Sparkle 1976 movie#

There are differences between the original film and the remake, including the last name was changed from Williams to Anderson, the recent film is set in 1968 and it takes place primarily in Detroit.Īs with many Black films created during this time, the soundtrack was highly important. The film is dedicated to Houston, who also was a producer. Whitney Houston, who played the girls’ mother, Emma, would appear in her final role. In 2012, the film was remade, casting Carmen Ejogo as Sister, Tika Sumpter as Deloris, Jordin Sparks as Sparkle, Derek Luke as Stix, Omari Hardwick as Levi and Mike Epps as Satin. En Vogue also covered “Hooked on Your Love” from the film’s soundtrack. This contemporary group made a video of their cover and in it, recreated the famous scene of Sister and the Sisters, sensuously dancing in red evening gowns and matching gloves. Sparkle gained a cult following, especially by the early ‘90s, when R & B group, En Vogue, covered the film’s greatest hit, “Something He Can Feel”. However, it was well received by many moviegoers, especially as it portrayed the hope that everyday Black people, significantly those in need, clung to in order to survive and thrive. Sparkle, which had not been considered to be a Blaxploitation film, was a box office failure.

Sparkle 1976 movie#

When this movie was released, Blaxploitation films and their accompanying music still garnered large audiences and were highly successful. Will Sister and the Sisters attain success or are they just chasing the fantasy of musical stardom? You will have to see! She treats her daughters differently and disdainfully commands that they seek more stable employment. Effie works as a maid for Max Gerber (Paul Lambert), who has ties with a Mafia family. Adding to the tension are Harlem gangster, Satin Struthers (Tony King), the boyfriend of Sister the young ladies’ pious mother, Effie, (Mary Alice) and the possibility of the group becoming involved with the illegal practice of “payola”.

However, there are serious obstacles, including drug abuse, abandonment, violence, crime and racial discrimination, facing the sisters. The girls would be known as “Sister and the Sisters” and they enjoy wins on the local nightclub scene. Stix, who is Sparkle’s boyfriend, realizes this and decides he and his cousin can instead just manage the group. However, after several performances, it is clear that audiences really only want to see the sisters. Living in poverty, the sisters ultimately come to believe that becoming a musical act, complete with Stix (Philip Michael Thomas) and his cousin, Levi (Dorian Harewood), is the ticket out the ghetto and to a better life. Unlike Motown, which is in Detroit, Sparkle is set in the Harlem community in 1958 and centers around the relationship between three sisters: Sister (Lonette McKee), Deloris (Dwan Smith) and Sparkle (Irene Cara). Loosely inspired by the ascension of Motown musical group, The Supremes, this film presents the challenges and triumphs of the young ladies, as a singing trio, to succeed in the music industry. In this typical success story that illustrates the hard struggle to transcend from nothing to something, Sparkle is the fictional account of the Williams sisters’ attempts to gain stardom and wealth. The film was remade in 2012 starring Jordin Sparks, Carmen Ejogo, Tika Sumpter, and Whitney Houston in her final film role.Starring: Lonette McKee, Irene Cara, Philip Michael Thomas, Dwan Smith and Dorian Harewood The film received generally negative reviews at the time of release and was a box office disappointment, only making $4 million against a $1 million budget. Curtis Mayfield served as the composer and producer of Sparkle's songs and score. The film stars Irene Cara, Philip Michael Thomas, Lonette McKee, Dwan Smith, Mary Alice, Dorian Harewood, and Tony King. This film not only 'recreates the magic of a special period in American history, but it explores the impact of Harlem's musical and social culture on the rest of the world', as well as the linkages to black power. It presents the story of a musical girl group that ends up breaking apart due to individual issues each member faces. 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. Sparkle is a 1976 American musical drama film directed by Sam O'Steen and released by Warner Bros.