Fernando,
I don't want to interrupt MissG's great thread on films that need rediscovering by monopolizing the conversation about Streets of Fire.
So let's talk here about one of our favorite films from the 1980s and maybe others will join us. I would love to get a conversation going about films built around rock and roll.
"Tonight is what it means to be young"
The Queen of the Prom is kidnapped by the Leader of the Pack and rescued by Soldier Boy" - Walter Hill
Streets of Fire
-
Lzcutter
- Administrator
- Posts: 3149
- Joined: April 12th, 2007, 6:50 pm
- Location: Lake Balboa and the City of Angels!
- Contact:
Streets of Fire
Lynn in Lake Balboa
"Film is history. With every foot of film lost, we lose a link to our culture, to the world around us, to each other and to ourselves."
"For me, John Wayne has only become more impressive over time." Marty Scorsese
Avatar-Warner Bros Water Tower
"Film is history. With every foot of film lost, we lose a link to our culture, to the world around us, to each other and to ourselves."
"For me, John Wayne has only become more impressive over time." Marty Scorsese
Avatar-Warner Bros Water Tower
-
feaito
Re: Streets of Fire
Hi Lynn,
First of all I must say that I've always felt that this is one film that's been unfairly underrated over the years. It's the film -with a great musical score- that I remember most fondly from my high school years (I saw it in my last year at school and I went with a group of classmates, including one girl I was kinda keen on...). In those days Michael Paré was popular in Chile because he was featured in a TV series that were being aired at the time. He had great chemistry with the sexy Diane Lane. I haven't revisited this wonderful film recently, though I remember parts of it quite clearly. The final scene with the song "Tonight is what it means to be Young" is one of the greatest endings of all time. I love that song! It builds into a irresistible crescendo...
Its mixture of rock-n-roll fable reminiscent of the 1950s and romantic drama with contemporary songs and '50s type of rock-n-roll songs was truly appealing to me and I think it's also one movie that hasn't dated badly like other films of the kind. I remember watching a documentary on the making of the film in which the director said that the indoors-claustrophobic look of the film was done on purpose. I bought the audio-cassette right away after I watched it in 1984 and played it endelessly. Now I own the Album CD and two of its songs (Nowhere Fast and Tonight is What it Means to Be Young) are prominently featured in my portable mp3 player). I also like very much Maria McKee's "Never Be You" and Stevie Nicks' "Sorcerer".
My pending task is to buy this film on DVD!!
First of all I must say that I've always felt that this is one film that's been unfairly underrated over the years. It's the film -with a great musical score- that I remember most fondly from my high school years (I saw it in my last year at school and I went with a group of classmates, including one girl I was kinda keen on...). In those days Michael Paré was popular in Chile because he was featured in a TV series that were being aired at the time. He had great chemistry with the sexy Diane Lane. I haven't revisited this wonderful film recently, though I remember parts of it quite clearly. The final scene with the song "Tonight is what it means to be Young" is one of the greatest endings of all time. I love that song! It builds into a irresistible crescendo...
Its mixture of rock-n-roll fable reminiscent of the 1950s and romantic drama with contemporary songs and '50s type of rock-n-roll songs was truly appealing to me and I think it's also one movie that hasn't dated badly like other films of the kind. I remember watching a documentary on the making of the film in which the director said that the indoors-claustrophobic look of the film was done on purpose. I bought the audio-cassette right away after I watched it in 1984 and played it endelessly. Now I own the Album CD and two of its songs (Nowhere Fast and Tonight is What it Means to Be Young) are prominently featured in my portable mp3 player). I also like very much Maria McKee's "Never Be You" and Stevie Nicks' "Sorcerer".
My pending task is to buy this film on DVD!!
-
feaito
Re: Streets of Fire
Yesterday I found the film on DVD and I bought it right away... Can't wait to watch the film again!
-
Lzcutter
- Administrator
- Posts: 3149
- Joined: April 12th, 2007, 6:50 pm
- Location: Lake Balboa and the City of Angels!
- Contact:
Re: Streets of Fire
Yesterday I found the film on DVD and I bought it right away... Can't wait to watch the film again!
Feaito,
I am so jealous!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I hope you enjoy every minute of it.
I so want to talk in depth about this film but it has been a few years since I have seen it.
But I love it and I hope you enjoy the DVD!!!!!
Feaito,
I am so jealous!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I hope you enjoy every minute of it.
I so want to talk in depth about this film but it has been a few years since I have seen it.
But I love it and I hope you enjoy the DVD!!!!!
Lynn in Lake Balboa
"Film is history. With every foot of film lost, we lose a link to our culture, to the world around us, to each other and to ourselves."
"For me, John Wayne has only become more impressive over time." Marty Scorsese
Avatar-Warner Bros Water Tower
"Film is history. With every foot of film lost, we lose a link to our culture, to the world around us, to each other and to ourselves."
"For me, John Wayne has only become more impressive over time." Marty Scorsese
Avatar-Warner Bros Water Tower
-
feaito
Re: Streets of Fire
What a joy! What a score! So much memories of my last year in High School!
Sadly the DVD edition I bought is Full-screen not Widescreen...
I thought that due to the fact that I hadn't seen this movie since 1984 -yes I had thought that I had seen it some ten or 15 years ago, but no, I never saw it again after seeing it in 1984!- , when I was 17 years old, the film was going to suffer watching it from the point of view of a 42 year old man....but NOT AT ALL.... I loved it just the same!
The pacing is perfect, the urbane decadent sets, the chemistry between Diane Lane and Michael Paré, the great music, is all there!
