Sparkle (1976)

"...makes its journey with tuneful conviction...a musical pageant with a lovingly realized setting...  Keith Phipps, The Onion A.V. Club
"...a modern black classic...the soundtrack yielded such hits as "Look into Your Heart" and "Loving You Baby".  Nasser Metcalfe, BlackFilm.com

Editor's Note Irene Cara (of FLASHDANCE soundtrack fame) and Lonette McKee star in this dramatic story of a musical trio's rise to stardom. Three sisters, who are raised in an impoverished neighborhood, have dreams of become pop singers. After a dark period which includes entering several dinky talent shows, they are finally discovered, and enter a world of glamour and fame. Like many though, they soon learn that there is a dangerous side to success, and they must find ways to combat the threat of self-destruction. A score by the infamous Curtis Mayfield adds soul to the drama, and the three women's tour-de-force performances are riveting.

	Dwan Smith
	Irene Cara
	Lonette McKee
	Philip Michael Thomas
	Bruce Surtees - Cinematographer
	Curtis Mayfield - Original Music By
	Gordon Scott - Editor
	Howard Rosenman - Producer
	Howard Rosenman - Based On Story By
	Joel Schumacher - Screenplay
	Peter Wooley - Art Director
	Sam O'Steen - Director

A rags to riches tale about an aspiring soul group loosely based on the Supremes. Three beautiful, young, female vocalists try to make it to the top of the charts. But they encounter heartbreak along the way...and only one will be able to achieve her dream. Entertainment Weekly
"One of the best things to emerge from the film version of DREAMGIRLS is the release of an even better movie, 1976's SPARKLE..." -- Grade: A- 01/19/2007 p.62

Monsters and Critics 7 of 10
Sparkle fans can thank the recent Dreamgirls for finally getting this 1976 movie out onto DVD. Though its impact is lessened by the countless other "from the gutter to stardom" movies that have come and gone. The film has a television movie feel to it and the 1970s cinematography doesn't help matters...The screenplay is written by Joel Schumacher from a story by Howard Rosenman. It must be that nobody knows black Harlem like Joel Schumacher. I jest, Schumacher would be the last person that I'd think would've thought of to pen this type of movie. What the movies does have in its favor are the songs by Curtis Mayfield. Though some of them are poorly lip-synched in the beginning, they're great songs. They're even greater when performed by old pros like Aretha Franklin...The music by Curtis Mayfield does put it above the others. However, Aretha Franklin is not called the Queen of Soul for nothing and her performance is more powerful than the actual ones from the movie. Sparkle fans will be glad to see it, but the rest of us might want to consider a rental to warm us up for Dreamgirls. - Jeff Swindoll