The Turning Point (1977)

When her daughter joins a ballet company, a former dancer is forced to confront her long-ago decision to give up the stage to have a family.

Director:

Herbert Ross

Writer:

Arthur Laurents

Stars:

Anne Bancroft, Shirley MacLaine, Mikhail Baryshnikov

Nominated for 11 Oscars. Another 11 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Anne Bancroft	...	Emma
Shirley MacLaine	...	Deedee
Tom Skerritt	...	Wayne
Mikhail Baryshnikov	...	Yuri
Leslie Browne	...	Emilia
Martha Scott	...	Adelaide
Antoinette Sibley	...	Sevilla Haslam
Alexandra Danilova	...	Madame Dahkarova
Starr Danias	...	Carolyn
Marshall Thompson	...	Carter
James Mitchell	...	Michael
Daniel Levins	...	Arnold (as Daniel Levans)
Scott Douglas	...	Freddie
Lisa Lucas	...	Janina
Phillip Saunders	...	Ethan

Storyline

The story of two women whose lives are dedicated to ballet. Deedee left her promising dance career to become a wife and mother and now runs a ballet school in Oklahoma. Emma stayed with a company and became a star though her time has nearly passed. Both want what the other has and reflect on missed chances as they are brought together again through Deedee's daughter, who joins the company.

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Plot Keywords:

ballet | dancer | dance | motherhood | mother daughter relationship | 

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Taglines:

The generations change. But the choices remain the same.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

18 November 1977 (USA)

Also Known As:

Momento de decisión

Filming Locations:

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$33,600,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hera Productions, Major Studio Partners, Twentieth Century Fox

Technical Specs

Runtime:

119 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Several of the dancers in this film, such as Alexander Minz, Rebecca Wright, Nanette Glushak, and Clark Tippet, appeared with Mikhail Baryshnikov in his production of "The Nutcracker", which was first telecast in 1977, the same year that "The Turning Point" was released.

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Goofs

When everybody is warming up on stage before the Gala Performance, you can see Baryshnikov practicing his jumps for "Le Corsaire" and is already wearing the costume. However, the program shows that he first dances the Grand Pas de Deux of Sleeping Beauty.

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Quotes

[Yuri is rubbing a young ballerina's sore leg]
Young ballerina: I have weak knees...
Yuri: I like girls with weak knees.
Young ballerina: You just like girls...

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Connections

Referenced in Pas de Deux: Making 'White Nights' (2004)

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Soundtracks

Dom chrustalniy
(uncredited)
Performed by Mikhail Baryshnikov
Composed by Vladimir Vysotskiy

User Reviews

a ballerina's POV

As ballet movies go, this is one of the better ones. It really captures the essence of a company: the rising star, the oversexed male dancer, diva choreographers, budget-conscious artistic directors, and the unique sadness that is the aging ballerina. MacClain and Bancroft deliver their contrived dialog with expertise (even though it appears they did a lot of ADR because the dialog seems to be dubbed) and they handle their relative roles with ease. Bancroft plays the aging diva with perfect grandness and MacClaine is great as the regretful mother. I can overlook the fact that a summer-study student, no matter how brilliant she is (and the young lady here is a highly talented dancer) WOULD NOT get a lead, let alone a solo number in her first year, but the plot is a bit thin, yet it makes it's point: the grass is not always greener on the other side of the stage. The best part of this movie is the dancing, of course. Misha is poetry in tights, always exhilarating and breathtaking. Though the movie was made in the 70s, it still rings true today in the world of ballet.