Michael Pare's character (Tom Cody) is almost that of a lone cowboy, like the characters played by Bob Mitchum (in "Rachel and the Stranger" (1948)), John Wayne or Randolph Scott. He is an outcast. He is also reminiscent of Bogart's and Ladd's characters. He has a very good voice -reminiscent of Bob Mitchum's?-, very appropriate for conveying the traits of Tom Cody. A tough, hardened, no-nonsense guy, who has only loved one woman in his life (Lane)....we'll, he's young though (the actor was 26 when he made this movie).
Dafoe is the ideal villain: nasty, decadent, unpleasant to look at, a degenerate type, a sort of modern vampire.
Diane Lane is one of the most desirable women in contemporary cinema and she still is -she's aged perfectly. So her Ellen is the perfect "prize".
Amy Madigan is superb as Tom's tomboyish sidekick and Rick Moranis plays well the unbearable nerd type.
I did not remember that both Bill Paxton and Ed Begley Jr. had small roles in the film and that Marine Jahan (the dancer who doubled for Jennifer Beals' in "Flashdance" (1983) dance in the nightclub scene.
Sadly the DVD edition I bought is Full-screen not Widescreen...
I thought that due to the fact that I hadn't seen this movie since 1984 -yes I had thought that I had seen it some ten or 15 years ago, but no, I never saw it again after seeing it in 1984!- , when I was 17 years old, the film was going to suffer watching it from the point of view of a 42 year old man....but NOT AT ALL.... I loved it just the same!
The pacing is perfect, the urbane decadent sets, the chemistry between Diane Lane and Michael Paré, the great music, is all there!
Michael Pare's character (Tom Cody) is almost that of a lone cowboy, like the characters played by Bob Mitchum (in "Rachel and the Stranger" (1948)), John Wayne or Randolph Scott. He is an outcast. He is also reminiscent of Bogart's and Ladd's characters. He has a very good voice -reminiscent of Bob Mitchum's?-, very appropriate for conveying the traits of Tom Cody. A tough, hardened, no-nonsense guy, who has only loved one woman in his life (Lane)....we'll, he's young though (the actor was 26 when he made this movie).
Dafoe is the ideal villain: nasty, decadent, unpleasant to look at, a degenerate type, a sort of modern vampire.
Diane Lane is one of the most desirable women in contemporary cinema and she still is -she's aged perfectly. So her Ellen is the perfect "prize".
Amy Madigan is superb as Tom's tomboyish sidekick and Rick Moranis plays well the unbearable nerd type.
I did not remember that both Bill Paxton and Ed Begley Jr. had small roles in the film and that Marine Jahan (the dancer who doubled for Jennifer Beals' in "Flashdance" (1983) dance in the nightclub scene.
Re: Streets of Fire
As a teenager, I first fell in love with Diane Lane after seeing her in A Little Romance (co-staring with Laurence Olivier) on HBO. Watched it every time it was on (and it was on a lot).feaito wrote: Diane Lane is one of the most desirable women in contemporary cinema and she still is -she's aged perfectly.
Love her, too in Streets of Fire (love her in everything, even Must Love Dogs) and the soundtrack is one of those that instantly brings a smile to my face. Before Lane rocked in Streets, however, she really rocked in a little film called Ladies and Gentlemen, the Fabulous Stains in which she played the guitar player and lead singer in an all-girl rock/punk band. It's contrived, but quite fun nevertheless. And the soundtrack is also pretty good.
"Let's be independent together." Dr. Hermey DDS
-
feaito
Re: Streets of Fire
Hi Michigan! I haven't seen any of the films you mention. I think that the only early Diane Lane I have seen is "Cotton Club" (1982) I'll look for Ladies and Gentlemen, the Fabulous Stains 
-
feaito
Re: Streets of Fire
Excerpts from the liner notes of the film's Original Soundtrack CD:
STREETS OF FIRE, is, by design, comic book in orientation, mock-epic in structure, movie-heroic in acting style, operatic in visual style and cowboy-cliche in dialogue. In short: a rock 'n' roll fable where the Leader of the Pack steals the Queen of the Hop and Soldier Boy comes home to do something about it.
Since, I much prefer films that make people remember things they've forgotten to those that try to discover something new, in STREETS OF FIRE, I tried to make what I would have thought was a perfect movie when I was in my teens -I put in all things I thought were great then and which I still have great affection for, custom cars, kissing in the rain, neon, trains in the night, high-speed pursuit, rumbles, rock stars, motorcycles, jokes in tough situations, leather jackets and questions of honor.
Walter Hill
May,1984
STREETS OF FIRE, is, by design, comic book in orientation, mock-epic in structure, movie-heroic in acting style, operatic in visual style and cowboy-cliche in dialogue. In short: a rock 'n' roll fable where the Leader of the Pack steals the Queen of the Hop and Soldier Boy comes home to do something about it.
Since, I much prefer films that make people remember things they've forgotten to those that try to discover something new, in STREETS OF FIRE, I tried to make what I would have thought was a perfect movie when I was in my teens -I put in all things I thought were great then and which I still have great affection for, custom cars, kissing in the rain, neon, trains in the night, high-speed pursuit, rumbles, rock stars, motorcycles, jokes in tough situations, leather jackets and questions of honor.
Walter Hill
May,1984
Re: Streets of Fire
Hi Nando! A Little Romance is a charming movie, you really should try to catch it. Olivier is at his rascally best, and Diane Lane is sweet and naive, and yearning for that little romance.