A Chorus Line (1985)

User Rating:

5.8/10   

Director:

Richard Attenborough

Writers:

Michael Bennett (musical) and
Nicholas Dante (musical) ...
(more)

Release Date:

13 December 1985 (USA)

Genre:

Musical | Drama | Comedy

Plot:

Hopefuls try out before a demanding director for a part in a new musical.

Plot Keywords:

Dancer | Audition | Big Break | Sensuality | Backstage

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 5 nominations

Cast

Michael Blevins	...	Mark Tobori
Yamil Borges	...	Diana Morales
Jan Gan Boyd	...	Connie Wong
Sharon Brown	...	Kim
Gregg Burge	...	Richie Walters
Michael Douglas	...	Zach
Cameron English	...	Paul San Marco
Tony Fields	...	Al DeLuca
Nicole Fosse	...	Kristine Evelyn Erlich-DeLuca
Vicki Frederick	...	Sheila Bryant
Michelle Johnston	...	Beatrice Ann 'Bebe' Benson
Janet Jones	...	Judy Monroe
Pam Klinger	...	Maggie Winslow
Audrey Landers	...	Val Clarke
Terrence Mann	...	Larry
Charles McGowan	...	Mike Cass
Alyson Reed	...	Cassie
Justin Ross	...	Greg Gardner
Blane Savage	...	Don
Matt West	...	Bobby Mills III
Pat McNamara	...	Robbie
Sammy Smith	...	Doorman
Timothy Scott	...	Boy with Headband
Bambi Jordan	...	Girl in Yellow Trunks
Mansoor Najeeullah	...	Cab Driver
Peter Fitzgerald	...	Dancer with Gum
John Hammil	...	Advertising Executive
Jack Lehnert	...	Posterman
Gloria Lynch	...	Taxi Passenger
Gregg Huffman	...	Misfit Boy Dancer
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Eric Aaron	...	Dancer
Jeff Adkins	...	Dancer
Khandi Alexander	...	Dancer
AnneMarie	...	Dancer
David Askler	...	Dancer
Michele Assaf	...	Dancer
Bryant Baldwin	...	Dancer
Buddy Balou	...	Dancer
Carol Baxter	...	Dancer
Tina Bellis	...	Dancer
Ida Broughton	...	Dancer
Robin Brown	...	Dancer
Anna Bruno	...	Dancer
Brian Bullard	...	Dancer
Cheryl Burr	...	Dancer
Bill Bushnell	...	Dancer
Sergio Cal	...	Dancer
Cole Carpenter	...	Reject Dancer
Joe Anthony Cavise	...	Dancer
Linda Cholodenko	...	Dancer
Cheryl Clark	...	Dancer
Christine Colby	...	Dancer
Alex Cole	...	Dancer
Anne Connors	...	Dancer
Leslie Cook	...	Dancer
Jeffrey Cornell	...	Dancer
Alicia Cox	...	Dancer
Frank Cruz	...	Dancer
Roxann Dawson	...	Dancer (as Roxann Cabalero)
Richard DeFabees	...	Reject Dancer
John DeLuca	...	Dancer
Niki Harris	...	Dancer
Reed Jones	...	Dancer
Jennifer Kent	...	Reject Dancer
Barbara Lavorato	...	Dancer
Felix Montano	...	Dancer
Alan Onickel	...	Dancer
Scott Plank	...	Dancer
Karen Prunczik	...	Reject Dancer
Rhett Pyle	...	Dancer
Melissa Randel	...	Reject Dancer
Elissa Rosati	...	Dancer
Leslie Stevens	...	Dancer
Mary Ellen Stuart	...	Dancer
Scott Wise	...	Dancer
Barbara Yeager	...	Dancer
Yvonne Farrow	...	Dancer (uncredited)

Directed by
Richard Attenborough

Writing credits
Michael Bennett		(musical) and
Nicholas Dante		(musical) and
James Kirkwood Jr.		(musical)
Arnold Schulman		(screenplay)

Produced by
Joseph M. Caracciolo	....	associate producer
Cy Feuer	....	producer
Ernest H. Martin	....	producer
Gordon Stulberg	....	executive producer

Cinematography by
Ronnie Taylor

Film Editing by
John Bloom

Casting by
Julie Hughes
Barry Moss

Production Design by
Patrizia von Brandenstein

Art Direction by
John Dapper

Set Decoration by
George DeTitta Sr.

Costume Design by
Faye Poliakin

Makeup Department
Craig Lyman	....	key makeup artist

Production Management
Joseph M. Caracciolo	....	unit production manager
Michael S. Glick	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Louis D'Esposito	....	second assistant director
Robert V. Girolami	....	first assistant director
Jane Paul	....	second second assistant director
James W. Skotchdopole	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Joseph M. Caracciolo	....	property master
Jay Rabins	....	art department coordinator
Martin Rosenberg	....	set dresser
Gerald DeTitta	....	set dresser (uncredited)

Sound Department
Jonathan Bates	....	supervising sound editor
Jeremy Hume	....	assistant sound editor
Gerry Humphreys	....	sound re-recording mixer
Michael Minkler	....	sound re-recording mixer
Donald O. Mitchell	....	sound re-recording mixer
Christopher Newman	....	production sound mixer
Kevin O'Connell	....	sound re-recording mixer
Robin O'Donoghue	....	sound re-recording mixer
Jerry Trent	....	dance foley

Camera and Electrical Department
Billy Kerwick	....	key rigging grip
Charles Meere III	....	electrician
Gary Muller	....	co-first assistant camera
Tom Priestley Jr.	....	camera operator
Scott Rathner	....	additional second assistant camera

