The Tango Lesson (1997)

A scriptwriter comes to Paris to work on her film. There she takes up tango lessons and forms a relationship with the dancer.

Director:

Sally Potter

Writer:

Sally Potter

Stars:

Sally Potter, Pablo Verón, Morgane Maugran

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 3 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sally Potter	...	Sally
Morgane Maugran	...	Red Model
Géraldine Maillet	...	Yellow Model
Katerina Mechera	...	Blue Model
David Toole	...	Fashion Designer
George Antoni	...	Photographer (as George Yiasoumi)
Michele Parent	...	Seamstress
Claudine Mavros	...	Seamstress
Monique Couturier	...	Seamstress
Matthew Hawkins	...	Bodyguard
Simon Worgan	...	Bodyguard
Pablo Verón	...	Pablo
Carolina Iotti	...	Pablo's partner
Zobeida	...	Pablo's Friend
Orazio Massaro	...	Pablo's Friend

Storyline

On a trip to Paris Sally meets Pablo, a tango dancer. He starts teaching her to dance then she returns to London to work on some "projects". She visits Buenos Aires and learns more from Pablo's friends. Sally & Pablo meet again but this time their relationship changes, she realises they want different things from each other. On a trip to Buenos Aires they cement their friendship.

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Plot Keywords:

tango | dance | model | filmmaker | dancing | 

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Genres:

Drama | Music | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for brief language and some violent images

Details

Official Sites:

Id Distribution Official site powered by infoCINE

Country:

UK France Argentina Germany Netherlands USA

Language:

English French Spanish

Release Date:

14 November 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

La lección de tango

Filming Locations:

Buenos Aires, Federal District, Argentina

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$19,752, 16 November 1997

Gross USA:

$1,080,192

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,080,192

Company Credits

Production Co:

Adventure Pictures, Adventure Films, Arts Council of England

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the bathtub scene, she is reading "I and Thou" by philosopher Martin Buber.

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Quotes

Sally: How did you choose the tango?
Pablo: I didn't. The tango chose me.

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Connections

Referenced in At the Movies: Moulin Rouge!/Shrek/The Man Who Cried (2001)

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Soundtracks

Danse de Cuisine
Composed By Fred Frith, Sally Potter
Performed by Fred Frith (Guitar, Bass), Thomas Bloch (Ondes Martenot, Percussion [Cristal Baschet])
Vocals by Sally Potter

User Reviews

Feminist Review

Sally Potter is one of the most respected names in feminist film. The Tango Lesson, while very different from any of her earlier works, seems to be a really personal, even autobiographical film. It's about a middle-aged British filmmaker named Sally Potter. More recent productions have abandoned prudery towards women's bodies and moved to "the other side" of visual pleasure. The film shows Sally's own personal involvement with Tango. Its original purpose of something fun, new, exciting and stress relief from her routine life soon became an obsession causing several conflicts.

The relevance of feminism in the film is blatantly present. A conflict scene in the film is between characters Sally and her Tango partner, teacher and love interest Pablo Veron. The back and fourth arguments are the strongest representation of a feminist point of view in a relationship. After Sally's first Tango performance with Pablo they are involved in a confrontation. Pablo's issue with Sally is that he is the leader and she was to follow which in his eyes she was not doing during the performance. The feminist thought and idea is that men lead woman. Sally replies to this by saying "you danced like a soloist". She said that no emotions were involved in the dance sequence which is extremely important in order to create a believable and interesting performance.

The fact that they were involved in a personal relationship outside of the dancing did not help the situation. Pablo's character was an alpha male who fell for a woman whose strength and power intimidated him. I noticed in the film in several scenes in his house in the bathroom, on top of the fire place, and in the dressing room, Pablo was placed in front of a mirror. His obsession with himself intrigues Sally to a near jealous streak. She is envious of his confidence. He is also in control of the language spoken between the two of them. They both speak French, Spanish and English. When they are not dancing as business partners and enter their personal relationship they speak French. Pablo unable to speak very well English prefers not to while conversing with Sally.

Sally Potter was not considered what society considers beautiful. She was an older woman who dressed moderately, did not wear makeup, and did not possess a voluptuous body. "The gaze" in television and movies is a serious issue for our society. Woman are considered spectacles used as objects of visual and physical pleasure. The director's gaze is present in the film because she represents and analyzes our visual culture in how men and woman perceive each other.