The Forbidden Dance (also released as The Forbidden Dance is Lambada) is a 1990 drama film starring former Miss USA Laura Harring.
The film was written, produced, and released very quickly in order to cash in on what some thought was a Lambada dance craze. The script was commissioned in December 1989, written in ten days, and filming began within a month. The film also featured the song "Lambada", performed by the group Kaoma, which helped spread the Lambada craze the previous year. It was released on 16 March 1990, the same day as rival film Lambada – whose producers sued to keep the word "Lambada" out of the title.
The film was panned by critics, and received little attention in the theatres. "The Forbidden Dance is B-movie drab, and its dance sequences are barely sexier than a bowling tournament," [1] said one critic. "Heavy-handed and somewhat mean-spirited, The Forbidden Dance is a slapdash message movie, about as subtle as a clog dance," said another. [2]
Synopsis
Nisa (Laura Harring) is the princess of a Brazilian tribe who comes to Los Angeles to stop an American corporation from destroying her rainforest home. With her is tribal shaman Joa (Sid Haig), who uses black magic to get past the company guards and see the chairman of the corporation, resulting in his arrest.
Left to fend for herself in Los Angeles alone, Nisa, with the help of Carmen (Angela Moya), finds work in a Beverly Hills mansion as the servant of an uptight couple whose son, Jason (Jeff James), lives only to dance. After spying on Nisa as she dances provocatively in her bedroom, Jason takes her out to a club. She is rejected by Jason's friends, and he is berated by his parents for dating the help.
Nisa runs away and gets a job at Xtasy, a sleazy dance joint/brothel, as a dance partner for male customers. Jason's friends visits the club and want to dance with Nisa, but Nisa refuses to dance with them. one of Jason's friends become sleezy towards her and the bouncer fights them. Later, the friends told Ashley-- Jason's girlfrined- and she runs back and tells Jason his little girlfriend is a sleeze working at Xtasy. He becomes morose, turns away from his buddies and girlfriend Ashley (Barbra Brighton) and goes to Xtasy to try to take Nisa out of the place. A bouncer beats up the would-be rescuer and prepares to deflower Nisa, but fortunately Joa walks in and magically stuns the attacker, which clears the place.
The shaman then heads back to the tribe, while Nisa and Jason, now in love, prepare for a dance contest, hoping to speak out about the plight of the rainforest when they are showcased on TV.
They win the contest, but the corporation's head stooge, Benjamin Maxwell (Richard Lynch), kidnaps Nisa afterwards. Jason finds them and helps Nisa to escape, but twists his ankle, ruining their chances of performing on the TV show.
Luckily, Joa shows up backstage, heals Jason's wound, and the dance goes ahead as planned. The crowd loves them, they start a boycott against the destruction of the rainforest, and everyone gets into the lambada.
Cast
- Laura Harring - Nisa
- Jeff James - Jason Anderson
- Angela Moya - Carmen
- Sid Haig - Joa
- Shannon Farnon - Katherine Anderson
- Linden Chiles - Bradley Anderson
- Pilar Del Rey - Queen
- Ruben Moreno - King
- Barbra Brighton - Ashley Wells
- Richard Lynch - Benjamin Maxwell
- Miranda Garrison - Mickey
- Tom Alexander - Kurt
- Connie Woods - Trish
- Steven Williams - Weed (as Steven Lloyd Williams)
- Remy O'Neil - Robin
- Charles Meshack - Eddie
- Sabrina Mance - Cami
- Kenny Johnson - Dave
- Adriana Kaegi - Herself
- Kid Creole - Himself
- Taryn Hagey - Herself
- Greg Niebel - Jail Cop # 1
- Janique Svedberg - Herself
- Kenny Scott Carrie - Jail Cop # 2
Soundtrack
References
- ^ Pareles, Jon (1990-03-18). "And Now on the Screen: Lambada!". The New York Times. http://movies2.nytimes.com/mem/movies/review.html?_r=1&title1=&title2=LAMBADA%20%28MOVIE%29&reviewer=JON%20PARELES&v_id=18159&pdate=19900318. Retrieved 2007-04-08.
- ^ Kempley, Rita (1990-03-17). "‘Lambada’ (PG-13) and ‘The Forbidden Dance’ (PG-13)". The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/lambadapg13andtheforbiddendancepg13kempley_a0a000.htm. Retrieved 2007-04-08.
External links
