A Chorus Line

Saw "A Chorus Line" for the first time at The CM Performing Arts in Oakdal NY on Long Island last month. Loved it. Wanted to see the 1984 Movie version. So I bought it. As Marvin Hamlisch says in his comments "It makes people cry" l cried the first time and I cried the second. It is a beautiful human experience.

Liked best the dance "auditions" and the finale. Some of the dancers' stories don't resonate as well today as they would have in the 80s, but it's still worth watching for the dancing. Also fun to see some actors and dancers who became famous, but weren't so much then. They could have done more with the relationship between Zach and Cassie. As it is, one honest and open conversation could have resolved their breakup before the story started. (Of course, then there wouldn't be a movie...)

I have discovered with that some classics such as this one, that when they go from the original to a platform such as Amazon, etc. etc. it's changed and reformatted etc etc. With that being said, this will do and it was pretty good!Because I had seen parts of or many of the originals, I get the general idea of it all. It reminded me of my time spent in NYC and waiting in line for tickets (I just dated myself) for that I'm appreciative of it being on Amazon. The one I want to come to Amazon is CATS. So thank you Amazon and others for the memories:)

I've read in former Amazon reviews that this movie - based on the original Broadway play - does not capture the magic of the live stage experience - but unless you snagged a video of that theatrical experience, what are you waiting for? This movie version captures the essence of the play, the earnest desire and need of the hopefuls to land a role doing what they do best: sing and dance in live performance! Here we can enjoy in up-close performance beloved numbers like Everything Is Beautiful at the Ballet. Even better, lyrics and music by Marvin Hamlisch added the gut-wrenching opening song I Hope I Get It to swiftly clue us in what's at stake here: it's more than a job, and they want it so badly! The the pacing and dance numbers are great - straight through to the full case flash dance of "One" (Singular Sensation) at the very end. Michael Douglas is perfect as the dominant puppet-master/director - you feel his power and sex-appeal - and the underlying story of him, former stars now company hopefuls, and the casting couch, still smacks of the real workings of theatre politics and the price we sometimes pay to play.Why not add this DVD to your collection and relive YOUR afternoons when you wanted a job or a date or a game so badly you felt the world held its breath while you hung on someone else's decision. Human drama, set to song and dance. Enjoy.

I've never seen the stage version of "A Chorus Line" so my only reference point is the film version. And I thought it was great!!! This had to be difficult material to translate to film. The film starts with a stage filled with hundreds of applicants giving their all for a scant eight slots in a chorus line. With a wave of the hand the choreographer(Michael Douglas) whittles it to sixteen. The elimination process that the choreographer employs isn't so much an evaluation of dance technique. Rather, it's more like an interrogation where he asks the most personal details of the applicants lives. You sense the dreams and desperation of the auditioners. You have no real rooting interest here and you hope for the success for each of these youngsters. The songs and dance numbers are fine but it's the backstories of these fledgling hoofers that is the most compelling aspect of "A Chorus Line". There are few names in the cast of aspirants unless you count Janet Jones(Mrs. Wayne Gretzky) and Audrey Landers(of Landers Sisters fame) and Landers delivers the weakest solo in the film. This film on initial release received a lukewarm critical and public reception in 1985. There's definitely room for re-evaluation here. As far as I'm concerned "A Chorus Line" is superior to the Oscar winning "Chicago". Maybe the small screen is the perfect venue to appreciate this film. Director Richard Attenborough, who won an Oscar for "Gandhi", deserves kudoes for tackling tricky material.

I've long wanted to see A Chorus Line. The music I'd heard was great. The movie, not so much. The last 20 minutes were good, but the last 5 were fabulous.

Got to love the classics…. And this one is definitely one of them

Some of the finest dancers from the 1980s are in this but they just stand around most of the time. That's the only problem with this film but you have to know it's about telling the character's stories that led to the chorus line. The music is bland but the lyrics are good. The number entitled "Nothing" is the best moment.

The case had no sleeve notes, the sound for some reason was was not that high at a normal volume, the quality of the film was not very sharp, not sure if it was a true copy. Some of the songs that I remembered were missing, I had seen the stage show only a week before so this was fresh in my head, as others have said the film alters the storyline and removes the best of Music and the Mirror and, also totally alters the context of "What I did for love" what a shame there is not a copy available of the full original Broadway soundtrack of the stage show to show those new to the show how good it really is, unfortunately the show has now closed in London, lets hope they create a proper copy for when it goes on tour for people to enjoy, well done to Amazon at promptly refunding the purchase price, back to listening to the sound only

I bought this as a present for my wife and was initially reluctant to watch it: "oh, is it one of those musicals where people just burst into song for no reason, no thanks"However when i did get to sit down and watch it i was pleasantly surprised, it feels more like a play with its tight structure and focus on interaction between characters given the limited set.There is something voyeuristic about the film, even though it is set on a stage, it is almost as if we are watching the bits the audience shouldn't see. We see the raw nature of their imperfections and insecurities that are hidden in a lavish production and are exposed by the format of rehearsal and selection.Not a classic but a nuanced study of life on the Chorus Line.

If you've not seen this, and like musicals with good character acting then you will probably love it. Shot almost entirely inside a New York Theatre during a dance chorus audition, the tension about who will be picked and who won't is well judged, and some of the character cameos are delightful. The music and songs support the story rather than rather than the other way round, and while you probably won't be humming the tunes to yourself for days afterwards, the songs will linger in the memory as well crafted, clever and appropriate.

I watched this DVD having recently watched the stage version, which is superior by far. The back story of two of the characters, Cassie and Zach is unnecessarily drawn out. If they were going to do anything with them, then show interesting, telling flashbacks rather than just hugs and longing looks. Some of the best songs from the show are missing too. Cassie singing 'What I did for Love' does actually make sense, but I think to make this work as a film it should have been vastly different from the show, or not at all, not some vague middle ground.

I love this movie and was excited to get a higher quality copy on bluray. Works perfectly but still quite grainy even on my 4k tv