Sparkle

Sparkle (1976)

From downtown to uptown

Three sisters start out singing in their church choir in Harlem in the late 1950s and become a successful girl group in the 1960s.

Date of release
1976-04-07
TMDB
7.3 / 10 (23)
Runtime
1h 38m
Genres
Drama, Music
Director
Sam O'Steen

Casting

Interesting facts

Sparkle is a 1976 American musical drama film directed by Sam O'Steen and released by Warner Bros. Pictures. With a plot inspired by the history of the Supremes, Sparkle is a period film set in Harlem, New York, during the late 1950s and early 1960s. It presents the story of a musical girl group that ends up breaking apart due to individual issues each member faces. This film not only "recreates the magic of a special period in American history, but it explores the effect of Harlem's musical and social culture on the rest of the world", as well as the linkages to black power.

Production

Lonne Elder III, writer of the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay nominee Sounder drafted Sparkle, which Joel Schumacher edited to make a 200-page basis for the film that became his screenwriting debut.

John Calley was running Warner Bros. Pictures at the time and said Sam O'Steen had to direct the film. He was the famous editor of Carnal Knowledge, Rosemary's Baby, and Chinatown. This film was Sam O'Steen's debut film as a film director. The film's story and plot were heavily inspired by the women singing groups in the sixties.

The film mainly introduced newer faces, which kept the budget low. Over 2,000 women auditioned for the role of Sparkle Williams; in the end, Irene Cara was cast, at age 17. She became the film's breakout star and went on to act in films such as Fame.

Bruce Surtees was the cinematographer. Lester Wilson choreographed the movie; his assistant was Michael Peters, who went on to choreograph "Beat It" and "Thriller" for Michael Jackson.

Read on Wikipedia · Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Data from Wikidata.

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