Ballet Shoes

2008 "Dreams do come true."
6.6| 1h25m| PG| en
Details

An unusual explorer named Gum and his kindly niece adopt three orphans -- Pauline, Petrova and Posy -- and raise them as sisters in 1930s London. But the girls must fend for themselves when Gum doesn't return from one of his adventures. Together, they nurture their passions for acting, aviation and ballet in this charming TV adaptation of Noel Streatfield's novel.

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Reviews

Reptileenbu Did you people see the same film I saw?
FuzzyTagz If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.
StyleSk8r At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.
Isbel A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.
maddelise This was a fairly enjoyable adaptation of Streatfeild's Ballet Shoes. In the beginning there were a few minor details that strayed from the novel, which didn't bother me too much, as they made little difference to the plot overall. However, as the film progressed there were more little things, and a couple of big things that differed from the plot that bothered me.The only big change that did not overly bother me, that I in fact quite liked, was Mr Simpson being a widower, and his slow burn relationship with Sylvia (Garnie). It added something to the storyline, which I feel was probably a helpful addition in the transition from novel to film.The casting was quite good (although Nanna did not age much...). I found Emma Watson looked exactly as I'd imagined Pauline, when reading Ballet Shoes as a child. Her performance was good, better than others make it out to be. Lucy Boynton was appropriately precocious as Posy. I rather enjoyed Emilia Fox's portrayal of Garnie/Sylvia. The other cast were all pleasing enough in their roles. The film on the whole is family friendly, and if you're not very familiar with the book, it should be quite enjoyable.
TxMike I was able to see this on Netflix streaming movies. I was interested mainly because Emma Watson is in it, right in the middle of the many Harry Potter movies. I was curious to see how she acted in a quite different role, and she did very well.It is set in 1930s London and the costumes, makeup, and cinematography give it an authentic 1930s feel. A nice gentleman who seems only to explore the world inherits a young niece whose parents drown, and as she grows to young adulthood gradually 3 more girls are added. She becomes the legal guardian of them and sees to it that they grow up polite and successful. The younger girls are given the last name of Fossil.Emilia Fox is the guardian, Sylvia Brown. Emma Watson is Pauline Fossil. She is the oldest of the 3 younger orphans and develops with an interest and a flair for acting.Yasmin Paige is the next as Petrova Fossil. She is the left-brain one, more interested in science and particularly aviation. And the youngest, who was my favorite actress here, is red-head Lucy Boynton as Posy Fossil. The only thing she brought with her as a baby were ballet shoes, and with that apparently in her blood becomes obsessed with being a world-famous ballerina.Fine British character actor Richard Griffiths is the Great Uncle Matthew, affectionately called 'GUM'.This is a very nice, pleasant PG movie. It shows the bonding within a family unit when none of them are actually related to each other. It also shows how children can become 'bratty' when they get the big head of success. In the end everyone seems on a very happy track in life.SPOILERS: Sylvia is having a difficult time keeping up with the expenses of Gum's house, and no one has heard from him in 12 years. So she has him declared dead and sells the house. Soon after that he shows up, at the same time that Pauline is offered a movie contract that requires her to move to Hollywood. She is hesitant but does it so that she can help Posy afford to travel to a school for ballet. It turns out Gum had become friends with a famous female pilot who taught him to fly in Argentina, and he teaches Petrova. And to top it all off the nice male boarder marries Sylvia and they head to Hollywood to be with Pauline.
treeline1 The story opens in London in the 1930s, as an eccentric explorer (Richard Griffiths) returns from his adventures with three orphaned baby girls to be raised by his niece (Emilia Fox), while he goes off on another long trip. As the girls become teenagers, they enroll in a theatrical school hoping to earn enough money to support themselves: Posy wants to be a ballerina and Pauline (Emma Watson) wants to be an actress, but Petrova just wants to fly airplanes.Adapted from a well-loved children's book, this made for BBC film suffers from a script full of holes and poor direction. We meet a houseful of characters but never get to know any of them well. Their dialogue is lifeless and lacking in real emotion; except for the wonderful Ms Fox they merely take turns tediously reciting their lines and each scene falls flat.Emma Watson ("Harry Potter") looks nervous and awkward and her character, like the others, is superficial. She's supposed to be a great actress, but this isn't shown; Posy is supposed to be a gifted dancer, but again, we just have to take their word for it. Pauline, the aviator, is ignored altogether. Recommended only for those who enjoyed the novel.
robert-temple-1 Noel Streatfeild's book 'Ballet Shoes' was read by nearly every English girl who is now a woman over fifty. It was filmed in 1975 and here it is again. If you don't mind the fact that the plot will not stand a close examination (one character disappears for twelve years without explanation, before returning, but no one finds that odd), and if you are willing to watch a film for its fairtytale qualities and sparkle, then you will find this most enjoyable and well done. Most viewers will be female, either women delightfully reminiscing, or young girls still innocent enough to dream (if there are any left who are not already binge-drinking and having sex at the age of ten). Heidi Thomas's script doesn't even try to make sense of the implausible plot, but just gets on with the fun. The film has been very well directed by Sandra Goldbacher, now we hope rescued from the world of television advertising. The story concerns three orphan girls living in a big house whose owner is absent. They are played with tremendous youthful energy and verve by Emma Watson, Yasmin Paige, and Lucy Boynton. They are 'running out of money' and cannot afford dresses, despite the fact that they live in a huge mansion (see page 94), but let's not worry about that inconsistency. One wants to act, one wants to be a ballet dancer, and one wants to be an airplane pilot. Well, why not? They struggle and have vicissitudes, as one must do to succeed, and manage to earn enough money to keep the bailiffs from the door. They are looked after by Emilia Fox, who coughs and becomes increasingly frail and wan but never quite gets the TB that is hinted at, and she falls in love, and is broken-hearted and desolate, but ... well, I ain't sayin' what happens there. Comedienne Victoria Wood is a kind of super-nanny to all, showing her warm heart straight off the AGA, Richard Griffiths is as jolly as ever when he is around, and that is very jolly indeed. Everybody has a great time, and so do we.