Starring: Emma Watson, Lucy Boynton, Yasmin Paige, Emilia Fox, Victoria Wood, Richard Griffiths, Marc Warren, Lucy Cohu, Eileen Adkins
Directed By: Sandra Goldbacher
Written By: Noel Streatfield, Heidi Thomas
U.S. DVD Release: September 2, 2008
Grade: B
Ballet Shoes is the BBC film adaptation of the novel written by Noel Streatfield taking place in London in the 1930's. It has been a beloved story for years that is held most dear by woman of the older generation particularly, but centers on youth of young girls with dreams. The film represents this very well and brings this story to a wider audience to show us themes of family, loyalty, aspirations, and a sense of self.
Pauline (Watson), Posy (Boynton), and Petrova (Paige) were all orphaned and left with an explorer who the girls call Great Uncle Matthew (Griffiths) or Gum for short. Also living with them is Sylvia (Fox) and Nana (Wood) who end up caring for the children as they grow. The girls are all home schooled by Sylvia. Things soon start changing after Gum has disappeared and 12 years later they are running out of money. They are living in a mansion, but only because it is in Gum’s name. There just isn’t enough money to maintain this house. So Sylvia decides to rent out some of the rooms. Among the new boarders are Mr. Simpson (Warren) and Theo (Cohu). Theo is a dance instructor and recruit’s the girls to join her studio. Posie is absolutely thrilled by this. When her mother left her, the one thing that she left her with was a pair of new ballet shoes. Because of this Posie has always felt that she was meant to be a ballerina. Now she is finally given her chance to work on making her dream a reality. Madame Fidolia (Adkins) is a stern and old fashioned teacher, but she really sees something in Posie. She withdrawals her training in other subjects and has her training in ballet only constantly coached by her. She tells Posie that she believes that she has the potential to be a truly brilliant ballerina, putting Posie even higher than herself.
The other two girls aren’t quite as crazy about dancing as Posie is. Pauline enjoys it but mostly because it puts her on the stage. She longs to be an actress and starts getting a few roles. She becomes Alice in “Alice in Wonderland”. Not only is this good for her career but it is also a role that pays a lot, which could help her family out a lot financially. However, she gets too big of a head and loses the part. Petrova’s really less of an artist, but has an eye for mechanics. She really enjoys anything with an engine, but her true aspiration is to be an aviator one day. This gets put on hold between her two sisters diving in to stardom and her family struggling with money. She ends up joining Pauline on the cast of “A Midsummer’s Night Dream” so they will both have money coming in. Petrova struggles with this a lot as acting doesn’t come very naturally to her. Even worse she worries about Sylvia’s medical condition that she has discovered. Sylvia has inflammation of the lungs and if there is any hope for her to get better she needs to be sent somewhere that she can properly treat her. Sylvia won’t even acknowledge that she is sick though. Soon after this, Pauline gets her first movie role in a period piece. This is a bit of an adjustment for her as she is not used to the change of a film set from her home in the theater. When the movie premieres Pauline can’t help but feel pessimistic and that everyone will be witnessing her failure.
The acting in the film is remarkable. This was a fantastic move for Emma Watson, as each of th
e Potter kids are trying to tackle material outside of the world of Hogwarts. Daniel Radcliffe did this with December Boys, Ruper Grint with Driving Lessons, and now Watson is doing this with Ballet Shoes. There wasn’t one moment while watching her that I even thought of her character, Hermione, from Harry Potter. This is an especially appropriate choice for her as it is obvious she puts a piece of herself in her character, Pauline. Obviously, she has had a passion for acting that drove her to get in to the business at a similarly young age. Watson also has had to deal with some of the same things that Pauline does like self-esteem issues and the fear that all of the hard work won’t pay off, but will just cause her to be looked down upon by the masses. Even aside from this she lightens up every shot and commits to her character bringing out all of her fear, emotions, and drive.
Lucy Boynton was another young actress who really gave us so much presence and life to the film through Posey. She also was very determined and aspired for great accomplishments. She is able to bring out the feeling of being invisible to Pauline even though she is told of the greatness she is capable of. Yasmin Paige adds a lot of compassion as the most understanding, thoughtful, and often times underappreciated of the girls. Paige offers a great sense of uniqueness, which suits Petrova perfectly since it is not many 14-year-old girls who have flying planes on their mind. She puts others first, especially her family, but doesn’t forget about her dreams in the course of helping everyone elses'.
