A Chorus Line

The traditional cinema musical, so popular in the forties, fifties and sixties, went into something of a decline in the seventies, even though the early years of that decade had seen two particularly fine examples, "Fiddler on the Roof" and "Cabaret", and by the eighties the genre was all but dead. There were, admittedly, a few modern musicals like "Fame" and "Staying Alive", based around pop music and dance, but these were films of a very different type to the likes of "Carousel" or "The Sound of Music".

This decline may have had something to do with the changing demographics of the cinema-going public; audiences were becoming increasingly dominated by the younger generation rather than families. In the theatre the musical was not in decline at all during the seventies and eighties, the decades when Stephen Sondheim was conquering Broadway and Andrew Lloyd-Webber the West End. "A Chorus Line" was the most successful American musical during this period. It opened in 1975 and ran for fifteen years; by the time it closed in 1990 it had become the longest-running show in Broadway history, although the record it set has since been surpassed. It was so successful that it became virtually impossible not to film it.

"A Chorus Line" was originally a stage musical about a stage musical. A group of dancers, both male and female, are auditioning for parts in the chorus line of a glossy Broadway production. In charge of the proceedings is Zach, the show's autocratic director, who will make the final decision as to who is hired. Each of the aspiring hopefuls is asked to tell his or her story and to explain why he or she loves to dance. They respond by giving a monologue or performing a musical number in a variety of different styles and moods. Among those trying out for a part is Cassie, Zach's former girlfriend. It is made clear that Cassie was at one time a big Broadway star, but it is never really explained why she has been reduced to auditioning for a part in the chorus after taking major starring roles.

The film is unusual in that it is a musical where the leading male character does not do any singing or dancing. (It is not, however, unique in that respect- Brian, the male lead in "Cabaret", does not sing or dance either). Zach is played by Michael Douglas, by far the biggest star in the film; most of the other actors were relatively unknown. (Some, such as Pam Klinger and Yamil Borges, have never appeared in any other film). About the only other well-known name is Audrey Landers, best known for playing JR's mistress in "Dallas", and she seems miscast here. Her character, Val, is supposed to be a fine dancer but physically unattractive, hence the title of her number "Dance 10, Looks 3", whereas Audrey is strikingly beautiful but not a strong dancer. I have never seen"A Chorus Line" on stage, so cannot personally say how well the concept works in the theatre, although the success of the original production would suggest that a lot of people thought that it worked very well. In the cinema, however, it does not really succeed. Visually it is too stagy and static, never attempting to open the story out or to take advantage of the greater possibilities afforded by the cinematic medium. Dramatically, twenty main characters is far too many. It means that virtually all of the film has to be taken up with introducing one character after another, with no real attempt at developing these characters or at telling their stories in full. Even the crucial Cassie/Zach relationship is dealt with in a rather perfunctory way.

The film was directed by Richard Attenborough, who may not have been the right man for the job. Attenborough's greatest successes as a director have been films like "Gandhi", "Chaplin" and "Shadowlands", all with a single narrative plot line and with strong emphasis being placed on character development. He has only directed one other musical, the lame satire "Oh! What a Lovely War!". A film like "A Chorus Line", with its claustrophobic indoor setting, its episodic structure and its constant shifts of emphasis from one character to another, seems very foreign to the Attenborough style.

"A Chorus Line" is not altogether a bad film. Many of the song-and-dance numbers are well performed, and some of the performers are genuinely talented. I was particularly impressed by Alyson Reed who plays Cassie. Overall, however, I found the film too disjointed, with too many segments which do not come together to make a dramatically satisfying whole. The sort of film where the whole is less than the sum of the parts. 6/10