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Ballet Shoes (film)
Encyclopedia
Ballet Shoes is a 2007 British television film, adapted by Heidi Thomas
from Noel Streatfeild
's 1936 novel Ballet Shoes
. It was produced by Granada Productions
(formerly Granada Television
) and premiered on BBC One
on 26 December 2007. It is directed by Sandra Goldbacher.
A previous adaptation
of Ballet Shoes was produced in serial
format by the BBC in 1975 and directed by Timothy Combe.
Pauline has a talent for acting and auditions for the role of Alice in Alice in Wonderland. After getting the part, she lets her growing accomplishments go to her head and begins acting rudely and bossing her sisters around. Finally, her pride and constant rule-breaking lead to her losing the part to her jealous rival Winifred, teaching her an important lesson in humility. She tries film acting and finds it very difficult, exasperating the well-meaning director Mr Sholsky. At the end of the movie she is offered a contract from a studio in the United States, but only decides to go after realizing how the extra money could benefit her family.
Posy thinks about becoming a ballet dancer. After showcasing her amazing talent for ballet to one of the boarders, also a dancer, she begins attending an art school in order to be taught ballet. The ballet school's mistress, Madame Fidolia, is able to see instantly that Posy possesses considerable talent, and begins to teach her privately so that she may learn more advanced techniques. When Madame Fidolia suddenly suffers a stroke while watching a ballet with Posy, Posy is more upset over her own lost career opportunities than in the welfare of her beloved teacher. Deciding that she cannot give up on her abilities, she sneaks into a practice of a famous Russian ballet. After being caught, and after the initial dislike from the teacher for not being Russian herself, she impresses him with her ability to dance and is offered a part in the company, though she is required to move to Prague.
Petrova is Russian, though she does not speak any Russian, having been brought up in England. She wants to work with mechanisms, such as cars and motors. Her biggest wish is to fly, but Pauline convinces her to join a stage production; Petrova later warns her sister to cease prolonging this ordeal. At the end of the movie the other sisters (Pauline and Posy) promise to make their sister go down in history, and not themselves, since they have already got what they dreamed of. At the end of the film Petrova flies off in an airplane above the place of Sylvia's wedding. Earlier, Sylvia had had feelings for John Simpson. John had worried about the amount of stress Sylvia was under, but had seemed to be falling for Theo Dane. Later it is revealed that he was only taking dance lessons from Theo in order to woo Sylvia, although Theo had been under the impression that he fancied her and was disappointed when it became clear that he did not.
written by Kimberley Dadds announced the involvement of Woods, Griffiths and Warren; the BBC announced that open casting for the roles of the sisters would be a week later. Emilia Fox plays the part of Sylvia Brown in this adaptation; her mother, Joanna David
, played the part of Theo Dane in the 1975 BBC
adaptation
of the same story. Emma Watson, Richard Griffiths and Gemma Jones have all starred in films in the Harry Potter
franchise, playing Hermione Granger
, Uncle Vernon Dursley and Madam Poppy Pomfrey respectively. In addition, Gemma Jones starred in the 1995 adaptation of Sense and Sensibility
as Mrs. Dashwood, while Lucy Boynton (Posy) played Margaret Dashwood in the 2008 BBC adaptation of the same novel. Louise Keller of Urban Cinefile notes that this is Emma Watson's first role other than that of Hermione, though her voice would later be heard in The Tale of Despereaux
. Identical twin girls Lucy and Nina Watson, who take turns playing a younger Pauline in this film, are Emma Watson's younger half-sisters and only appear in the uncut DVD version of the film.
Both Victoria Wood and Thomas described Streatfeild's novel as a book they have long treasured. Producer Piers Wenger, who said the film has a "strong rites-of-passage story", related the film to the current "cult of the TV talent shows, and said that it "is also a great antidote to the notion of fame for fame's sake".
