Margot (TV 2009)

At the age of forty Dame Margot Fonteyn is considered to be past her best as a prima ballerina and Ninette de Valois is reducing her roles at the Royal Ballet. Then the exciting young ... See full summary »

Director:

Otto Bathurst

Writers:

Amanda Coe (screenplay), Meredith Daneman (book)

Stars:

Anne-Marie Duff, Penelope Wilton, Con O'Neill

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Anne-Marie Duff	...	Margot Fonteyn
Penelope Wilton	...	B.Q
Con O'Neill	...	Tito
Lindsay Duncan	...	Madam
Derek Jacobi	...	Fred Ashton
Matthew Hart	...	Michael Somes
Michelle Bonnard	...	Sally
Margot Leicester	...	Cathy
Michiel Huisman	...	Rudolph Nureyev
Anton Lukovkin	...	Eric
Tatiana Lavrentieva	...	Elderly Russian Lady
Ben Stott	...	Good-Looking Boy
Robert Perkins	...	Mr. McDonald
Dimitri Gruzdyev	...	Dancer
Ksenia Ovsyanick	...	Dancer

Storyline

At the age of forty Dame Margot Fonteyn is considered to be past her best as a prima ballerina and Ninette de Valois is reducing her roles at the Royal Ballet. Then the exciting young Russian dancer Rudolf Nureyev, a recent defector to the West, comes into her life and her bed and revitalizes her career. Frederick Aashton creates a new ballet for them and they become the golden couple of the ballet world. However, Margot is married to Roberto 'Tito' Arias, a Panamanian politician of dubious repute who is not sympathetic to her calling and is probably faithless. When he is shot and paralyzed for life Margot must carry on dancing well into her sixties in order to pay for his costly treatment though she still collaborates with Rudolf in the occasional ballet.

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Plot Keywords:

ballet | ballerina | dancer | gay man has sex with a woman | homosexual | 

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Genres:

Biography | Drama

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 November 2009 (UK)

Also Known As:

Rudy & Margot

Filming Locations:

Alexandra Palace, Alexandra Palace Way, Muswell Hill, London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mammoth Screen

Technical Specs

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Made as one of a three-part season "Women We Loved" on BBC Four. The other two films in the series were Gracie! and Enid.

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Goofs

Margot Fonteyn flies to Sydney Australia in 1959 and a shot of the Opera House is shown. However, the building on that landmark would have only just begun and the construction on the outer shells hadn't begun until 1963 and completed until 1967.

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Connections

Featured in Breakfast: Episode dated 30 November 2009 (2009)

User Reviews

Oscars have been given for lesser performances!

I know it's only a lowly TV movie, but I'm so surprised to see only one review for this little gem!

Based on the almost implausible true story of Dame Margot Fonteyn, a recent UK legend in the world of ballet, the film sailed briskly along without ever becoming tiresome or boring. From start to finish, Anne-Marie Duff handed in a truly superb and extremely convincing performance that hit the spot perfectly for me and which was IMO far better than some that I have seen rewarded with Oscars in the past! The perfect foil in more ways than one, Michiel Huisman was equally impressive as the leading man - the famous Russian defector Rudolph Nureyev.

There were no surprises, no silliness, let-downs or disappointments - this is just a very well made theatrical production with acting craftsmanship of the highest order throughout and sets, soundtrack, costumes and staging all helping to carry a very human story without demonstrating any great, dramatic highs or lows that might well have drifted into repetition and tedium!

Rest assured, it would be perfectly possible to enjoy this film even without any real interest in ballet and I would say it's well worth a watch for anyone who wanted a quiet break from endless crime, alien invasion or the end of the world movies and it's well worth an 8 from me!