Fame.. Movie or Season 1 &2

[Roger246]

Posted: 10/12/09 at 11:56pm

I have not seen either the movie or the t.v series. I have some extra cash and was wondering which should I pick up?

[I<3bway]

Posted: 10/13/09 at 12:03am

Why not just check out clips of the movie and tv show on youtube and decide for yourself? How do you know that the majority of people on here will say FAME the movie, then you end up buying it and you don't like it at all?

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 10/13/09 at 12:19am

Hands-down... the original film.

Alan Parker's 1980 film FAME is now considered a classic and for many reasons. Its an authentic, gritty and 'real' look at the High School of Performing Arts as it really was -- no candy-coating. The language, tone, feel, look of the film captures the New York City of the late 1970's and has become a time-capsule of sorts. Also, though the film does contain musical sequences it is NOT a musical in any way... unlike most of the 'musicals set in a high school' of this generation.

The TV series was exactly that -- a TV series. Though a handful of the film's actors did become part of the TV series, nothing about it resembled the authentic grittiness of the film. At all.

Even when edited for TV, the original FAME film still retains its grittiness.

[Dantes]

Posted: 10/13/09 at 7:57am

BrodyFosse123 i so agree
The original film is a brilliant capture of a time and school.
Its gritty and harsh, no glitz and frills, just dirt and sharp edges. Some fantastic moments in the film and a finale to die for.

The TV Series is fun, but thats it. All 7 seasons that played here in the UK wre very bright and bouncy, the 1st season tried to keep it issue based, but it never got past the camp.

I know here in the UK yu can buy the original Movie for about £4 ($7).

[Marquise]

Posted: 10/13/09 at 9:47am

I love both incarnations of FAME both were a very important part of my teen years. I say get 'em both!!

But for all this talk of the 1980 film being all gritty and "real" It really wasn't *that* realistic. First off Leroy would have gotten expelled for destroying the school with his little tirade and a real ghetto girl like "Coco" would have told that phony french director where to go after telling her to take her top off not just sit there, actually do it and then cry about it.

Updated On: 10/13/09 at 09:47 AM

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 10/13/09 at 10:03am

"... et vous, Coco. Et vous".

[Marquise]

Posted: 10/13/09 at 10:09am

^LMAO. Those scenes with Steve Inwood make my skin crawl. He really came off like the ultimate sleaze, predator, pedophile.

[South Fl Marc]

Posted: 10/13/09 at 11:38am

That's easy.

The movie. It was gritty exciting and had focused on all aspects of the school. Also,Debbie Allen had maybe one or two lines in the whole movie (very smart).

The TV took out the gritty, took out the gay, made mainly the dancers key characters, so it could showcase the DREADFUL choreography of Debbie Allen, whose part was enlarged. It became cute and BORING.