's initiative to expand its venue. According to a press release on Screenvision's website, KOCH Vision
bought the North American Home Entertainment rights from Granada International and partnered with Screenvision; KOCH Vision President Michael Rosenberg said that the theatrical run would help promote the DVD. Participating theaters promoted the film with a trailer and a poster earlier that August, and Random House
promoted the "Shoe Books", in association with the film. Ballet Shoes was released on DVD in North America, Region 1, on 2 September 2008. The film premiered on Christmas Eve on TV ONE in New Zealand. It will be broadcast in Canada
on CBC
. Is was aired in Australia on 7 June 2009.
, suggested that there may be too much plot material for the film's relatively short running time.
Heidi Thomas
Heidi Thomas is an English screenwriter and playwright.-Career:After reading English at Liverpool University, Thomas gained national attention when her play, Shamrocks And Crocodiles, won the John Whiting Award in 1985. Her play Indigo was performed by the Royal Shakespeare Company in their...
from Noel Streatfeild
Noel Streatfeild
Mary Noel Streatfeild OBE , known as Noel Streatfeild, was an author, most famous for her children's books including Ballet Shoes . Several of her novels have been adapted for film or television.-Biography:...
's 1936 novel Ballet Shoes
Ballet Shoes (novel)
Ballet Shoes is a classic 1936 children's novel by Noel Streatfeild.Ballet Shoes and the other "Shoes books" have been popular worldwide, since their initial publications from 1936 to 1962.-Plot summary:...
. It was produced by Granada Productions
Granada Productions
Granada Productions was a British commercial television production and distribution company. The company took its name from the successful ITV franchise, Granada Television....
(formerly Granada Television
Granada Television
Granada Television is the ITV contractor for North West England. Based in Manchester since its inception, it is the only surviving original ITA franchisee from 1954 and is ITV's most successful....
) and premiered on BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
on 26 December 2007. It is directed by Sandra Goldbacher.
A previous adaptation
Ballet Shoes (TV serial)
Ballet Shoes is an adaptation of Noel Streatfeild's novel Ballet Shoes. A second adaptation of Ballet Shoes, also made by the BBC , was released in December 2007.- Awards :...
of Ballet Shoes was produced in serial
format by the BBC in 1975 and directed by Timothy Combe.
Plot
The story revolves around three adopted sisters, Pauline, Petrova and Posy Fossil, who live in near poverty with Sylvia Brown and Nana. Sylvia is the niece of "Gum" (Great Uncle Matthew), a somewhat wealthy paleontologist who one day leaves for an expedition and does not return, leaving the girls to fend for themselves. They have to sell some of his skeletons in order to clear rooms for boarders, the friendly, learned Dr. Jakes and Dr. Smith, the helpful dance instructor Theo Danes, and handsome John Simpson. The story eventually focuses on the various talents of the girls: acting, machinery and ballet.Pauline has a talent for acting and auditions for the role of Alice in Alice in Wonderland. After getting the part, she lets her growing accomplishments go to her head and begins acting rudely and bossing her sisters around. Finally, her pride and constant rule-breaking lead to her losing the part to her jealous rival Winifred, teaching her an important lesson in humility. She tries film acting and finds it very difficult, exasperating the well-meaning director Mr Sholsky. At the end of the movie she is offered a contract from a studio in the United States, but only decides to go after realizing how the extra money could benefit her family.
Posy thinks about becoming a ballet dancer. After showcasing her amazing talent for ballet to one of the boarders, also a dancer, she begins attending an art school in order to be taught ballet. The ballet school's mistress, Madame Fidolia, is able to see instantly that Posy possesses considerable talent, and begins to teach her privately so that she may learn more advanced techniques. When Madame Fidolia suddenly suffers a stroke while watching a ballet with Posy, Posy is more upset over her own lost career opportunities than in the welfare of her beloved teacher. Deciding that she cannot give up on her abilities, she sneaks into a practice of a famous Russian ballet. After being caught, and after the initial dislike from the teacher for not being Russian herself, she impresses him with her ability to dance and is offered a part in the company, though she is required to move to Prague.
