Footloose is a 1984 American film that tells the story of Ren McCormack, played by Kevin Bacon, a teenager who was raised in Chicago. McCormack moves to a small town where the local government has banned dancing and rock music. Ren and his classmates want to have a senior prom with music and dancing. They must figure out a way to get around the law and Reverend Shaw Moore, played by John Lithgow, who blames rock music's influence for the death of his first child.
The movie was loosely based on events that took place in the tiny, rural farming community of Elmore City, Oklahoma.[1] Much of the film was filmed in Utah County, Utah.
Production
Dean Pitchford wrote the screenplay (and most of the lyrics) for Footloose, Herbert Ross directed the movie, and Paramount Pictures co-produced and distributed it.
Michael Cimino was hired by Paramount to direct the movie when negotiations with Ross initially stalled. After four months working on the film, the studio fired Cimino, who was making extravagant demands for the production, and ended up rehiring Ross.[2]
Casting
Footloose also starred Lori Singer as Reverend Moore's independent daughter Ariel, a role Madonna also auditioned for. Dianne Wiest appeared as Vi, the Reverend's devoted yet conflicted wife.
Footloose is one of the earliest film appearances of Sarah Jessica Parker as Ariel's friend Rusty, a role for which she was nominated for Best Young Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture Musical, Comedy, Adventure or Drama at the Sixth Annual Youth in Film Awards. It was also an early role for Chris Penn as Willard Hewitt, Ren's best friend, who doesn't know how to dance until Ren teaches him.
Filming
The film was made at various locations in Utah County. The high school and tractor scenes were filmed in and around Payson, Utah and Payson High School. The church scenes were filmed in American Fork, Utah. The steel mill was the Geneva Steel mill. The final sequence is filmed in Lehi, Utah, with the Lehi Roller Mills featured in the final sequence.
Cast
Soundtrack
The movie's soundtrack was released in cassette, 8-track tape, vinyl, and Compact Disc format. The soundtrack was also re-released on compact disc for the 15th anniversary of the film. The re-release included four new songs: "Bang Your Head (Metal Health)" by Quiet Riot, "Hurts So Good" by John Mellencamp, "Waiting for a Girl Like You" by Foreigner, and the extended 12" remix of "Dancing in the Sheets". The soundtrack includes three rock singles, the title song by Kenny Loggins and "Holding Out for a Hero" by Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler, and "Girl Gets Around" by Sammy Hagar, three R&B singles, "Let's Hear It For the Boy" by Deniece Williams, "Somebody's Eyes" by Karla Bonoff, and "Dancing In the Sheets" by Shalamar and the love theme "Almost Paradise" by Mike Reno from Loverboy and Ann Wilson from Heart. The film was later released in VHS, Laserdisc and DVD formats, Some of the music for the songs was composed by people such as Sammy Hagar, Eric Carmen, Jim Steinman and Kenny Loggins and the soundtrack went on to sell over 9 million copies in the USA.
The first two tracks both hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and received 1985 Academy Award nomination for Best Music (Original Song). "Footloose" also received a 1985 Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Original Song - Motion Picture.
Reception
The film, despite mixed critical reviews, grossed $80,035,403 around the world.[3]
Musical version
A musical version of Footloose that features many of the same songs from the movie is played at the Playhouse Theatre in London's West End. The musical is generally faithful to the film version, with some slight differences in the story and characters.
Remake
Paramount Pictures has announced plans to fast-track a musical remake of Footloose, with plans to start filming in March of 2010. Zac Efron was cast as Ren in the new movie,[4] but he later dropped out, reportedly saying that he wanted to take a break from musicals.[5] Kenny Ortega is announced as director, with Peter Sollett re-writing the script and Dylan Sellers, (producer of The Replacements), Craig Zadan and Neil Meron as co-producers.[6] It will be filmed in Utah, like the original. It was announced on May 19, 2009 that Chace Crawford will be playing the lead role of Ren in the upcoming remake.[7] Derek Hough from Dancing with the Stars was in talks to play Ren since he played the role in the musical version in London and pop recording artist Keithian has been in talks to play Ren's best friend. According to E! News, Julianne Hough, Derek's sister, also of Dancing with the Stars, has been in talks with the producers to take on the role of Ariel, formerly played by Lori Singer. It was confirmed on June 21, 2009 that Hough will be playing the role of Ariel if her schedule permits.
References
- ^ Demaret, Kent (May 18, 1980). "You Got Trouble in Elmore City: That's Spelled with a "t," Which Rhymes with "d" and That Stands for Dancing". People 13 (20). http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20076503,00.html. Retrieved May 12, 2009.
- ^ Holleran, Scott (October 12, 2004). "Shall We Footloose?". Box Office Mojo. http://www.boxofficemojo.com/features/?id=1510&p=.htm. Retrieved May 12, 2009.
- ^ "Box office / business for Footloose (1984)". Internet Movie Database. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087277/business. Retrieved May 12, 2009.
- ^ Mitovich, Matt (July 11, 2007). "Zac Efron Brings Home the Bacon in Footloose Redo". TV Guide. http://www.tvguide.com/news/Zac-Efron-Brings-16432.aspx. Retrieved May 12, 2009.
- ^ Serpe, Gina (April 23, 2009). "Zac Efron No Longer Cutting Footloose". E! Online. http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/b105699_zac_efron_no_longer_cutting_footloose.html. Retrieved May 12, 2009.
- ^ Gans, Andrew (October 28, 2008). "Zadan and Meron Will Co-Produce Footloose Remake for High School Musical Star Efron". Playbill. http://www.playbill.com/news/article/122785-Zadan_and_Meron_Will_Co-Produce_Footloose_Remake_for_High_School_Musical_Star_Efron. Retrieved May 12, 2009.
- ^ "EXCLUSIVE: Chace Crawford to Star in Footloose". Us Magazine.com. May 19, 2009. http://www.usmagazine.com/news/exclusive-chace-crawford-to-star-in-footloose-2009195. Retrieved May 20, 2009.
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