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DVD Movies

Ballet Shoes (1975) (DVD)

Ballet Shoes

Ballet Shoes (1975)

Genre: Family, Children, Literature

Acquired by: Netflix rental

Overall Rating: 3 out of 5

I was an avid reader as a child. My local public library didn’t limit how many books we could take out at a time, and my habit was to fill the baskets on my bicycle every time I went.

I also took ballet lessons for three years, from about age 9 to 11, and of course, I had my own dreams of being a ballerina some day. It should be no surprise, then, that Noel Streatfeild’s book, Ballet Shoes, was among my favorites. It’s one of a class of children’s books that I called “brown-bread-and-butter” books - feel good stories of families in trouble who somehow make things all better by the final page. I’d take a nice brown bread - Roman Meal was my favorite - spread it lightly with butter, and slowly savor the slices and the book at the same time.

It was through Kat with a K’s blog that I recently learned that not only was there an upcoming television production of Ballet Shoes (the cast includes Harry Potter’s Emma Watson as Pauline Fossil) - there already existed one from 1975! I dashed over to Netflix, located the DVD, and bumped it to the top of my queue.

I just finished watching it a short while ago, and you know what? I really wish I’d had a few slices of brown bread and butter to nibble at during the movie! It’s been a while since I read the book, but this television film version - for all that it only had two hours to tell the story - was quite faithful in all the details and characters.

Ballet Shoes is the story of three adopted girls, and their life as they attend a ballet and theater school in London. Posy is a natural dancer; Pauline a talented actress. Petrova, whose real desire is to be a mechanic and/or pilot, is neither as good a dancer as Posy, nor as special an actress as Pauline, but manages to hold her own.

There are struggles along the way. The family has little money for daily expenses, and must take in boarders. Pauline nearly loses a paying role on the stage when her pride and arrogance get in the way of her performance. Petrova has terrible stage fright, and would really rather be studying automotive repair manuals. Posy, while not performing on stage as her sisters are, is skilled enough as a dancer that the Madame of the dance school takes her as her private pupil - but then Madame becomes ill, and can no longer give her lessons.

In the end, of course, everything works out well. I won’t spoil it by telling you how! In two hours, however, this BBC production somehow tells the entire story, without leaving you feeling rushed, or like you’ve missed details. Probably because, as well as I remember the book, you haven’t.

This production originally aired on television in the UK on October 4, 1975. It was brought to America by PBS, and aired on December 27, 1976 as part of a variety series called Picadilly Circus, which presented an assortment of British documentaries, dramas, comedies, and family films. Ballet Shoes went on to win a 1977 Emmy for “Outstanding Children’s Special”.

Nearly none of the actors will be very familiar to American audiences, though the woman playing “Guarnie” - Sylvia Brown, the guardian for the three girls, struck me immediately as someone I’d seen. I took a poke at IMDB, and realized why - anyone as fond of British television comedies as I am will recognize her as Angela Thorne, who played Marjory Forbisher, best friend of Penelope Keith’s lead character, Audrey fforbes-Hamilton, on To The Manor Born.

The DVD offers no extras, and is not close-captioned. But then, this BBC production originally appeared on television in the UK in October of 1975 - it’s a wonder we even have it on DVD! The master copy must have been pristine, however, because the video was clear and without fading, skips, or other noticeable problems.

Modern audiences, especially children, will find the production much quieter than we’re accustomed to today. The story is told through simple, skilled acting. The soundtrack, when it comes into play, is mostly ballet music. But that’s all fine - this is a story that doesn’t need flashy camera tricks and punchy music to charm your heart.

And charm your heart it does. Go to Netflix, rent it, and have a few slices of brown-bread-and-butter ready to go. Especially if you have a budding ballerina or actress in your family - Ballet Shoes will help to fuel her dreams!

I’m very glad I found this DVD - thank you, Kat! I don’t feel a need to buy it, but it pleases me to know that it’s out there, available to rent again.

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Posted: September 10th, 2007 under DVD Movies.
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