A Chorus Line (1985)

Director:

Richard Attenborough

Writers:

Michael Bennett (musical) and
Nicholas Dante (musical) ...
(more)

Release Date:

13 December 1985 (USA)

Genre:

Musical | Drama | Comedy

Plot:

Hopefuls try out before a demanding director for a part in a new musical.

Plot Keywords:

Pulitzer Prize Source | Box Office Flop | Broadway Musical | Dance | Audition

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 5 nominations

Cast

Michael Blevins	...	Mark Tobori
Yamil Borges	...	Diana Morales
Jan Gan Boyd	...	Connie Wong
Sharon Brown	...	Kim
Gregg Burge	...	Richie Walters
Michael Douglas	...	Zach
Cameron English	...	Paul San Marco
Tony Fields	...	Al DeLuca
Nicole Fosse	...	Kristine Evelyn Erlich-DeLuca
Vicki Frederick	...	Sheila Bryant
Michelle Johnston	...	Beatrice Ann 'Bebe' Benson
Janet Jones	...	Judy Monroe
Pam Klinger	...	Maggie Winslow
Audrey Landers	...	Val Clarke
Terrence Mann	...	Larry
Charles McGowan	...	Mike Cass
Alyson Reed	...	Cassie
Justin Ross	...	Greg Gardner
Blane Savage	...	Don
Matt West	...	Bobby Mills III
Pat McNamara	...	Robbie
Sammy Smith	...	Doorman
Timothy Scott	...	Boy with Headband
Bambi Jordan	...	Girl in Yellow Trunks
Mansoor Najeeullah	...	Cab Driver
Peter Fitzgerald	...	Dancer with Gum
John Hammil	...	Advertising Executive
Jack Lehnert	...	Posterman
Gloria Lynch	...	Taxi Passenger
Gregg Huffman	...	Misfit Boy Dancer
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Eric Aaron	...	Dancer
Jeff Adkins	...	Dancer
Khandi Alexander	...	Dancer
AnneMarie	...	Dancer
David Askler	...	Dancer
Michele Assaf	...	Dancer
Bryant Baldwin	...	Dancer
Buddy Balou	...	Dancer
Carol Baxter	...	Dancer
Tina Bellis	...	Dancer
Ida Broughton	...	Dancer
Robin Brown	...	Dancer
Anna Bruno	...	Dancer
Brian Bullard	...	Dancer
Cheryl Burr	...	Dancer
Bill Bushnell	...	Dancer
Sergio Cal	...	Dancer
Cole Carpenter	...	Reject Dancer
Joe Anthony Cavise	...	Dancer
Linda Cholodenko	...	Dancer
Cheryl Clark	...	Dancer
Christine Colby	...	Dancer
Alexander Cole	...	Dancer
Anne Connors	...	Dancer
Leslie Cook	...	Dancer
Jeffrey Cornell	...	Dancer
Alicia Cox	...	Dancer
Frank Cruz	...	Dancer
Roxann Dawson	...	Dancer (as Roxann Cabalero)
Richard DeFabees	...	Reject Dancer
John DeLuca	...	Dancer
Niki Harris	...	Dancer
Reed Jones	...	Dancer
Jennifer Kent	...	Reject Dancer
Barbara Lavorato	...	Dancer
Felix Montano	...	Dancer
Alan Onickel	...	Dancer
Scott Plank	...	Dancer
Karen Prunczik	...	Reject Dancer
Rhett Pyle	...	Dancer
Melissa Randel	...	Reject Dancer
Leslie Stevens	...	Dancer
Mary Ellen Stuart	...	Dancer
Scott Wise	...	Dancer
Barbara Yeager	...	Dancer
Yvonne Farrow	...	Dancer (uncredited)

Directed by
Richard Attenborough

Writing credits
Michael Bennett		(musical) and
Nicholas Dante		(musical) and
James Kirkwood Jr.		(musical)
Arnold Schulman		(screenplay)

Produced by
Joseph M. Caracciolo	....	associate producer
Cy Feuer	....	producer
Ernest H. Martin	....	producer
Gordon Stulberg	....	executive producer

Cinematography by
Ronnie Taylor

Film Editing by
John Bloom

Casting by
Julie Hughes
Barry Moss

Production Design by
Patrizia von Brandenstein

Art Direction by
John Dapper

Set Decoration by
George DeTitta Sr.

