Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
    Nostalgia Central
    • Home
    • Blog
      • Lists
      • Playlists
    • Television
      • TV by Decade
        • TV – 1950s
        • TV – 1960s
        • TV – 1970s
        • TV – 1980s
        • TV – 1990s
      • Comedy
      • Drama
      • Kids TV
      • Variety
      • News & Sport
      • Advertisements
    • Music
      • Music by Decade
        • Music – 1950s
        • Music – 1960s
        • Music – 1970s
        • Music – 1980s
        • Music – 1990s
      • Artists – A to K
        • Artists – A
        • Artists – B
        • Artists – C
        • Artists – D
        • Artists – E
        • Artists – F
        • Artists – G
        • Artists – H
        • Artists – I
        • Artists – J
        • Artists – K
      • Artists – L to Z
        • Artists – L
        • Artists – M
        • Artists – N
        • Artists – O
        • Artists – P
        • Artists – Q
        • Artists – R
        • Artists – S
        • Artists – T
        • Artists – U
        • Artists – V
        • Artists – W
        • Artists – X
        • Artists – Y
        • Artists – Z
      • Artists – 0 to 9
      • Genres
      • Music on Film & TV
      • One-Hit Wonders
      • Online Radio
    • Movies
      • Movies by Decade
        • Movies – 1950s
        • Movies – 1960s
        • Movies – 1970s
        • Movies – 1980s
        • Movies – 1990s
      • Movies – 0 to 9
      • Movies – A to K
        • Movies – A
        • Movies – B
        • Movies – C
        • Movies – D
        • Movies – E
        • Movies – F
        • Movies – G
        • Movies – H
        • Movies – I
        • Movies – J
        • Movies – K
      • Movies – L to Z
        • Movies – L
        • Movies – M
        • Movies – N
        • Movies – O
        • Movies – P
        • Movies – Q
        • Movies – R
        • Movies – S
        • Movies – T
        • Movies – U
        • Movies – V
        • Movies – W
        • Movies – X
        • Movies – Y
        • Movies – Z
    • Pop Culture
      • Fads
      • Toys & Games
      • Fashion
      • Decor
      • Food & Drink
      • People
      • Radio
      • Technology
      • Transport
    • Social History
      • 1950s Year by Year
      • 1960s Year by Year
      • 1970s Year by Year
      • 1980s Year by Year
      • 1990s Year by Year
      • Events
    Nostalgia Central
    Home»Movies»Movies by Decade»Movies - 1980s
    Movies - 1980s Movies - F 2 Mins Read

    Flashdance (1983)

    Share
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email

    Jennifer Beals stars as Alex Owens, an 18-year-old welder in a Pittsburgh steel mill who moonlights as an exotic dancer in the dive bar her co-workers frequent.

    She is having an affair with her boss, Nick (Michael Nouri), who helps her strive to achieve her dream to be a ballerina.

    The girls who dance with Alex at the club all have some kind of new wave performance art aspect to what they do and the set pieces are hilariously elaborate (one girl goes for a zany kabuki effect!)

    Director Adrian Lyne (9½ Weeks; Fatal Attraction) cut his teeth directing TV commercials – and it shows in his reliance on slick cutting and sumptuous visuals here.

    But while it was one of the most successful movies of 1983, Flashdance is really nothing but glossy fluff.

    The film is like sitting through a long rock video or aerobics tape, with Beals (and a lot of stand-ins by dancing body-double Marine Jahan) doing frenzied water (or sweat) drenched dances to a pounding beat in skimpy outfits.

    And why is it that people in movies always live in houses they couldn’t possibly afford on their incomes? Alex has a loft apartment and she’s a WELDER for chrissakes . . .

    Several hits came off the soundtrack album, including Flashdance – What a Feeling (sung by Fame‘s Irene Cara), which won an Academy Award for Best Original Song. The song Maniac, the cinematography, and the film editing also received nominations.

