Tuesday 11 October 2011

Footloose


A newcomer to a small Southern USA town challenges the local law banning public dancing by minors; a law introduced three years earlier after the tragic death of five teenagers in a car accident following their attendance at a dance.

Footloose is a remake of the 1984 film of the same name. I didn't see the original film but I gather the remake is fairly faithful to it's predecessor but updated to the present day. Nevertheless it seems there are changes. I believe in the original the small town was in Utah and the newcomer was from Chicago whereas in the remake the newcomer is from Boston and the small town is in Georgia.

I don't know what significance these changes reveal if any but the notion of a town banning public dancing in this day and age seems a little ridiculous...well, in Western countries anyway.

The film is a bit too noisy for me and when the characters do engage in dancing, as distinct from violently shaking their bodies, the manic editing prevents the viewer from enjoying much of the actual dance movement. The leading male is attractive to look at in a 'pretty' way which somewhat detracts from the intended image of rebellious teen whilst his leading lady, a preacher's daughter, is a little rough around the edges.

Will appeal to some...but mostly not to me.

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