Falco: The Rise and Fall of an 80's Icon.(Movie review)(Brief article)

Falco: The Rise and Fall of an 80's Icon. color. 109+ min. In German w/English subtitles. Thomas Roth, dist. by Strand Releasing, 310-836-7500; www.strandreleasing.com. 2011. DVD UPC 712267301829. $24.99. MUSIC/BIOPIC

Sex, drugs, and 1980s dance-pop abound in this biopic of Austrian superstar Falco (Johann Holzel, 1957-98), whose "Rock Me Amadeus" and "Vienna Calling" (both 1985) made him an international pop star before he succumbed to debauchery and self-pity. The film focuses on Falco's turning to heroin, alcohol, and infidelity under the strain of trying to sustain his monumental early success. What easily could have been just another cliched pop star biopic is …