Petrova is Russian, though she does not speak any Russian, having been brought up in England. She wants to work with mechanisms, such as cars and motors. Her biggest wish is to fly, but Pauline convinces her to join a stage production; Petrova later warns her sister to cease prolonging this ordeal. At the end of the movie the other sisters (Pauline and Posy) promise to make their sister go down in history, and not themselves, since they have already got what they dreamed of. At the end of the film Petrova flies off in an airplane above the place of Sylvia's wedding. Earlier, Sylvia had had feelings for John Simpson. John had worried about the amount of stress Sylvia was under, but had seemed to be falling for Theo Dane. Later it is revealed that he was only taking dance lessons from Theo in order to woo Sylvia, although Theo had been under the impression that he fancied her and was disappointed when it became clear that he did not.
Cast
- Emma WatsonEmma WatsonEmma Charlotte Duerre Watson is an English actress and model.Watson rose to prominence playing Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter film series. Watson was cast as Hermione at the age of nine, having previously acted only in school plays. From 2001 to 2011, she starred in all eight Harry Potter...
as Pauline FossilPauline FossilPauline Fossil is a fictional character in the 1936 children's book Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild. In the 2007 film adaption she is played by Emma Watson.- Pauline's story :... - Yasmin PaigeYasmin PaigeYasmin Paige is an English actress who is best known for her role as Maria in The Sarah Jane Adventures, a spin-off from the BBC science fiction television programme Doctor Who. Having acted and modelled since the age of four, she made her screen debut in the 2003 film Wondrous Oblivion...
as Petrova FossilPetrova FossilPetrova Fossil is a character in the book Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild, and two films which have been based on that book.-Petrova's story:... - Lucy BoyntonLucy BoyntonLucy Boynton is an English actress. She attended Blackheath High School, and now attends James Allen's Girls' School. She is the daughter of Graham Boynton, the Group Travel Editor of the Telegraph Media Group and Adriaane Pielou, a travel writer.-Career:Her first professional role was as the...
as Posy FossilPosy FossilPosy Fossil is a character in the book Ballet Shoes and its two television adaptations. She was adopted by Professor Matthew Brown, called Gum, who took her from her mother, the dancer. She is portrayed by Sarah Prince and by Lucy Boynton... - Richard GriffithsRichard GriffithsRichard Griffiths, OBE is an English actor of stage, film and television. He has received the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor, the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Play, the Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Featured Actor and a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor...
as Great Uncle Matthew (Gum) - Victoria WoodVictoria WoodVictoria Wood CBE is a British comedienne, actress, singer-songwriter, screenwriter and director. Wood has written and starred in sketches, plays, films and sitcoms, and her live stand-up comedy act is interspersed with her own compositions, which she accompanies on piano...
as Nana - Emilia FoxEmilia FoxEmilia Rose Elizabeth Fox is an award-winning English actress, known for her role as Dr. Nikki Alexander on BBC crime drama Silent Witness, having joined the cast in 2004 following the departure of Amanda Burton. She also appears as Morgause in the BBC's Merlin beginning in the programme's second...
as Sylvia Brown - Eileen AtkinsEileen AtkinsDame Eileen June Atkins, DBE is an English actress and occasional screenwriter.- Early life :Atkins was born in the Mothers' Hospital in Clapton, a Salvation Army women's hostel in East London...
as Madame Fidolia - Peter BowlesPeter Bowles-Early life:Bowles was born in London, England, the son of Sarah Jane and Herbert Reginald Bowles. His father was a chauffeur and butler at a stately home in Warwickshire; but, upon the outbreak of World War II, he was seconded to work as an engineer at Rolls-Royce and moved the family to Nottingham...
as Sir Donald Houghton - Marc WarrenMarc WarrenMarc Warren is an English actor, known for his British television roles as Danny Blue in Hustle, Dougie Raymond in The Vice and Dominic Foy in State of Play.-Career:...
as Mr John Simpson - Harriet WalterHarriet WalterDame Harriet Mary Walter, DBE is a British actress.-Personal life:She is the niece of renowned British actor Sir Christopher Lee, as the daughter of his elder sister Xandra Lee. On her father's side she is a great-great-great-granddaughter of John Walter, founder of The TimesShe was educated at...
