The Music Machine (film)

The Music Machine is a 1979 British musical drama film directed by Ian Sharp and starring Gerry Sundquist, Patti Boulaye and David Easter.

It was called the first all-British disco film.

Plot summary
In a north London music hall, local kids dance at the disco, where the DJ is Laurie. A contest is held by an impresario (Hector Woodville) to find two dancers to star in a film. Gerry is a club regular who lives with his mum and dad (a projectionist). Gerry wants to impress another dancer (Mandy Perryment) and winds up dancing with Claire. He is double-crossed by manager Nick Dryden.

Cast

 * Gerry Sundquist ... Gerry Pearson
 * Patti Boulaye... Claire
 * David Easter ... Howard
 * Mandy Perryment
 * Hector Woodville
 * Michael Feast ... Nick Dryden
 * Ferdy Mayne ... Basil Silverman
 * Clarke Peters ... Laurie
 * Richard LeParmentier ... Jay Reltano
 * Johnnie Wade ... Mr. Pearson
 * Gary Shail ... Aldo
 * Brenda Fricker ... Mrs. Pearson
 * Thomas Baptiste ... Claire's father
 * John Gorman ... Newsagent
 * Christopher Pichaeli ... Dancer

Production
Director Ian Sharp was working at the BBC as a documentary filmmaker. They gave him a three-month sabbatical to make the movie, which Sharp says ignited his interest in working in drama.

The film's star Gerry Sundquist was best known for his work in the National Theatre and was cast even though he could not dance. "It all happened so quickly," he later said. "I couldn't believe it. I was a bit worried at first - it's not exactly Richard the Third is it?... It's about a boy who is really untogether at the beginning. He's got lots of energy and zitz and he wants to be the greatest in a dance competition. But he's like me - he's got two left feet."

Sunquist did intensive training to be able to dance. The film was shot over three weeks.

Reception
The Guardian said the film "limps a bit" but "does have some life about it. It isn't as atrocious as it could have been... The trouble is the dancing is actually pretty awful."

The Observer criticised the "poor music and the truly terrible dancing" but thought "several things combine to make it [the film] oddly likeable - the unglamorous view of teenage camaraderie, the unforced affection of Gerry's relationship with his parents, and some odd quirky scenes here and there."