Costume Design by
Faye Poliakin

Makeup Department
Craig Lyman	....	key makeup artist

Production Management
Joseph M. Caracciolo	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Louis D'Esposito	....	second assistant director
Robert V. Girolami	....	first assistant director
Jane Paul	....	second second assistant director
James W. Skotchdopole	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Jay Rabins	....	art department coordinator
Martin Rosenberg	....	set dresser
Gerald DeTitta	....	set dresser (uncredited)

Sound Department
Jonathan Bates	....	supervising sound editor
Jeremy Hume	....	assistant sound editor
Gerry Humphreys	....	sound re-recording mixer
Michael Minkler	....	sound re-recording mixer
Donald O. Mitchell	....	sound re-recording mixer
Christopher Newman	....	production sound mixer
Kevin O'Connell	....	sound re-recording mixer
Robin O'Donoghue	....	sound re-recording mixer
Jerry Trent	....	dance foley

Camera and Electrical Department
Billy Kerwick	....	key rigging grip
Gary Muller	....	co-first assistant camera
Tom Priestley Jr.	....	camera operator
Scott Rathner	....	additional second assistant camera

Casting Department
Edward Blum	....	additional casting

Editorial Department
Tom San Martin	....	negative matcher
Arnold Shuster	....	negative matcher

Music Department
Lamar Alsop	....	musician
Seymour Barab	....	musician
Elena Barere	....	musician
Ethan Bauch	....	musician
John Beal	....	musician
Jay Berliner	....	musician
Warren Bernhardt	....	musician
Randy Brecker	....	musician
Ralph Burns	....	conductor
Ralph Burns	....	music arranger
Ann Calahan	....	musician
Bob Carlisle	....	musician
Heidi Carney	....	musician
Clifford Carter	....	musician
Emile Charlap	....	musicians contractor
Michael Farrow	....	music mixer
Joseph Joubert	....	dance music layouts
Guy Lumia	....	concert master
Emily Paine	....	assistant music editor
Michael Tronick	....	music editor
Robert E. Wooten Jr.	....	dance music layouts

Transportation Department
Robert Buckman	....	driver

Other crew
Michael Bennett	....	choreographer: original stage production
Michael Bennett	....	stage director: original stage production
B.J. Bjorkman	....	script supervisor
Al Cerullo	....	helicopter pilot
Monte Farber	....	location manager
Jeffrey Hornaday	....	choreographer
Richard Morrison	....	title designer
Joseph Papp	....	stage producer
James R. Powell	....	production assistant
Mindy Weiss	....	assistant: Emile Charlap
Stanley Bielecki	....	publicity and marketing (uncredited)
Grant Reid	....	location assistant (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Embassy Film Associates
• PolyGram Filmed Entertainment

Distributors

• Columbia Pictures
• Globo Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (video)
• UGC-Europe 1 (1986) (France) (theatrical)

Other Companies

• Casablanca Records  soundtrack

Runtime:

113 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby (35 mm prints)

Certification:

Iceland:L | Netherlands:AL | Argentina:Atp | Canada:14A | Chile:TE | Finland:S | France:U | Germany:6 | Norway:11 | Sweden:Btl | UK:12 | USA:PG-13 | West Germany:6 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Helen Hayes Theater - 240 West 44th Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Embassy Film Associates

Trivia:

Roxann Dawson's film debut.

Goofs:

Incorrectly regarded as goofs: In the major dance scene, just at the end of the audition sequence, you can clearly see dancers who have been shown to be rejected. This scene isn't intended to be in continuity, but is more like a curtain call (as it was in the Broadway musical).

Quotes:

Sheila: Can I sit on your lap?
Zach: Do you always come on like this?
Sheila: No. Sometimes I'm aggressive.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in "The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror V (#6.6)" (1994)

Soundtrack:

A Chorus Line

Rough-Edged

A strange picture, as it peels the outer rims of human feelings and aims straight for the raw. Auditioning for a Broadway stage musical are hundreds of youngsters who dream with a place in the limelight. The plot, you can imagine, is basically an audition, with all its highs and lows. And when I say it has raw feelings, i'm talking about the cold process of selection, which is encarnated by the obscure character of Michael Douglas, who, in the obscurity of the audience, with only a little light next to him, says who stays and who goes, even if he has to be brutal sometimes ("Then don't dance!!!", he says shouting to a girl who didn't have any dance classes). The result is a film sustained by the different phases of selection and the suspense of who is going to be a star and who has to leave, which, altogether, will charm only dance-addicts and everyone who would like to be in one of these shows one day.