Sparkle (1976 film)
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| Sparkle | |
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| Directed by | Sam O'Steen |
| Produced by | Howard Rosenman |
| Written by | Howard Rosenman Joel Schumacher |
| Starring | Irene Cara Philip Michael Thomas Lonette McKee Dwan Smith Mary Alice Dorian Harewood |
| Music by | Curtis Mayfield |
| Cinematography | Bruce Surtees |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures |
| Release date(s) | April 7, 1976 |
| Running time | 98 min. |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
Sparkle is a 1976 blaxploitation film directed by Sam O'Steen and released by Warner Bros. Pictures. Inspired by the Black girl groups of the 1960s such as The Supremes, Sparkle stars Irene Cara, Lonette McKee, and Dwan Smith as "Sister & the Sisters", a struggling R&B/soul act. Lead singer Sister (McKee) succumbs to drug abuse, while Sparkle (Cara) becomes a solo star in her own right. The film also stars Philip Michael Thomas, Mary Alice and Dorian Harewood. Curtis Mayfield served as the composer and producer of Sparkle's songs and score.
The film was a success, and is something of a cult classic among African-American audiences. Its success inspired Michael Bennett to create the musical that would eventually debut on Broadway in 1981 as Dreamgirls. The film's soundtrack album, featuring Aretha Franklin in place of the actresses in the film, was also a success.
Warner Bros. and Whitney Houston's BrownHouse Productions had planned a modernized remake of Sparkle at the turn of the 20th/21st century. R&B singer Aaliyah was signed to star as Sparkle, but died in August 2001 before production began.[1] Although the film was put on hold following the singer's death, as recently as 2003, Warner Bros. announced plans to go forward with the production with Raven-Symoné in the lead.[2] No further announcement has been made since.
Long out of print on VHS and unavailable save for television broadcasts, Sparkle will be released in a 2-disc DVD set on January 7, 2007.
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[edit] Trivia
- Dorian Harewood and Irene Cara portray Alex Haley's parents in the 1979 miniseries Roots: The Next Generations.
[edit] See also
- Sparkle (Aretha Franklin album) (soundtrack for the film)
[edit] Notes
- ^ "The It List: Aaliyah". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved from http://www.ew.com/ew/article/commentary/0,6115,131380_4_0_,00.html on November 11, 2006.
- ^ Schmitz, Greg Dean. "Sparkle". Greg's Previews. Retrieved from http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/preview/1808405989 on November 11, 2006.
[edit] External link
- Sparkle at the Internet Movie Database
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