A Chorus Line

On a Broadway stage, a group of dancers gathers to audition for a new musical under a tough director named Zach. He whittles a crowded field down to seventeen, pushing each performer to show not only talent but the stamina and heart a Broadway commitment demands. Among the hopefuls is Cassie, a former lover of Zach who returns to audition despite lingering history. She wants the job badly enough to bury pride and pretend the past has no bearing on the present. The film keeps its focus tight on the auditions, the moments of doubt, and the personal costs of chasing a Broadway dream, without spoiling every twist along the way.

Released in 1985 and directed by Richard Attenborough, this film adapts the Broadway musical A Chorus Line by Nicholas Dante, James Kirkwood Jr, and Arnold Schulman. It preserves the backstage focus while translating stage energy into a cinematic frame.

The film offers a rare cinematic view of backstage life in Broadway, foregrounding the dancers as individuals with stories and stakes. It helped popularize the idea that musical theatre can function as intimate drama while still delivering large scale dance. The film also raises questions about ambition.

Reviewers noted how the film balances an ensemble of dancers with personal stories, exploring ambition, sacrifice, and the price of fame. It foregrounds discipline and teamwork as vital to artistic achievement, while acknowledging the personal costs behind a Broadway dream. The emphasis on craft over celebrity feels timely for discussions about performing arts education.

The movie did not receive major nominations at the Oscars or Globes, and it earned limited recognition from other prominent bodies. It is remembered more for its performances and its attempt to translate a stage phenomenon into film than for awards, reflecting mixed but lasting interest in the adaptation.