Saturday, March 28, 2015

Movie Moment: Dave Watches "Flashdance"

Gee, it's been a long time since I've written a movie moment. This one came up at the Thrift Store yesterday, chatting about welding with a woman co-herder.

One of my favorite jobs, I said, was using a little blowtorch to light 6-ft.-tall altar candles (when I was part-time sacristan at the Basilica), and one of my favorite movie scenes is...

What a Feeling

In the movie The Full Monty, Dave  (Mark Addy) agrees to join his Sheffield steelworker mates--put out of work by Margaret Thatcher-- in staging on a Chippendale-style striptease show to earn some cash.
 Non-dancers, here they are trying to pick up tips by watching Flashdance.

In a brilliant bit of inter-filmic criticism, Dave comments,
"I hope she dances better than she welds."

Song: "Flashdance (What a Feeling)", Irene Cara (1983)

Why I Like It

What a human, oh-so-human feeling!
There should be a name for this---when you're watching a movie or TV show and you're outraged that they've gotten wrong some utterly inconsequential detail (that you know about).

There's a bit on Absolutely Fabulous that riffs on this phenomenon, but I can't find it online. Edina, I think it is, is watching some costume drama and starts ranting something along the lines of, "They didn't have those style of horse bits in the 18th century!"

Bonus Moment: Hot Stuff

Later, standing in the unemployment line, the men hear "Hot Stuff" (1975, Donna Summer, not from Flashdance) and separately they start, furtively at first, practicing their dance moves.
A lovely illustration of the way creativity can transform drudgery:

5 comments:

The Crow said...

Well...I know what I'm going to be doing this afternoon! Gotta rent The Full Monty. It looks like it will be just the antidote to more freakin' snow!

Zhoen said...

Such a fun movie that was. I
d forgotten that scene.

This is why I can't watch medical shows, D can't stand bad history, or wrong guitar gear details. I think where directors go wrong is when they show what they don't know. Better to suggest, imply, and not show.

More on my site later... you inspiration!

The Crow said...

bACK AGAIN. rented Full Monty on amazon. Made popcorn and iced tea, had a great time. Good movie, good story, good bodies. What more could I ask?

bink said...

Here I am going to do exactly what you are talking about... It's a Saunders and French episode, not Ab Fab. ;-)

French is playing Saunders mom, Saunders is a teen, and they are watching TV together... while trying to have talk, but mom keeps getting distracted by details on things like the horse bits.

I wish I could find the link for you... but there's too much material of that duo doing similar things, so I couldn't find a good way to narrow the search... But I did try.

Fresca said...

CROW: I'm glad you liked it--I'm going to rewatch it too.

ZHOEN: Oh--wow--thanks for mentioning on your blog the intriguing "An Historian Goes to the Movies"
aelarsen.wordpress.com

BINK: Thanks for the correction, but darn, even with the right show, I still can't find the skit either.
It was you who showed it to me, I'm pretty sure--wish we could watch it again.