This film surprised me in a couple of ways, the first being an unbiased look into China during the peak of its Cultural Revolution--the Mao Era. Americans often view the Chinese as being oppressed victims during this time, but most of the Chinese were in fact committed to their leadership. Earnest and hardworking, many Chinese families believed socialism was a goal that would benefit the many and opposed the individualistic capitalism of the West. In a closed society, Mao was what was known and Beresford respects that period and presents it quite objectively. Western viewers will see these scenes in the schools as more indoctrination than teaching, but the contrast of the two worlds, that of the U.S. and China, are quite fascinating.
And of course we all know that the Chinese don't fool around when it comes to training and learning. Children are chosen quite young to train for the arts or athletics, taken from their families and put in schools for years to learn their craft. We see the results at the Olympics, for example, where the Chinese are always formidable competitors. The govt selected Li as a child to train for ballet, took him from his family and put him in a Bejing school where he danced and trained daily--stretching, jumping, lifting, working out -- until one day he was noticed by a Houston choreographer and invited to study for a couple of months in Texas.
Li's choice to remain in the UlS. isn't deeply examined in the film--it must have been agonizing to resist Chinese pressure knowing that his parents and siblings might suffer as a result of his actions. But we can forgive the shallowness for the beauty of the dance while we watch the actor playing Li move so impossibly on stage.
I wish Beresford had devoted more time to Li's evolution as a dancer and person rather than focused so much on the political and social intrigue, which I would have found more captivating. Still, it's a fine film and of course I cried toward the end. If you love the arts and dance, you'll love this film. Robert Altman's The Company focuses more on dance than love, which makes it for me a superior film. But Mao's Last Dancer is definitely glorious.
And of course we all know that the Chinese don't fool around when it comes to training and learning. Children are chosen quite young to train for the arts or athletics, taken from their families and put in schools for years to learn their craft. We see the results at the Olympics, for example, where the Chinese are always formidable competitors. The govt selected Li as a child to train for ballet, took him from his family and put him in a Bejing school where he danced and trained daily--stretching, jumping, lifting, working out -- until one day he was noticed by a Houston choreographer and invited to study for a couple of months in Texas.
Li's choice to remain in the UlS. isn't deeply examined in the film--it must have been agonizing to resist Chinese pressure knowing that his parents and siblings might suffer as a result of his actions. But we can forgive the shallowness for the beauty of the dance while we watch the actor playing Li move so impossibly on stage.
I wish Beresford had devoted more time to Li's evolution as a dancer and person rather than focused so much on the political and social intrigue, which I would have found more captivating. Still, it's a fine film and of course I cried toward the end. If you love the arts and dance, you'll love this film. Robert Altman's The Company focuses more on dance than love, which makes it for me a superior film. But Mao's Last Dancer is definitely glorious.