as Dr Smith - Gemma JonesGemma JonesGemma Jones is an English character actress on both stage and screen.-Early life:Jones was born in London, England, the daughter of Irene and Griffith Jones, an actor. Her brother, Nicholas Jones, is also an actor...
as Dr Jakes - Lucy CohuLucy CohuLucy Cohu is an award-winning English stage and film actress, known for portraying Princess Margaret in The Queen's Sister, Evelyn Brogan in Cape Wrath and Alice Carter in Torchwood: Children of Earth.-Background:...
as Theo Dane - Heather NicolHeather NicolHeather Nicol is a British actress. She is most notable for her first credited role as Winifred Bagnall in the 2007 BBC Drama Ballet Shoes based on the classic chldren's book by Noel Streatfeild.-Career:...
as Winifred Bagnall - Mary StockleyMary StockleyMary Stockley is a British stage, television and film actress.A former member of the National Youth Music Theatre, Stockley studied drama at university. She made her first television appearance in 2001 in the TV movie Being Dom Jolly, in 2002 going on to play Kate Matherson in eight episodes of...
as Miss Jay - Skye BennettSkye BennettSkye Deva Bennett is an English teen actress, best known for her role as Sarah in the 2008 film Dark Floors, as well as for her role as Martha in The Pillars of the Earth.-Personal life:...
as a young Sylvia - Don Gallagher as Mr French
- Lucie Watson as a younger Pauline Fossil.
- Annabella Anderson as a Pauline Fossil's friend
- Nicolette Baker as young girl in red dress.
- Adrian LesterAdrian Lester-Personal life:Lester was born in Birmingham, England, the son of Jamaican immigrants Monica, a medical secretary, and Reginald, a manager for a contract cleaning company. He sang as a boy treble in the choir of St. Chad's Cathedral, Birmingham...
as Mr Sholsky, a film director.
Casting
A July 2007 report from Digital SpyDigital Spy
Digital Spy is a British entertainment and media news website. According to Alexa Internet traffic statistics, as of February 2011, Digital Spy is the 93rd most popular website in the United Kingdom, with an overall Alexa ranking of 2,088....
written by Kimberley Dadds announced the involvement of Woods, Griffiths and Warren; the BBC announced that open casting for the roles of the sisters would be a week later. Emilia Fox plays the part of Sylvia Brown in this adaptation; her mother, Joanna David
Joanna David
Joanna David is a British actress, best known for her television work.She was born in Lancaster, England. Her first major television role was as Elinor Dashwood in the BBC's 1971 dramatisation of Sense and Sensibility followed a year later in War and Peace, in which she played Sonya...
, played the part of Theo Dane in the 1975 BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
adaptation
Ballet Shoes (TV serial)
Ballet Shoes is an adaptation of Noel Streatfeild's novel Ballet Shoes. A second adaptation of Ballet Shoes, also made by the BBC , was released in December 2007.- Awards :...
of the same story. Emma Watson, Richard Griffiths and Gemma Jones have all starred in films in the Harry Potter
Harry Potter
Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by the British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter and his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...
franchise, playing Hermione Granger
Hermione Granger
Hermione Jean Granger is a fictional character and one of the three protagonists in J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. She initially appears in the first novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, as a new student on her way to Hogwarts...
, Uncle Vernon Dursley and Madam Poppy Pomfrey respectively. In addition, Gemma Jones starred in the 1995 adaptation of Sense and Sensibility
Sense and Sensibility
Sense and Sensibility, published in 1811, is a British romance novel by Jane Austen, her first published work under the pseudonym, "A Lady." Jane Austen is considered a pioneer of the romance genre of novels, and for the realism portrayed in her novels, is one the most widely read writers in...
as Mrs. Dashwood, while Lucy Boynton (Posy) played Margaret Dashwood in the 2008 BBC adaptation of the same novel. Louise Keller of Urban Cinefile notes that this is Emma Watson's first role other than that of Hermione, though her voice would later be heard in The Tale of Despereaux
The Tale of Despereaux (film)
The Tale of Despereaux is a 2008 computer-animated film directed by Sam Fell and Robert Stevenhagen. Loosely based on the 2003 fantasy book of the same name by Kate DiCamillo, the movie is narrated by Sigourney Weaver and stars Matthew Broderick and Emma Watson...
