Ballet Shoes (2007)

The story of three orphan girls (Pauline, Petrova, and Posy), adopted by an eccentric explorer, Great Uncle Matthew, and his niece Sylvia, in 1930s London.

Director:

Sandra Goldbacher

Writers:

Noel Streatfeild (novel), Heidi Thomas (screenplay)

Stars:

Emma Watson, Yasmin Paige, Lucy Boynton

2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Emilia Fox	...	Sylvia Brown
Victoria Wood	...	Nana
Emma Watson	...	Pauline Fossil
Yasmin Paige	...	Petrova Fossil
Lucy Boynton	...	Posy Fossil
Richard Griffiths	...	Great Uncle Matthew
Marc Warren	...	Mr. Simpson
Lucy Cohu	...	Theo Dane
Gemma Jones	...	Dr. Jakes
Harriet Walter	...	Dr. Smith
Eileen Atkins	...	Madame Fidolia
Heather Nicol	...	Winifred Bagnall
Mary Stockley	...	Miss Jay
Teresa Churcher	...	Clara
Skye Bennett	...	Young Sylvia

Storyline

Pauline, Petrova, and Posy Fossil live with Sylvia Brown, their guardian. Money is tight and as the story opens, three boarders - a garage owner, a retired English professor, and a dance teacher - come to stay. Theo Dane, the dance teacher, has the girls accepted at her school by the formidable Madame, and the three go on the stage to help raise money. Each discovers her talents - Pauline as an actress, Petrova in fixing engines, and Posy as a dancer.

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Plot Keywords:

title directed by female | dance | ballet | 1930s | talent | 

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Taglines:

Dreams do come true...

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Genres:

Drama | Family

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for smoking

Details

Official Sites:

BBC [UK] Official site [United States]

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 December 2007 (UK)

Also Known As:

Ballet Shoes

Filming Locations:

Bloomsbury, London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Granada Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Was originally made for as a British TV-Movie, and aired on British Television in Christmas 2007, but got a theatrical release in the states.

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Goofs

The evening before Petrova and Pauline's early morning audition, Nana says she can't make new dresses for them, because she has no fabric. Petrova offers to pay for new fabric, and so we see the girls attend the audition in their new dresses. But how did Nana have time to buy the fabric, fit and sew two dresses overnight?

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Quotes

[Miss Jay meets Pauline and Winifred after their Alice auditions]
Miss Jay: Well done, you two. Right, Pauline is to play Alice
[pauses as girls gasp]
Miss Jay: and Winifred is to be engaged as understudy.
Pauline Fossil: [starts to say] What?
Winifred: [interrupts] When I finished my dance, people clapped! Nobody clapped her, there was just silence!
Miss Jay: Dance is important, but Pauline looks right for Alice.
Winifred: She looks right for everything, she always will!
[looks at Pauline and murmurs]
Winifred: Pretty face... blonde hair...
[...]

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Connections

Featured in Ballet Shoes: Deleted Scenes (2007)

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Soundtracks

Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy
(uncredited)
Written by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

User Reviews

It is what it is

It is obvious that this film was made for a younger audience, and as such it is a perfectly good film with a good story and interesting characters that were well acted. Although not being in the targeted age group I enjoyed the film very much too, and it reminded me of the sort of children's drama I enjoyed as a child, it has an innocence and charm which unfortunately could be lost on a modern audience. It was good to see Emma Watson in a film other than the Potter films and I feel it is certain that her career as an actress will give her great success for decades to come. I always find that Emilia Fox gives a credible performance and with the inclusion of Richard Griffiths ,Marc Warren, Lucy Coho and Victoria Wood I would recommend this film to all.