Verdict
Summary
As simple as bangers and mash, the simplistic mass appeal-intended disco romance The Music Machine remains grounded, though it has lofty dreams to levitate and glide in ways that films such as Saturday Night Fever did without even trying. The disco boom seemed to peak in 1979 with Italian rip-offs, the teen skate movie Roller Boogie, and Skatetown USA, and this British film was just a blip on the radar but remains as a testament to a genre that burned out as quickly as it flared up, hard and bright for a few years.
Plot:
Movie producers hold a disco dance championship, promising the winning couple a role in the upcoming movie.
Review:
Movie producers looking to capitalize on the disco boom settle on Camden, England and scout a couple disco clubs to shoot an upcoming movie. They settle on The Music Machine discothèque, where all the hip and young, good looking dancers congregate, every night of the week. The producers announce that they’ll be holding a big couple’s dance-off over the course of a week, with semi-finals and finals, and the ultimate prize is for the winning couple to be featured as stars of the film. Of course, all the eligible couples and dancers flock to the competition, and blonde-haired, blue-eyed blue-collar stiff Gerry (Gerry Sunquist) gets glitter and stars in his eyes and thinks he could possibly have a chance, despite being a pretty mediocre dancer. He convinces his buddy’s girlfriend to be his partner, and with a little coaching from the trendy DJ of the club (played by Clarke Peters, who had more charisma than anyone else in this movie), Gerry finds himself passing the first wave of eliminations and making it to the semi-finals. When his buddy becomes jealous, Gerry loses his dance partner, and he has to find a new partner for the finals. When his friend, the DJ presents the beautiful Claire (Patti Boulaye), the pairing is kismet, and Gerry and his dance partner win!
As simple as bangers and mash, the simplistic mass appeal-intended disco romance The Music Machine remains grounded, though it has lofty dreams to levitate and glide in ways that films such as Saturday Night Fever did without even trying. The disco boom seemed to peak in 1979 with Italian rip-offs, the teen skate movie Roller Boogie, and Skatetown USA, and this British film was just a blip on the radar but remains as a testament to a genre that burned out as quickly as it flared up, hard and bright for a few years. Ian Sharp directed.
Severin has just released a Blu-ray that restores the film in a 4K scan for the first time, and they’ve included a bunch of bonus features, including interviews with cast and crew, a locations tour, a trailer, and more.
