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:

A moving story. A romantic story. A story of envy, hatred, friendship, triumph and love.

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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

The movie was inspired by the real life story of friends of director Herbert Ross and his ex-ballerina wife Nora Kaye. Ross has said: [They were] "A dancer named Kelly Brown, who was so marvelous in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954), and a ballerina named Isobel Miro, who is a distant relative of Nora's. They met, married, gave up ballet, and opened a dance school in Phoenix. They had four children...The marriage eventually dissolved (though it doesn't in the film), and Isobel and the kids moved to New York, where they could study ballet. Over the years, she'd send us pictures of the kids, and Nora and I would talk about the family."

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Goofs

When Baryshnikov finishes his continuum pirouettes at the Coda of Don Quixote his hair is all messy. At the Camera cut the immediate new shot he is perfectly brushed and gelled up.

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Quotes

Emma Jacklin: How not?

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Connections

Featured in PBS NewsHour: Episode dated 17 July 2007 (2007)

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Soundtracks

Mini Montage
(uncredited)
Music by Carl Czerny
Arranged by John Lanchbery

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.