Review of Ballet Shoes

Introduction

"We three Fossils vow to put our name in the history books, because it is ours, and ours alone, and nobody can say it`s because of our grandfathers".

These are the words of the three orphans who feature in `Ballet Shoes` as they set out on their careers and lives in various aspects of show business.

Made by ITV`s Granada television and aired on the BBC (the world`s gone mad!) this was one of the highlights of 2007`s Christmas week viewing. Featuring Emma Watson (Hermione from the `Harry Potter` movies) many will have tuned in to see how able an actress she is outside of her continuing role in the Potter movies - and many will have been pleasantly surprised.

It`s always heart warming to see a new period drama being produced as it`s something that we Brits seem to do well, and they provide a very welcome antidote to the grim tirade of humiliating reality shows or sexed up end of pier talent competitions that make up the vast majority of our TV diets these days.

Based on Noel Streatfeild`s classic story, `Ballet Shoes` is set in 1930s London, and tells the tale of three orphaned children - the `Fossils`. These are Pauline (Emma Watson), Petrova (Yasmin Paige) and Posy (Lucy Boynton). They are adopted by an eccentric explorer, "Gum" (Richard Griffiths) who disappears early on in the tale leaving the girls to be raised by his selfless niece (Emilia Fox) and her nurse (Victoria Wood). The girls have very little in the way of possessions.just a necklace each and Posey with a pair of old Ballet Shoes that had belonged to her Mother. (Peering out from behind a pile of Christmas gifts, it was a stark reminder to me of how life had changed. I`m guessing that the three girls didn`t even have a Wii, which is something to ruminate on …life could be cruelly harsh in those days).

Each of the three young girls has a burning ambition; Pauline wants to become a famous actress, Petrova an aviator, and Posy a ballerina.

All is well for the girls until `Gum` disappears leaving the group without any income. Together they realise that they need to pursue their dreams with added fervour as they now need money to survive, a fact that drives each of the girls to some sort of success.

With no income coming into the old house, it is decided that rooms will be rented out and this brings some new tenants to the house (and into the story). The most significant of these is a dancer called Theo who enrols the girls in Madame Fidolia`s school of dance and drama.

The girls make a pact to make something of their name. So Pauline and Petrova take up acting whilst Posey waits for her mother`s ballet shoes to fit.

Pauline eventually makes it on to the silver screen, whilst Petrova goes through the motions, despite secretly hankering after an engineering job. Posey, however, seems to be the one with the most talent though her age means that she can do little but practice.

Without spoiling the film completely (look away now if you don`t already know what happens), it`s sufficient to say that a certain someone makes a welcome return and everyone gets their dream. Aaah!

Video

I saw this air via my Sky Box and could see very little between that broadcast and this DVD (other than the normal digital quality differences between the two) both looking every bit a high quality rendering of a BBC period drama shot on high def, then `softened` via post-production grading to give it that accepted `period look`. It`s presented anamorphically in1.78:1.

Audio

DD2.0 audio with a nice warm dialogue mix - just as you`d expect

Features

Nowt.

Conclusion

`Ballet Shoes` aired on the BBC on Boxing Day at the tail end of last year, an ideal time for such a heart-warming period drama. With an impressive cast (including Emma Watson of Hermione fame in the `Harry Potter` movies) this classic adaptation
is just what you want for a post-Christmas, cold winters night viewing with the whole family.

There are plenty of tears and laughter along the way and I`m sure that this DVD will be a big hit with parents collectively sighing with relief at the prospects of buying their ambitious dancing daughters something other than `High School Musical`.

I`ve never read the book (written in 1936) so am unable to comment on how it translated to screen, though I can say that it was greatly appreciated by both my (showbiz oriented) daughters. Though clearly a `girl`s film`, I also thoroughly enjoyed it myself with its mix of high drama and period charm.

All three of the young actresses do a pretty convincing job in their roles, often displaying imperfect behaviour (tantrums and so on) in what is a kind of `coming of age` piece that has all the right ingredients for a family film that even Dad might enjoy.

Recommended.