Directed by Adrian Lyne and starring Jennifer Beals, 1983’sFlashdancecelebrates its 40th anniversary this year. A romantic drama at its core,Flashdancemay not have the same level of recognition as other classic ‘80s films, but just because it doesn’t have the same fanfare surrounding it as, say,Top Gun, that doesn’t mean it’s not worth revisiting. In honor of the film’s four decades in pop culture, it’s worth exploring howFlashdanceleft a mark — not just on audiences, but on filmmaking at the time.
Flashdancecenters on a passionate young dancer, Alex (Beals), who dreams of becoming a professional ballerina. By day, the 18-year-old dancer works in aPittsburghsteel mill as a welder, and lives in a former warehouse apartment with her dog, Grunt. Despite her lack of formal training, the talented Alex performs pretty regularly at Mawby’s, the neighborhood bar.
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Without much biological family in her life, Alex finds a chosen family in the form of her Mawby’s co-workers, who also have greater artistic aspirations. Waitress Jeanie (Sunny Johnson), for example, is training to be a figure skater, while short-order cook Richie (Kyle T. Heffner) hopes to perform stand-up comedy. One night, Nick Hurley (Michael Nouri), the owner of the steel mill Alex works at, attends a performance at Mawby’s. There, he meets Alex and, despite her wishes, Nick pursues her at work.
When she’s approached to dance at the strip club Zanzibar by owner Johnny C. (Lee Ving), Alex seeks advice from her mentor, a retired ballerina (Lilia Skala), who encourages Alex to apply to the Pittsburgh Conservatory of Dance and Repertory. Intimidated by the formality of the process, Alex leaves without applying. Shortly after, Johnny C. assaultsBeals’ characteroutside Mawby’s but, thankfully, Nick helps her out of the situation.
Soon after, Alex and Nick start dating. Despite some ups and downs, the two share a clear bond. Eager to help Alex out, Nick uses his connections to ensure Alex can audition for the conservatory. Upset about not getting the opportunity based on her abilities alone, Alex considers skipping the audition. Eventually, circumstances push her to audition. Despite a shaky start, Alex performs an impressive number, composed of a variety of moves she’s studied — there’s ballet, but also breakdancing — and impresses the judges. Thehappy endingis capped off when Alex leaves the studio to find Nick (and Grunt) waiting for her, flowers in hand.
Why Was Flashdance So Popular?
When it came to producingFlashdance, Paramount Pictures’ first choice in director wasn’t Adrian Lyne. In fact, the studio offered the job to both David Cronenberg (The Fly) and Brian De Palma (Carrie) — which, in hindsight, seem like wild choices for a romantic drama. When it came to casting the star role,Jennifer Bealswas up against equally formidable actors like Demi Moore. Yes,Flashdancewas panned by professional reviewers. While they admired the exhilarating dance sequences and Beals’ talent as an up-and-coming actor, they criticized the thin plot and theSaturday Night Fever(1977) rip-off vibes.
Still, Beals carried the film, turning a less-than-developed character into a breakout role. And, even thoughFlashdancewasn’t well-reviewed by critics at the time, it did receive severalOscar nominations. Put simply, Beals and the music are what shone, receiving Golden Globe and Grammy nominations, respectively. On the other hand, the screenplay was nominated for a Golden Raspberry Award.
Although not a traditional musical,Flashdanceis a product of its time. The songs are like self-contained music videos — akin to the then-revolutionary MTV. In fact, the studio even submitted sections of the film to MTV, banking on that free promotion. Without a doubt,Flashdancerose to popularity at the time because of the way it exploited audiences’ love of music videos. The first collaboration between producers Jerry Bruckheimer and Don Simpson,Flashdance’s signature music-video style would go on to influence other popular ‘80s movies, likeFootloose(1984),Purple Rain(1984), andTop Gun(1986).
This style of film editing was also helpful logistically speaking: much of the dancing was performed by Beals’ body double, Marine Jahan, as well as breakdancer Crazy Legs and gymnast Sharon Shapiro. Speaking of the dance sequences,Flashdanceis often remembered for the chair moment. In one scene, Alex (Beals) performs on stage at Mawby’s. Silhouetted on stage, she dances her heart out; at one point she sits on a chair, arches back, and pulls a cord, which dumps a bucket of water on her. Afterward, she continues her performance. Even if you haven’t seen theoriginal sequence, odds are you’ve seen a parody of it.
Another mark of popularity? Everyone wanted that off-the-shoulder sweatshirt Beals wore on the film poster. Funnily enough, the actor was forced to cut a larger neck hole in the sweatshirt after it shrank in the wash. Sometimes the most iconic looks really arehappy accidents.
Flashdance Actress Today: Jennifer Beals’ Other Notable Roles
Although she made her feature film debut inMy Bodyguard(1980), Jennifer Beals received critical acclaim three years later for her starring role inFlashdance. Nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy, Beals won an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture for her role.
Beals turned down an offer to star in theplannedFlashdancesequel. Her other popular feature film credits includeDevil in the Blue Dress(1995),The Twilight of the Golds(1997),The Last Days of Disco(1998), andThe Book of Eli(2010). But Beals really hit her stride when it came to television. From 2004–2009, Beals starred in Showtime’sThe L Word— and later reprised her role in the reboot,The L Word: Generation Q(2019–). She also starred inThe Chicago Code(2011),Proof(2015),Taken(2017–2018),Swamp Thing(2019),The Book of Boba Fett(2021–2022), and Law & Order: Organized Crime(2022–).
What Is The Flashdance Song?
Aside from Jennifer Beals’ performance, the most memorable part ofFlashdanceis the music. In fact, two of the movie’s songs were nominated for Oscars. First, there’s “Flashdance… What a Feeling” performed bysinger and the song’s co-writer Irene Carawith music composed by Giorgio Moroder. Heard over the film’s opening title sequence and again during Alex’s audition, “Flashdance… What a Feeling” not only won the Golden Globe and Academy Award for Best Original Song, it earned Cara a Grammy for her performance of it. Around the time of the film’s release, “Flashdance… What a Feeling” even charted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100.
The other incredibly popular song from the Flashdance soundtrack is the Oscar-nominated “Maniac,” sung by Michael Sembello, who received a Grammy nomination for his performance. Like the film’s title song, “Maniac” also reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, and itsmusic video— a.k.a. the dancing training montage it plays over in the film — became a fixture on MTV in 1983.
With other hit songs like “Lady, Lady, Lady” sung by Joe Espositio, “I’ll Be Here Where the Heart Is” sung by Kim Carnes, and “Gloria” sung by Laura Branigan, theFlashdancesoundtrack sold a whopping 700,000 copies during its first two weeks in stores. The Grammy-winning album has gone on to sell over six million copies in the U.S.
