The Tango Lesson (1997)

On a trip to Paris Sally meets Pablo, a tango dancer. He starts teaching her to dance then she returns to London to work on some "projects". She visits Buenos Aires and learns more from ... See full summary »

Director:

Sally Potter

Writer:

Sally Potter

Stars:

Sally Potter, Morgane Maugran, Géraldine Maillet

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 3 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sally Potter	...	Sally
Morgane Maugran	...	Red Model
Géraldine Maillet	...	Yellow Model
Katerina Mechera	...	Blue Model
David Toole	...	Fashion Designer
George Antoni	...	Photographer (as George Yiasoumi)
Michele Parent	...	Seamstress
Claudine Mavros	...	Seamstress
Monique Couturier	...	Seamstress
Matthew Hawkins	...	Bodyguard
Simon Worgan	...	Bodyguard
Pablo Verón	...	Pablo
Carolina Iotti	...	Pablo's partner
Zobeida	...	Pablo's Friend
Orazio Massaro	...	Pablo's Friend

Storyline

On a trip to Paris Sally meets Pablo, a tango dancer. He starts teaching her to dance then she returns to London to work on some "projects". She visits Buenos Aires and learns more from Pablo's friends. Sally & Pablo meet again but this time their relationship changes, she realises they want different things from each other. On a trip to Buenos Aires they cement their friendship.

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Plot Keywords:

dance | tango | dancer | film director | dancing | 

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Genres:

Drama | Music | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for brief language and some violent images

Details

Official Sites:

Id Distribution Official site powered by infoCINE

Country:

UK France Argentina Germany Netherlands

Language:

English French Spanish

Release Date:

14 November 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

La lección de tango

Filming Locations:

Buenos Aires, Federal District, Argentina

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$19,746 (USA) (14 November 1997)

Gross:

$1,026,402 (USA) (13 February 1998)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Adventure Pictures, Adventure Films, Arts Council of England

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

Sally: It doesn't suit me to follow. It suits me to lead, and you can't deal with that.

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Connections

Referenced in Bleeder (1999)

User Reviews

The dance is the thing. Play on

Care to dance? Sally Potter, film director ("Orlando"), did, and fell in love with the Tango and Pablo Veron, one of its authentic Argentinian exponents. Pablo is a pretty sexy guy, and a bit younger than Sally, but by the end she's leading and he's following.(I'm not sure whether they actually get to do the horizontal tango.) In between we learn with Sally the intricacies of the dance as an expression of culture as well as personal affinity. There's not much of a story (a year in the life of an original and talented art film maker)but the Paris and especially Buenos Aires settings are evocative - the latter seems frozen in the 40s, when the economic tide went out for Argentina. No, the dance is the thing. Remember Zorba? "A Greek man dances for his soul." Sally dances like a moth drawn to a candle, but wears asbestos underwear and gets an interesting movie out of it. The black and white photography is luminous and completely appropriate, and the soundtrack a treasure trove of Tangos. Recommended for those interested in "romance" ie vertical and horizontal tangos though as I said the latter is merely hinted at. Not a film for people who want a compelling story.