts and engages in sexual encounters with different women. His morning routine involves playing Vivaldi while taking Visine, Alka-Seltzer, and Dexedrine before looking himself in the mirror and saying, ...

The concert known as The Last Waltz (1978) took place on November 25, 1976 at Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco. In addition to a title card declaring ‘This film should be played loud!’, the event was captured on film and delved into The Band’s influences and career. The group consisted of Rick Danko on bass, violin, and vocals, Levon Helm on drums, mandolin, and vocals, Garth Hudson on keyboards, saxophone and accordion, songwriter Richard Manuel on keyboards, drums, percussion and vocals, and guitarist-songwriter Robbie Robertson providing vocals. During the concert, Dylan joined the band onstage while various other artists also made appearances ...

Saturday Night Fever (1977) is an American dance drama that follows the life of Tony Manero, a 19-year-old Italian-American from Brooklyn’s Bay Ridge neighborhood. He lives with his family and works at a small paint store. Seeking an escape from his mundane routine, Tony heads to 2001 Odyssey, a popular discotheque where he reigns supreme on the dance floor and receives the admiration and respect he craves. His circle of friends includes Joey, Double J, Gus, and Bobby C, with Annette, a local girl who has a crush on Tony, on the fringe of their group. However, Tony does not reciprocate her feelings. On occasion, Tony and his friends play around on the ...

Happy Days (1974–1984), an American sitcom, originally aired on the ABC network for 11 seasons from January 15, 1974 to July 19, 1984. Created by Garry Marshall, it quickly became one of the most successful shows of the 70s. Based in Milwaukee during the 50s, the series follows teenager Richie Cunningham and his family: his father Howard who runs a hardware store, traditional stay-at-home mother Marion, younger sister Joanie, and older brother Chuck (who only appears in seasons 1 and 2). The Cunninghams also have a tenant who is both cool and suave – mechanic Fonzie – who eventually becomes Richie’s ...

Based on Gaston Leroux’s novel and the 1925 film starring Lon Chaney, Phantom of the Opera (1943) is an American romantic horror film directed by Arthur Lubin. After revealing that he is losing the use of his left hand, violinist Erique Claudin is dismissed from the Paris Opera House. Despite facing financial struggles, he secretly funds voice lessons for Christine Dubois, a young soprano to whom he is devoted. Meanwhile, Inspector Raoul Dubert pressures Christine to leave the Opera and marry him, while famous opera ...