Casting Department
Edward Blum	....	additional casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Bill Christians	....	wardrobe supervisor
Jennifer Nichols	....	wardrobe supervisor

Editorial Department
Tom San Martin	....	negative matcher
Arnold Shuster	....	negative matcher

Music Department
Lamar Alsop	....	musician
Seymour Barab	....	musician
Elena Barere	....	musician
Ethan Bauch	....	musician
John Beal	....	musician
Jay Berliner	....	musician
Warren Bernhardt	....	musician
Randy Brecker	....	musician
Ralph Burns	....	conductor
Ralph Burns	....	music arranger
Ann Calahan	....	musician
Bob Carlisle	....	musician
Heidi Carney	....	musician
Clifford Carter	....	musician
Emile Charlap	....	musicians contractor
Michael Farrow	....	music mixer
Joseph Joubert	....	dance music layouts
Guy Lumia	....	concert master
John Moses	....	musician
Emily Paine	....	assistant music editor
Michael Tronick	....	music editor
Valerie Wilson	....	score vocalist
Robert E. Wooten Jr.	....	dance music layouts

Transportation Department
Robert Buckman	....	driver

Other crew
Michael Bennett	....	choreographer: original stage production
Michael Bennett	....	stage director: original stage production
B.J. Bjorkman	....	script supervisor
Gregg Burge	....	assistant choreographer
Al Cerullo	....	helicopter pilot
Monte Farber	....	location manager
Jeffrey Hornaday	....	choreographer
Brad Jeffries	....	assistant choreographer
Richard Morrison	....	title designer
Joseph Papp	....	stage producer
Helene Phillips	....	dance assistant
James R. Powell	....	production assistant
Mindy Weiss	....	assistant: Emile Charlap
Stanley Bielecki	....	publicity and marketing (uncredited)
David Lauren	....	adr loop group (uncredited)
Grant Reid	....	location assistant (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Embassy Film Associates
• PolyGram Filmed Entertainment

Distributors

• Columbia Pictures (1985) (USA) (theatrical)
• UGC-Europe 1 (1986) (France) (theatrical)
• Globo Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (video)

Other Companies

• Casablanca Records  soundtrack
• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  camera dollies

Runtime:

113 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby (35 mm prints)

Certification:

Iceland:L | Netherlands:AL | Australia:PG | Argentina:Atp | Canada:14A | Chile:TE | Finland:S | France:U | Germany:6 | Norway:11 | Sweden:Btl | UK:12 | USA:PG-13 | West Germany:6 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Helen Hayes Theater - 240 West 44th Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Embassy Film Associates

Trivia:

Kelly Bishop is probably best known to today's audiences as Rory's grandmother on TV's "Gilmore Girls" (2000) and as the mother of Jennifer Grey's character in Dirty Dancing (1987). Kelly Bishop won a Tony award for her performance as Sheila in the original Broadway production of "A Chorus Line" (under the name Carole Bishop).

Goofs:

Continuity: Several of Larry's dance directions were repeated as background noise behind other scenes. One example is during the opening credits when the auditioning dancers are lined up outside the theater Larry's voice is heard counting down and making calls such as "walk walk walk" and he gives these exact same calls in the next scene. Another is when Cassie is reminiscing in the dressing rooms Larry can be heard saying, "Make it strong, guys" when he has just said this in an earlier shot of the auditions.

Quotes:

Sheila: You were a rotten dancer.
Zach: Why do you think I became your choreographer?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Shrek the Third (2007)

Soundtrack:

At the Ballet

Why this movie fails so badly

On Broadway, A Chorus Line was pure magic. From the second the show opened with a spectacular burst of energy to the truly grand finale, a joyous curtain call of all those chorus members who we grew to love during the course of the show, we were totally engaged - captivated by the intensely personal stories, some funny, some clever, some stirring, of this chorus line. The movie is another matter entirely. The focus is now on the director - and WHAT an ogre he is! Every time the film switches to Michael Douglas, there he is with a bitter, sour expression, barking out questions and orders, screaming and yelling whenever he gets the chance. Yikes!! That changes the dynamics of the story. On Broadway, the director was indeed an imperious offstage presence, but he was also sort of a theatrical device to allow the stories of these amazing strong/fragile/intriguing/hilarious chorus line members to be told with insight and clarity. There is a reason this work won the Pulitzer Prize! And actually in one of the only moments the director appears, he is there to comfort the young Puerto Rican Dancer after we hear that dancer's heart-breaking story. He appears again to ultimately express his genuine affection/ concern for Cassie. But in the movie, from the second Douglas' director starts bitterly barking orders, the chorus line members' stories become secondary. It's like they are in a lousy profession, where a jaded director instead of showing the joy at creating a new exciting theatrical show, is jaded, exhausted, furious at having to audition these chorus members. On stage, there was ALWAYS the excitement of the show. Here in the movie practically from the word go, you feel sorry for everyone involved. During the course of the musical, we desperately wished every single one of those chorus members well, and how happy we would have been if they had all gotten the job! But of course that couldn't happen. But in the Finale when they all came back in glorious costume with those amazing spinning mirrors on stage, sometimes reflecting us in the audience, in our hearts, and we know, also in the hearts of all those chorus members both accepted and rejected, they were on stage forever dancing in a profession they loved so much, bringing magic to the theatre. In the movie, after all the misplaced story lines and emphasis, that magic becomes totally diluted. All we feel (even with the exact same curtain call), is that some of the members got a job with a mean-spirited director. So they all come on the screen and are dancing again. Big deal.