Fame

Friday, July 27 - Sunday, July 29, 2018

DCP Projection

“”Fame” is all New York City. It’s populated by rich kids, ghetto kids, kids with real talent, and kids with mothers who think they have real talent. They all go into the hopper, into a high school of kids who are worked harder because they’re “special” — even if they’re secretly not so sure they’re so special.

The movie has the kind of sensitivity to the real lives of real people that we don’t get much in Hollywood productions anymore. Anyone who ever went to high school will recognize some of Fame’s characters: the quiet little girl who blossoms, the class genius who locks himself up in the basement with his electronic equipment, the kid who can’t read but is a naturally gifted performer, the wiseass, the self-destructive type, the sexpot, the rich kid, and on and on. The cast has been recruited from New York’s most talented young performers, some of them almost playing themselves. The teachers are familiar too: self-sacrificing, perfectionist, cranky, love-hate objects.

If the character types seem familiar, the movie’s way of telling their stories is not. This isn’t a movie that locks its characters into a conventional plot. Instead, it fragments the experiences of four years into dozens of vignettes, loosely organized into sections titled “The Auditions,” “Freshman Year,” and so on. We get to know the characters and their personalities gradually, as we see them in various situations. The effect is a little like high school itself; you come in as a total stranger and by the time you leave, the school has become your world.” – Roger Ebert (1980)

Screening as part of our summer Weekend Classics series, Too Cool for School.

  • Country USA
  • Rating R
  • Year 1980
  • Running Time 134 minutes
  • Director Alan Parker
  • Writer Christopher Gore
  • Editor Gerry Hambling
  • Cinematographer Michael Seresin
  • Cast Eddie Barth, Irene Cara, Lee Curreri, Laura Dean

IFC Center does not generally provide advisories about subject matter or potentially triggering content in films, as sensitivities vary from person to person. In addition to the synopses, trailers and other links on our website, further information about content and age-appropriateness for specific films can be found on Common Sense Media, IMDb and DoesTheDogDie.com as well as through general internet searches.