    Alex Owens
    Jennifer Beals
    Nick Hurley
    Michael Nouri
    Hanna Long
    Lilia Skala
    Jeanie Szabo
    Sunny Johnson
    Richie
    Kyle T. Heffner
    Johnny C
    Lee Ving
    Jake Mawby
    Ron Karabatsos
    Katie Hurley
    Belinda Bauer
    Cecil
    Malcolm Danare
    Frank Szabo
    Philip Bruns
    Rosemary Szabo
    Micole Mercurio
    Secretary
    Lucy Lee Flippin
    Pete
    Don Brockett
    Tina Tech
    Cynthia Rhodes
    Heels
    Durga McBroom

    Director
    Adrian Lyne

    Video

    Related Posts

    • Girls Just Want To Have Fun (1985)
      Girls Just Want To Have Fun (1985)
      American teen flicks are never short of clichés, and this musical comedy is no exception, packing in most of the…
    • Sleepwalker (1984)
      Sleepwalker (1984)
      Rich city-dwelling couple Angela (Joanna David) and Richard Paradise (Nickolas Grace) travel to the country home of brother and sister…
    • Shag (1989)
      Shag (1989)
      This coming-of-age comedy set in South Carolina in 1963 has a seductive charm that sneaks up on you. The slender…
    • Down On Us (Beyond The Doors) (1984)
      Down On Us (Beyond The Doors) (1984)
      A film about how government assassin Alex Stanley (Sandy Kenyon) killed Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and Jim Morrison from conspiracy…
    • Trancers (1984)
      Trancers (1984)
      The low-budget Trancers blithely steals ideas and images from the two best science-fiction films of the previous five years -…
    • Dirty Dancing (1987)
      Dirty Dancing (1987)
      It's the summer of 1963. Johnny Castle (Patrick Swayze) is a Catskills summer camp dance teacher (moonlighting as a "dirty…
    • Vampire’s Kiss (1988)
      Vampire’s Kiss (1988)
      Peter Loew (Nicolas Cage) is an eccentric womanising literary agent in Manhattan. He is the epitome of ‘80s yuppie narcissism…
    • Fatal Attraction (1987)
      Fatal Attraction (1987)
      Michael Douglas made two films in 1987 that hit a nerve and captured the prevailing respective cultural sentiments of "Greed…

    1983
    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email
    Previous ArticleFitzcarraldo (1982)
    Next Article Flash Gordon (1980)

    Comments are closed.

    A Labour of Love

    Nostalgia Central has been a labour of love for me since 1998.

    If you find the site informative or enjoyable, please consider a donation – no matter how small – to help me with the running costs of the site and ensure I can keep Nostalgia Central running for your entertainment and education.

    Thank you so much, and please enjoy your trip in the time machine!
    Follow us
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    You May Also Like
    • Eddie & The Hot Rods
      Eddie & The Hot Rods formed in Rochford near Southend, Essex […]
    • Hairspray (1988)
      Long-time cult film director John Waters burst into the […]
    • Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter (1974)
      Handsome, debonair, dope-smoking vampire hunter and expert […]
    • Jonny Quest
      1 9 6 4 – 1 9 6 5 (USA) 1 9 6 7 – 1 9 7 0 (USA) […]
    • Honeys, The
      This surf music girl-group trio included Brian Wilson’s […]
    • This Day Tonight
      1 9 6 7 – 1 9 7 8 (Australia) Commonly abbreviated to TDT, […]
    Comments Box SVG iconsUsed for the like, share, comment, and reaction icons

    OUR LATEST FACEBOOK POSTS

    www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-coventry-warwickshire-65006801 ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    Terry Hall: Coventry scooter ride-out pays tribute to singer

    www.bbc.co.uk

    Hundreds of people ride through Coventry on what would have been the singer's 64th birthday.
    10 hours ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 6
    • Shares: 1
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    metro.co.uk/2023/03/13/the-whos-roger-daltrey-thinks-theres-no-point-releasing-an-album-18434779/ ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    The Who's Roger Daltrey thinks there's 'no point' releasing another album

    metro.co.uk

    Bad luck.
    15 hours ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 0
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-64963359 ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    Sir Michael Caine's first Rolls Royce sells at Duxford for £120K

    www.bbc.co.uk

    The Italian Job actor hired a chauffeur to drive the 1968 Silver Shadow, with its doors still intact.
    4 days ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 2
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-64900348 ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    Mystic Meg: Astrologer dies aged 80

    www.bbc.co.uk

    The TV star, whose real name was Margaret Lake, was a well-known TV figure in the 1990s.
    1 week ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 1
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 1

