The Turning Point (1977)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Herbert Ross

Writer:

Arthur Laurents (written by)

Release Date:

14 November 1977 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

The generations change. But the choices remain the same.

Plot:

When her daughter joins a ballet company, a former dancer is forced to confront her long-ago decision to give up the stage to have a family.

Plot Keywords:

Ballet | Daughter | Mother | Dance | Dancer

Awards:

Nominated for 11 Oscars. Another 10 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Shirley MacLaine	...	Deedee Rodgers
Anne Bancroft	...	Emma Jacklin
Mikhail Baryshnikov	...	Yuri Kopeikine
Leslie Browne	...	Emilia Rodgers
Tom Skerritt	...	Wayne
Martha Scott	...	Adelaide
Anthony Zerbe	...	Rosie
Marshall Thompson	...	Carter
Alexandra Danilova	...	Madame Dahkarova
Antoinette Sibley	...	Sevilla Haslam
Starr Danias	...	Carolyn
James Mitchell	...	Michael
Daniel Levans	...	Arnold
Scott Douglas	...	Freddie Romoff
Lisa Lucas	...	Janina

Runtime:

119 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (re-rating) (1987) | Australia:PG | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Iceland:L | Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:11 | USA:PG | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Hera Productions

Trivia:

This film jointly holds the record (with The Color Purple (1985)) for the film with most Oscar nominations without a single win (11).

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: During the Gala Performance sequence, when Baryshnikov is circling the stage with leaps in his "Le Corsaire" solo, the shadows of the camera on its tripod and two crew members are clearly visible on the floor.

Quotes:

[Yuri is rubbing a young ballerina's sore leg]
Young ballerina: I have weak knees...
Yuri: I like girls with weak knees.
Young ballerina: You just like girls...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "That '70s Show: Fez Dates Donna (#3.21)" (2001)

Soundtrack:

ANNA KARENINA

Soap. Pure, clean, good soap.

A wonderful look inside the world of ballet, even if it is probably all highly refined balonium. A young and rising ballerina learns that great artists are not always great men; a mother would could have been a great ballerina finally has the hair-pulling match with the ballerina who wishes she'd been a mother that's she's wanted to have for years; catty remarks fly in all directions; and everyone is bound together, for good or ill, by their love of one particular form of art. You could bath for years in the suds of the soapy movie, but sometimes there's nothing quite so satisfying as a good soak. See it if you wish "The Ice Storm" had been any good.