Flashdance

A classic pop culture phenomenon that defined an era and won composer Giorgio Moroder his second Oscar.

Aspiring dancer Alex Owens (Jennifer Beals) works in a steel mill in Pittsburgh. At night she performs in a local bar but has dreams of becoming a professional dancer. One night at the bar she is approached by a patron, Nick Hurley (Michael Nouri), who she discovers is the owner of the steel mill where she works. Initially rejecting his advances, she agrees to go on a date and a romance quickly develops. With encouragement from Nick, Alex decides to audition for the prestigious Pittsburgh Conservatory of Dance and make her dream a reality.

Curator’s note
Flashdance _might have been a very different film if original directing candidates, David Cronenberg and Brian De Palma, had agreed to take on the project, which boasted a screenplay co-written by Joe Eszterhas (Basic Instinct, 1992 and Showgirls, 1995). Under the guidance of director Adrian Lyne, whose background in commercials gave the film a polished sheen, Flashdance was a box office hit and would become synonymous with blockbuster cinema of the 80s. Giorgio Moroder was brought on board as composer and the film's legacy was sealed. Resulting in a massive soundtrack, it spawned several chart-topping songs including Maniac, performed by Michael Sembello, and the Oscar-winning song Flashdance…What a Feeling, performed by Irene Cara, which was written for the film by Moroder.