. Identical twin girls Lucy and Nina Watson, who take turns playing a younger Pauline in this film, are Emma Watson's younger half-sisters and only appear in the uncut DVD version of the film.
Production
In a press release dated July 2007 it was announced that the film would begin shooting that August. Screenwriter and producer Heidi Thomas called the schedule "murderous".Both Victoria Wood and Thomas described Streatfeild's novel as a book they have long treasured. Producer Piers Wenger, who said the film has a "strong rites-of-passage story", related the film to the current "cult of the TV talent shows, and said that it "is also a great antidote to the notion of fame for fame's sake".
Broadcast and commercial releases
The film was released on DVD in Europe in Region 2 on 7 January 2008. The film had a limited release in U.S. theaters on 26 August 2008; this can be seen as part of ScreenvisionScreenvision
Screenvision is a cinema advertising company.In the United States, the Screenvision cinema advertising network is composed of over 15,000 screens, more than 2,400 theatre locations, and 335 universities across all 50 States and 93% of U.S. DMAs, and through this network delivers more than 500...
's initiative to expand its venue. According to a press release on Screenvision's website, KOCH Vision
Koch Vision
eOne Home Video a division of Entertainment One, was founded in 1999 as part of Koch Entertainment's entry into the television programming and home video market as Koch's rental and sell-through home video division...
bought the North American Home Entertainment rights from Granada International and partnered with Screenvision; KOCH Vision President Michael Rosenberg said that the theatrical run would help promote the DVD. Participating theaters promoted the film with a trailer and a poster earlier that August, and Random House
Random House
Random House, Inc. is the largest general-interest trade book publisher in the world. It has been owned since 1998 by the German private media corporation Bertelsmann and has become the umbrella brand for Bertelsmann book publishing. Random House also has a movie production arm, Random House Films,...
promoted the "Shoe Books", in association with the film. Ballet Shoes was released on DVD in North America, Region 1, on 2 September 2008. The film premiered on Christmas Eve on TV ONE in New Zealand. It will be broadcast in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
on CBC
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
. Is was aired in Australia on 7 June 2009.
Reception
Wayne Myers of The Oneida Daily Dispatch called it an "embraceable film of the sort that emerges more frequently from elsewhere nowadays than Hollywood", and praised the performances of Paige, Watson, Boynton and Nicol. Brian Orndorf writes that Emilia Fox as Sylvia "forms the spine of the story" and that Goldbacher "is cautious to silently weave the performance throughout the film to undercut any saccharine temptations." Betty Joe Tucker of ReelTalk Movie Reviews praised the way film evokes the 1930s. Gina Catanzarite, in a review for Parents' ChoiceParents' Choice Award
The Parents' Choice Award is an award presented by the non-profit Parents' Choice Foundation to recognize "the very best products for children of different ages and backgrounds, and of varied skill and interest levels." It is considered a "prestigious" award among children's products, and has been...
, suggested that there may be too much plot material for the film's relatively short running time.
Differences from the Book
- In the film, Winifred Bagnall appears to be quite arrogant because she is the "best all-round student" in the academy, and her father's illness as well as her meager financial state is suggested only a few times. In the book, Winifred is far less presumptuous and it is discovered early on that Winifred is ambitious because her father's illness is the cause of her family's financial struggles, leaving her as the eldest of six children to earn a living to help support her family.
- The suggestion in the film is that Winifred replaces Pauline as Alice. In the book it occurs for one night only, Pauline is not being sacked but is simply shown she is not indispensable after her attitude gets out of hand.
- The film has Mr. Simpson a widower who falls in love with Garnie. In the book his wife is alive and there is no romance with Garnie.
- Posy is made more unsympathetic in the film, she knows Madame is paralyzed but she still only cares for herself. In the book she behaves selfishly because those around her have played down madame's illness, leaving Posy to feel abandoned for a trivial illness.