Billy Elliot (2000)

A talented young boy becomes torn between his unexpected love of dance and the disintegration of his family.

Director:

Stephen Daldry

Writer:

Lee Hall

Stars:

Jamie Bell, Julie Walters, Jean Heywood

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 56 wins & 69 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jamie Bell	...	Billy
Jean Heywood	...	Grandma
Jamie Draven	...	Tony
Gary Lewis	...	Dad
Stuart Wells	...	Michael
Mike Elliot	...	George Watson
Billy Fane	...	Mr Braithwaite
Nicola Blackwell	...	Debbie
Julie Walters	...	Mrs. Wilkinson
Carol McGuigan	...	Librarian
Joe Renton	...	Gary Poulson
Colin MacLachlan	...	Mr. Wilkinson (as Colin Maclachlan)
Janine Birkett	...	Billy's Mum
Trevor Fox	...	PC Jeff Peverly
Charlie Hardwick	...	Sheila Briggs

Storyline

County Durham, during the endless, violent 1984 strike against the Margaret Thatcher closure of British coal mines. Widower Jackie Elliot (Gary Lewis) and his firstborn, fellow miner Tony (Jamie Draven), take a dim view of eleven-year-old second son Billy's (Jamie Bell's) poor record in boxing class, which worsens when they discover he sneakily transferred to the neighboring, otherwise girls-only-attended ballet class. Only one schoolmate, closet-gay Michael Caffrey (Stuart Wells), encourages Billy's desire, aroused by the teacher, Mrs. Wilkinson (Dame Julie Walters), who judged him talented enough for private lessons, to train and try out for the world-renowned Royal Ballet audition. Only the prospect of a fancy career unimagined in the pauper quarter may twist pa and big brother's opposition to indispensable support.

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Plot Keywords:

ballet | miner | gay crush | gay kid | bully | 

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Taglines:

Inside every one of us is a special talent waiting to come out. The trick is finding it.

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Genres:

Drama | Music

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language

Did You Know?

Trivia

Over two thousand boys auditioned for the role of Billy Elliot.

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Goofs

In the first scene in which Billy Elliot (Jamie Bell) tap dances, there are no taps on his boots.

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Quotes

Mrs. Wilkinson: Find a place on that bloody wall and focus on that spot. Then whip your head 'round and come back to that spot. Prepare!

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Alternate Versions

An edited version was released in the USA rated PG-13 that tones down the language.

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Connections

References The Karate Kid (1984)

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Soundtracks

Scène
(uncredited)
from ballet "Swan Lake, Op.20"
Music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Performed at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden

User Reviews

Beautiful, honest, touching, poignant- a truly remarkable film

This movie is such a good film for a number of reasons. As a study of daring to be different in the fact of intractable tradition, Billy Elliot is beautiful, touching, poignant and very honest. It does start off slowly, but the film does have a lot of heart. Firstly, I liked the story, a young boy who wishes to ballet dance against the the backdrop of the 1984 miner's strike, it was a nice one and is likely to evoke some emotion. Stage director Stephen Daldry makes his feature debut here, and succeeds pretty much brilliantly. Another strong asset was the writing, while funny in places, it is also quite touching. Then the music, I loved hearing the music Tchaikovsky's timeless ballet "Swan Lake", such a melancholy yet enchanting and haunting score. But really the best asset of the film is the acting. Jamie Bell gives a really believable performance in the lead role, while Gary Lewis is marvellous as his dad. The acting honours though go to the brilliant Julie Walters as Billy's chain smoking dance instructor, that role especially proves what a fine actress Walters is. In conclusion, I loved this film. 9.5/10 Bethany Cox

Details

Official Sites:

Universal

Country:

UK France

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 November 2000 (USA)

Also Known As:

Billy Elliot

Filming Locations:

Ellington Colliery, Ellington, Morpeth, Northumberland, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$5,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$215,681, 15 October 2000

Gross USA:

$21,995,263

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$109,280,263

Company Credits

Production Co:

StudioCanal, Working Title Films, BBC Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1