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Mao's Last Dancer (2009)

7.1
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Ratings: 7.1/10 from 4,366 users   Metascore: 55/100
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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 »

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Title: Mao's Last Dancer (2009)

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Chi Cao ...
...
Penne Hackforth-Jones ...
Cynthia Dodds
...
Mason (as Chris Kirby)
...
Madeleine Eastoe ...
Lori
...
Dilworth
Wen Bin Huang ...
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
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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. Written by Anonymous

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

ballet | dancer | village | love | marriage | See more »

Taglines:

Before You Can Fly You Have To Be Free.


Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for a brief violent image, some sensuality, language and incidental smoking | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Official Sites:

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Country:

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Release Date:

1 October 2009 (Australia)  »

Also Known As:

El prodigio  »

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

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

Gross:

$4,806,750 (USA) (3 December 2010)
 »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

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Sound Mix:

Color:

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Chi Cao's parents were two of Cunxin Li's former teachers at the Beijing Dance Academy. Li wanted Cao to portray him. See more »

Goofs

The film does not show Houston as it was 1981-86. For instance, when Cunxin first arrives in Houston, he and Stevenson drive past a Ferris Wheel, which did not exist in 1981. In addition, the Wortham Center was not complete until 1987. From 1969 to 1987, the Houston Ballet danced in Jones Hall, which is still in use for many other performances. However the Director may have chosen Wortham considering it architecturally and environmentally more grand, and timing off by only a year. Beresford may not have considered the environs of Jones Hall as attractive. There may have also been time and budget constraints on researching old photos of downtown, using CGI, etc. See more »

Connections

Referenced in Maltin on Movies: The Switch (2010) See more »

Soundtracks

"Let's Groove"
Written by Wayne Vaughn and Maurice White
Performed by Earth Wind & Fire
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

See more (Spoiler Alert!) »

User Reviews

 
Fantastic True Story of a Chinese Ballet Dancer
4 August 2012 | by (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) – See all my reviews

In a village of China, the eleven year-old Li Cunxin is selected by the Comunist Party to study ballet at the Madame Mao's Dance Academy in Beijing. Years later, he travels to Houston in a cultural exchange program invited by the artistic director Ben Stevenson (Bruce Greenwood) and he is promoted to principal dancer of the Houston Ballet. Meanwhile he secretly dates and falls in love with the dancer Elizabeth Mackey (Amanda Schull).

When the China's government asks Li Cunxin (Chi Cao) to return to his country, he marries Liz and defects to USA. He is forbidden to return to China and has no news of his parents and family. Meanwhile, his marriage with Liz ends and he misses his parents. But five years later, he has a great surprise during a performance.

"Mao's Last Dancer" is a film about the true story of the Chinese ballet dancer Li Cunxin. The engaging biography of Li Cunxin is an example of discipline and strength associated with courage to make the right decisions, and it is amazing how a boy from a poor village in China could have become a great ballerino in the West.

Bruce Greenwood, Kyle MacLachlan and Joan Chen are well known actors and are fantastic, but Chi Cao, Chengwu Guo and the rest of the cast and dancers have also top-notch performances. Everything is perfect in this film, from the direction of Bruce Beresford to the cinematography and art direction. My vote is ten.

Title (Brazil): "O Último Bailarino de Mao" ("The Last Ballerino of Mao")


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Li is a horrible horrible person mablecheng1981
Great film apart from one terrible scene... feilidh_dwyer
Simplistic Anti China- Western propaganda film endecottp
Why Ballet?? mail-3288
Bruce Greenwood's performance gwendyloo
Loved it! Meira78
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