Ballet Shoes (2007) (TV)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Sandra Goldbacher

Writers:

Noel Streatfield (novel)
Heidi Thomas (screenplay)

Release Date:

26 December 2007 (UK)

Genre:

Drama | Family

Tagline:

Dreams do come true...

Plot:

The story of three orphan girls (Pauline, Petrova, and Posy), adopted by an eccentric explorer, Great Uncle Matthew, and his niece Sylvia, in 1930s London.

Plot Keywords:

London | Dance | 1930s | Talent | Teenage Girl In Ballet Suit

Awards:

2 wins

Cast

Emilia Fox	...	Sylvia Brown
Victoria Wood	...	Nana
Emma Watson	...	Pauline Fossil
Yasmin Paige	...	Petrova Fossil
Lucy Boynton	...	Posy Fossil
Richard Griffiths	...	Great Uncle Matthew
Marc Warren	...	Mr. Simpson
Lucy Cohu	...	Theo Dane
Gemma Jones	...	Dr. Jakes
Harriet Walter	...	Dr. Smith
Eileen Atkins	...	Madame Fidolia
Heather Nicol	...	Winifred
Mary Stockley	...	Miss Jay
Teresa Churcher	...	Clara
Skye Bennett	...	Young Sylvia

MPAA:

Rated PG for smoking.

Runtime:

90 min | UK:180 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:PG | Australia:G | New Zealand:G | Argentina:Atp

Filming Locations:

Bloomsbury, London, England, UK

Company:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Trivia:

Was originally made for as a English TV-Movie, and aired on English Television in Christmas 2007, but got a theatrical release in the states.

Quotes:

[Miss Jay meets Pauline and Winifred after their Alice auditions]
Miss Jay: Well done, you two. Right, Pauline is to play Alice
[pauses as girls gasp]
Miss Jay: and Winifred is to be engaged as understudy.
Pauline Fossil: [starts to say] What?
Winifred: [interrupts] When I finished my dance, people clapped! Nobody clapped her, there was just silence!
Miss Jay: Dance is important, but Pauline looks right for Alice.
Winifred: She looks right for everything, she always will!
[looks at Pauline and murmurs]
Winifred: Pretty face... blonde hair...
[...]

Movie Connections:

Remake of "Ballet Shoes" (1975)

Charming and well acted, if not strictly true to the book!

I will confess I haven't read the book for a while, but I do remember it was a wonderful read, with great characters and a sweet story. The TV adaptation was just as charming as the book. The only real thing that undermines it is the changes to the story, so some scenes didn't seem as developed as others, though I will say I am not the sort of person who criticises a film or TV drama on its unfaithfulness to the source material. The adaptation does look lovely, with some stunning costumes and some nice locations. The direction mayn't be the best ever in a TV drama, but I have seen worse in films alone. Remember the incompetent direction in that abomination Home Alone 4? Anyway, back to Ballet Shoes; I thought the acting was excellent. Emma Watson, Yasmin Page and Lucy Boynton are very charming as three ambitious young girls, and they are solidly supported by Emilia Fox(the actress Joanna David's daughter), Gemma Jones, Eileen Atkins and Harriet Walter, and even Richard Griffiths is subdued to a secondary role. The actors are aided by a well written script, and some bits are even touching; I did feel sorry for Petrova when her dancing mentor had a stroke during the ballet performance. I thought that Ballet Shoes was a charming adaptation of an excellent book, but I don't think it is the best TV drama ever made; one truly remarkable TV drama of recent times that does spring to mind is the recent Occupation. 9/10 Bethany Cox.