Emilia Fox does very well as Silvia and shows her love and just how important the girls are to her, constantly putting them above everything else. She gives us a strong character who is holding the family together. Victoria Wood plays a similar role as Nana, just trying to give the girls everything she can. Eileen Adkins plays the ballet instructor very well. On the outside she seems to be strict and cold, but she shows that she invests hope in the youth that she teaches everyday and truly wants to see them get everything they desired. Richard Griffiths, one of Emma Watson’s Harry Potter co-stars, gives us someone we can’t help but question, but in the end shows that he really does care.
Ballet Shoes does have a few holes in its’ story. The most obvious one being that Gum disappears and doesn’t come back for 12 years. At one point it is even mentioned that he is assumed to be dead. Yet, he appears again and sure there is a little surprise to see him, but not as if you see someone who was believed to have died. There is no explanation for why he was gone at all. Also, Sylvia never even admits that she really does have an illness despite how obvious it is. Things are portrayed to end happily ever after with her, but for all we know death could be right around the corner. Even though money isn’t a huge issue anymore since Gum is back and she has a wealthy man in her life now, she still isn’t going to a doctor to at least try to figure out if she even has any options. Overall, the film requires you to suspend some belief. The chances of all three of the orphaned girls ending up in this house, and even with the man they were given to , Gum, leaving, there still being people there to care for them so dearly, and a dancer coming in to the house opening up so many opportunities to the girls’ future careers, could happen, but there is some coincidences and luck there.
I actually enjoyed Ballet Shoes far more than I expected to. I was mostly interested since I enjoy a good dance film and I was curious if Watson had picked a good following to Harry Potter as Radcliffe and Grint had. I was pleasantly surprised with all Ballet Shoes had to offer me. There was so much determination and striving for what they wanted and passion for that very thing. Especially for their age, it was great to see them so sure of themselves and to go out and take what they wanted rather than waiting for it to be given to them. At the same time, the film still showed that there were other things that were more important like what kind of a person you are and not forgetting about the people who really care about you. The girls learn that they should go after their dreams but also to keep a good head on their shoulders and to think of others in the process. More than anything else what made this film so appealing is that you care for the characters and are engaged in a piece of them and what is going on in their lives. They all seem very real and very individualistic. Ballet Shoes is extremely enjoyable, and a feel good film that will draw you to the screen. It has layers to it, exploring each one, and finding a good balance in the end. Ballet Shoes may be more of a girls’ movie, but woman of all ages should be able to appreciate it and feel for thecharacters, whether they are or were once in their place or wish to be one day. Really anyone should be able to relate to the film and enjoy what it has to offer.
Directed By: Sandra Goldbacher
Written By: Noel Streatfield, Heidi Thomas
U.S. DVD Release: September 2, 2008
Grade: B
Ballet Shoes is the BBC film adaptation of the novel written by Noel Streatfield taking place in London in the 1930's. It has been a beloved story for years that is held most dear by woman of the older generation particularly, but centers on youth of young girls with dreams. The film represents this very well and brings this story to a wider audience to show us themes of family, loyalty, aspirations, and a sense of self.
Pauline (Watson), Posy (Boynton), and Petrova (Paige) were all orphaned and left with an explorer who the girls call Great Uncle Matthew (Griffiths) or Gum for short. Also living with them is Sylvia (Fox) and Nana (Wood) who end up caring for the children as they grow. The girls are all home schooled by Sylvia. Things soon start changing after Gum has disappeared and 12 years later they are running out of money. They are living in a mansion, but only because it is in Gum’s name. There just isn’t enough money to maintain this house. So Sylvia decides to rent out some of the rooms. Among the new boarders are Mr. Simpson (Warren) and Theo (Cohu). Theo is a dance instructor and recruit’s the girls to join her studio. Posie is absolutely thrilled by this. When her mother left her, the one thing that she left her with was a pair of new ballet shoes. Because of this Posie has always felt that she was meant to be a ballerina. Now she is finally given her chance to work on making her dream a reality. Madame Fidolia (Adkins) is a stern and old fashioned teacher, but she really sees something in Posie. She withdrawals her training in other subjects and has her training in ballet only constantly coached by her. She tells Posie that she believes that she has the potential to be a truly brilliant ballerina, putting Posie even higher than herself.
