The film “Footloose” with Kevin Bacon is coming to Netflix! This Hollywood classic is based on a barely believable true story. Explanations.
At the beginning of the 1980s, a wave of dance films hit Hollywood. The success of Saturday Night Fever inspired the studios and several classics were released, such as Flashdance and Dirty Dancing. One of them, Footloose – one of the least known of the lot – has the particularity of being inspired by a true story that occurred four years earlier.
Religious principles
Directed by Herbert Ross, the film follows the arrival of Ren – played by a young Kevin Bacon – in the small town of Bomont, Texas. The young high school student discovers that the inhabitants are subject to the regulations of the Reverend Shaw Moore – played by John Lithgow. Accused of perverting youth, rock’n’roll, magazines, certain novels and poems are quite simply prohibited. And beware of anyone who decides to dance.
Under its guise of a light comedy typical of the period, Footloose is an excellent film about freedom of body and spirit, delivering a clear message against obscurantism. If, at first glance, the story of the feature film may seem far-fetched, it is nevertheless very real.
Paramount Pictures
Kevin Bacon dans “Footloose”.
As early as 1898, the 653 residents of the farming town of Elmore City, Oklahoma, were banned from dancing. The practice would force the abuse of alcohol and sexual practices. Pastor FR Johnson, who inspired the character in the film, intends to uphold this principle.
The lines move – or almost – when a group of students campaign to organize an end-of-year prom in 1980. The pastor firmly opposes it. “Dancing has never done anything good (…) When boys and girls get close, they get sexually aroused. Believe what you want, but one thing leads to another,” he was quoted as saying.
The revolution
Some residents even go so far as to believe that hosting the prom would significantly increase teenage pregnancies. The subject went to the school board with the help of the class representative, Rex Kennedy, and narrowly obtained authorization with 3 votes to 2.
Two thousand dollars are raised for the organization of the evening. The students take care of the decoration and restoration. So, 82 years after Prohibition began, Elmore City residents are once again allowed to dance.
In an article published on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of this event, News9 – Oklahoma State media – found some of the students of the time. Some of them even inspired the characters in the film. Mary Ann Temple remembers the very first dance: “No one knew how to do it.”
Footloose is available on Netflix.
2024-02-15 16:48:51
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