    Comment on Facebook

    Do you think she know it eas going to happen

    PlayTalk Teletext (1976) | BFI Replay

    Talk Teletext (1976) | BFI Replay ... See MoreSee Less

    2 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 7
    • Shares: 2
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    Gary Rossington: Lynyrd Skynyrd's last founding member dies aged 71.
    ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    Gary Rossington: Lynyrd Skynyrd's last founding member dies aged 71

    www.bbc.co.uk

    Guitarist Gary Rossington had survived a 1977 air crash that killed several of his bandmates.
    2 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 2
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 1

    Comment on Facebook

    What a talented man. Lucky enough to see original band in concert. BRILLIANT.

    Rest in peace Dickie Davies. An absolute giant of British sports broadcasting.

    ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    Dickie Davies, World of Sport presenter, dies at 94

    www.theguardian.com

    The broadcaster became something of a cult figure after fronting the ITV show for 20 years
    4 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 4
    • Shares: 1
    • Comments: 1

    Comment on Facebook

    Yes, one of the great presenters. R.I.P.

    For fans of the radio series Round The Horne (1965 - 1968) - starring the inimitable Kenneth Williams - there are several full episodes on Spotify. Some of the humour is still pretty close to the edge, even by modern standards. Bona! 

https://open.spotify.com/show/7DIM1wfGKwDis0uzsjHeP7?si=pG0_U0TjRKGzVDvrePs4vA

    For fans of the radio series "Round The Horne" (1965 - 1968) - starring the inimitable Kenneth Williams - there are several full episodes on Spotify. Some of the humour is still pretty "close to the edge", even by modern standards. Bona!

    open.spotify.com/show/7DIM1wfGKwDis0uzsjHeP7?si=pG0_U0TjRKGzVDvrePs4vA
    ... See MoreSee Less

    4 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 12
    • Shares: 1
    • Comments: 2

    Comment on Facebook

    For those interested, the complete “Jules and Sandy” is available on Audible…

    Bona to vada your jolly old eek. Lovely riah....

    RIP the beautiful Stella Stevens, who has died at the age of 84.

    ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    Stella Stevens: Nutty Professor and Poseidon Adventure star dies at 84

    www.bbc.co.uk

    The co-star of Elvis Presley also worked in TV on series such as Murder She Wrote and Magnum, P.I.
    4 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 0
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    A very young Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and George Harrison and friends. 

If they only knew what lay ahead . . .

    A very young Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and George Harrison and friends.

    If they only knew what lay ahead . . .
    ... See MoreSee Less

    4 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 18
    • Shares: 1
    • Comments: 1

    Comment on Facebook

    I always hated the Beatles, and as it happens I still do.

    Load more
    Please note


    Nostalgia Central covers the period 1950 to 1999 and contains some words and references which reflect the attitudes of those times and which may be considered culturally sensitive, offensive or inappropriate today.
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    Search Nostalgia Central
    Tag Cloud
    1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 Action Figures Amicus Arcade games Australia Beach movies Beatles Blaxploitation Board games British Invasion Britpop Bubblegum music Canada Civil rights Cold War Computer games Crime Disc Jockeys Disco Disney Doo-Wop Elvis Presley Folk rock Girl groups Glam Goth Hammer Heavy Metal Irwin Allen James Bond JFK Kraütrock Labels Madchester Merseybeat Mod revival Motown New Romantic New Wave New Zealand Nixon Northern Soul NWOBHM Oi! One-hit wonders Politics Power Pop Prog rock Pub rock Punk Radio Reggae Rolling Stones Scotland Ska Ska revival Skiffle Soul music Space Race Sport Surf music Video games Vietnam war
    Copyright © 1998, 2023 Nostalgia Central. Run by volunteers. Funded by donations.
    • About Nostalgia Central
    • Contact
    • FAQ

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.