The other two girls aren’t quite as crazy about dancing as Posie is. Pauline enjoys it but mostly because it puts her on the stage. She longs to be an actress and starts getting a few roles. She becomes Alice in “Alice in Wonderland”. Not only is this good for her career but it is also a role that pays a lot, which could help her family out a lot financially. However, she gets too big of a head and loses the part. Petrova’s really less of an artist, but has an eye for mechanics. She really enjoys anything with an engine, but her true aspiration is to be an aviator one day. This gets put on hold between her two sisters diving in to stardom and her family struggling with money. She ends up joining Pauline on the cast of “A Midsummer’s Night Dream” so they will both have money coming in. Petrova struggles with this a lot as acting doesn’t come very naturally to her. Even worse she worries about Sylvia’s medical condition that she has discovered. Sylvia has inflammation of the lungs and if there is any hope for her to get better she needs to be sent somewhere that she can properly treat her. Sylvia won’t even acknowledge that she is sick though. Soon after this, Pauline gets her first movie role in a period piece. This is a bit of an adjustment for her as she is not used to the change of a film set from her home in the theater. When the movie premieres Pauline can’t help but feel pessimistic and that everyone will be witnessing her failure.
The acting in the film is remarkable. This was a fantastic move for Emma Watson, as each of th
e Potter kids are trying to tackle material outside of the world of Hogwarts. Daniel Radcliffe did this with December Boys, Ruper Grint with Driving Lessons, and now Watson is doing this with Ballet Shoes. There wasn’t one moment while watching her that I even thought of her character, Hermione, from Harry Potter. This is an especially appropriate choice for her as it is obvious she puts a piece of herself in her character, Pauline. Obviously, she has had a passion for acting that drove her to get in to the business at a similarly young age. Watson also has had to deal with some of the same things that Pauline does like self-esteem issues and the fear that all of the hard work won’t pay off, but will just cause her to be looked down upon by the masses. Even aside from this she lightens up every shot and commits to her character bringing out all of her fear, emotions, and drive. Lucy Boynton was another young actress who really gave us so much presence and life to the film through Posey. She also was very determined and aspired for great accomplishments. She is able to bring out the feeling of being invisible to Pauline even though she is told of the greatness she is capable of. Yasmin Paige adds a lot of compassion as the most understanding, thoughtful, and often times underappreciated of the girls. Paige offers a great sense of uniqueness, which suits Petrova perfectly since it is not many 14-year-old girls who have flying planes on their mind. She puts others first, especially her family, but doesn’t forget about her dreams in the course of helping everyone elses'.
Emilia Fox does very well as Silvia and shows her love and just how important the girls are to her, constantly putting them above everything else. She gives us a strong character who is holding the family together. Victoria Wood plays a similar role as Nana, just trying to give the girls everything she can. Eileen Adkins plays the ballet instructor very well. On the outside she seems to be strict and cold, but she shows that she invests hope in the youth that she teaches everyday and truly wants to see them get everything they desired. Richard Griffiths, one of Emma Watson’s Harry Potter co-stars, gives us someone we can’t help but question, but in the end shows that he really does care.
Ballet Shoes does have a few holes in its’ story. The most obvious one being that Gum disappears and doesn’t come back for 12 years. At one point it is even mentioned that he is assumed to be dead. Yet, he appears again and sure there is a little surprise to see him, but not as if you see someone who was believed to have died. There is no explanation for why he was gone at all. Also, Sylvia never even admits that she really does have an illness despite how obvious it is. Things are portrayed to end happily ever after with her, but for all we know death could be right around the corner. Even though money isn’t a huge issue anymore since Gum is back and she has a wealthy man in her life now, she still isn’t going to a doctor to at least try to figure out if she even has any options. Overall, the film requires you to suspend some belief. The chances of all three of the orphaned girls ending up in this house, and even with the man they were given to , Gum, leaving, there still being people there to care for them so dearly, and a dancer coming in to the house opening up so many opportunities to the girls’ future careers, could happen, but there is some coincidences and luck there.
I actually enjoyed Ballet Shoes far more than I expected to. I was mostly interested since I enjoy a good dance film and I was curious if Watson had picked a good following to Harry Potter as Radcliffe and Grint had. I was pleasantly surprised with all Ballet Shoes had to offer me. There was so much determination and striving for what they wanted and passion for that very thing. Especially for their age, it was great to see them so sure of themselves and to go out and take what they wanted rather than waiting for it to be given to them. At the same time, the film still showed that there were other things that were more important like what kind of a person you are and not forgetting about the people who really care about you. The girls learn that they should go after their dreams but also to keep a good head on their shoulders and to think of others in the process. More than anything else what made this film so appealing is that you care for the characters and are engaged in a piece of them and what is going on in their lives. They all seem very real and very individualistic. Ballet Shoes is extremely enjoyable, and a feel good film that will draw you to the screen. It has layers to it, exploring each one, and finding a good balance in the end. Ballet Shoes may be more of a girls’ movie, but woman of all ages should be able to appreciate it and feel for thecharacters, whether they are or were once in their place or wish to be one day. Really anyone should be able to relate to the film and enjoy what it has to offer. 
Great review.
It is great to see Emma Watson break out of the Harry Potter film role!!