A Chorus Line | |
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Theatrical release poster
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Directed by | Richard Attenborough |
Produced by | Cy Feuer |
Screenplay by | Arnold Schulman |
Based on |
A Chorus Line by James Kirkwood, Jr. and Nicholas Dante |
Starring | Michael Douglas |
Music by | |
Cinematography | Ronnie Taylor |
Edited by | John Bloom |
Production
companies |
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Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
Release date
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Running time
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118 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $25 million |
Box office | $14.2 million |
A Chorus Line is a 1985 American musical drama film directed by Richard Attenborough and starring Michael Douglas. The screenplay by Arnold Schulman is based on the Tony Award-winning book of the 1975 stage production of the same name by James Kirkwood, Jr. and Nicholas Dante. The songs were composed by Marvin Hamlisch and Edward Kleban.
The film was released theatrically on December 13, 1985 by Columbia Pictures. It received mixed to negative reviews from critics and was a box office bomb, grossing only $14 million from a $25 million budget.
A group of dancers congregate on the stage of a Broadway theatre to audition for a new musical production directed by Zach (Michael Douglas). After the initial eliminations, sixteen hopefuls remain. Arriving late is former lead dancer Cassie (Alyson Reed) who once had a tempestuous romantic relationship with Zach but left him to take a job in Hollywood. Now she hasn't worked in over a year, and is desperate enough for work to even just be part of the chorus line and audition for him; whether he's willing to let professionalism overcome his personal feelings about their past remains to be seen.
As the film unfolds, the backstory of each of the dancers is revealed. Some are funny, some ironic, some heartbreaking. No matter what their background, however, they all have one thing in common: a passion for dance.