Maos letzter Tänzer (2009)

A drama based on the autobiography by Li Cunxin. At the age of 11, Li was plucked from a poor Chinese village by Madame Mao's cultural delegates and taken to Beijing to study ballet. In ... See full summary »

Director:

Bruce Beresford

Writers:

Jan Sardi (screenplay), Cunxin Li (autobiography)

Stars:

Chi Cao, Bruce Greenwood, Kyle MacLachlan

6 wins & 20 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Chi Cao	...	Li - as an adult
Bruce Greenwood	...	Ben Stevenson
Penne Hackforth-Jones	...	Cynthia Dodds
Christopher Kirby	...	Mason (as Chris Kirby)
Suzie Steen	...	Betty Lou
Madeleine Eastoe	...	Lori
Aden Young	...	Dilworth
Wen Bin Huang	...	Li - as a child
Shu Guang Liang	...	Jing Tring - 8 yrs
Ye Wang	...	Cunfar - 14 yrs
Neng Neng Zhang	...	Gong Mei
Wan Shi Xu	...	Shen Yu
Shao Wei Yi	...	Yang Ping
Hui Cong Zhan	...	Teacher Song
Ji Feng Sun	...	Headmaster

Storyline

A drama based on the autobiography by Li Cunxin. At the age of 11, Li was plucked from a poor Chinese village by Madame Mao's cultural delegates and taken to Beijing to study ballet. In 1979, during a cultural exchange to Texas, he fell in love with an American woman. Two years later, he managed to defect and went on to perform as a principal dancer for the Houston Ballet and as a principal artist with the Australian Ballet.

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Plot Keywords:

ballet | dancer | beijing | love | village | 

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Taglines:

Before You Can Fly You Have To Be Free.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Music | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for a brief violent image, some sensuality, language and incidental smoking

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

Australia

Language:

English Mandarin

Release Date:

1 October 2010 (USA)

Also Known As:

Maos letzter Tänzer

Filming Locations:

Acer Arena, Olympic Boulevard, Sydney Olympic Park, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$199,657 (USA) (20 August 2010)

Gross:

$4,806,750 (USA) (3 December 2010)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Great Scott Productions Pty. Ltd.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

117 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Joan Chen is friends with Charles Foster's wife, actress Ye Chen. They worked together in the Shanghai Film Studio. Charles Foster is portrayed in the film by Kyle MacLachlan, who previously worked with Joan Chen in Twin Peaks (1990).

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Goofs

When Liz is leaving for San Francisco, She is driving out of the street. In the corner, it is obvious in the corner there is a street post saying "Darling St." in Sydney, with the City of Sydney logo on it. This scene is played in Houston.

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Quotes

Li - as an adult: I carry a picture of them wherever I go. And when I dance, I dance for them

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Connections

Referenced in Top Gear Australia: Bowls of Thunder (2008)

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Soundtracks

Superfreak
Written and performed by Rick James

User Reviews

A Bruce Beresford masterpiece

This cineaste and balletomane had given up many years ago any hope of ever seeing the dance rendered adequately on film. Enter Bruce Beresford. I suppose every ladies' book club in the English-speaking world has read Mao's Last Dancer, so if you wanted to make a film based on that autobiography, you'd first have to find a brave director. Well, this is it. Linking together life in desolate inner China and a sophisticated western world has been done before. But there is an emotional story here, and the casting agencies deserve enormous credit for finding such competent people. I mean, do you find an actor and teach him to dance, or do you get a dancer to act? Whatever; the lead in this film can dance very well indeed, and his acting is more than competent. I won't retell the story. Just let it be said, that at the performance I saw, most of the audience sat through the credits. Those who left early looked mystifed by the applause. A ladies' book club cum chick flick? I think not. Sure, the tissues were out, but this is one surely exciting film.