Times Square

Times Square (1980) is a film that vibrates with the energy of youth. Youth in revolt against conventions and over-protective authority; youth crusading against bigotry and racism; youth vulnerable and sometimes scared, but facing life as an adventure to be enjoyed. And all this vigour and excitement is echoed in the pulsating music of the soundtrack with its 19 numbers which include rock classics performed by artists like Suzi Quatro, XTC, The Pretenders, Joe Jackson, Talking Heads, plus new songs specially written for the film. It is a story of two girls in their mid-teens - tough loner Nicky (Robin Johnson) and shy Pamela (Trini Alvarado) - who meet in a hospital where insensitive doctors are testing them for signs of mental disorder. They run away to a hideout in a derelict pier on the waterfront, scratch a living in ways that only just stop short of armed robbery, and eventually manage to get jobs singing and dancing in a sleazy go-go club. Police and social workers scour the crowded streets in search of them, while newspapers print appeals to their readers to help rescue Pamela from the 'moral danger' of her association with Nicky. Only radio DJ Johnny LaGuardia (Tim Curry) sympathises with the girls' desperate need to stay free to live their own lives. He broadcasts encouraging messages; and, when they form themselves into a singing duo called 'The Sleaze Sisters', invites them to make their hit debut on his programme. The stupendous climax to the movie is a rock concert held at midnight in Times Square attended by hundreds of teenagers. Made on location in the tough areas of New York, in streets lined with porno cinemas, sex shops and shady clubs, Times Square is not a film for anyone who has forgotten how it feels to be young and at odds with the adult world. As contemporary as tomorrow, it is made for the generation that it so accurately portrays as confused but candid, vulgar by conventional standards, but passionately caring and full of fun.