R F Brown

Fame (1980)

Fame (2009)

Neither Fame movie is great.  I watched Fame 1980 and found it edgy but lacking.    The film starts out in a wild, almost cinema-verite style with young, hopeful students auditioning for the opportunity to attend an exclusive New York performing arts high school.  We’re introduced to a plethora of characters and an exciting editing rhythm.  But eventually its major drama takes place outside of the school and it’s a challenge to keep your interest in the many dragging story lines.  The stitches sort of ravel and the end feels incomplete.  Interestingly, Fame 2009 suffers from much the same structural problems without the Ed Koch era urban grit.  Shinier faces make for an even duller movie, although I find the sequel to have better music and choreography.  I’m not sure what about Fame 1980 made it such a watermark.  I’m sure the new one will fall with the weight of a grand drape.

To better explain both films I put together an illustrative comparison: