"Shoes" Misses The Pointe

I bought the DVD of the 2007 ITV dramatisation of Noel Streatfeild's Ballet Shoes. Watched it last night and was rather disappointed.

It was just totally not what I "see" when I read the book. Neither was the BBC version that was released in 1975 (I have that on video). I guess that happens when you really love a book.

Emma Watson was wrong for the part of Pauline, and so was Yasmin Paige as Petrova. Lucy Boynton who played Posy was quite good though.

Theo Dane, the dancing teacher, was portrayed quite scarily - always shaking her behind and sweeping her arms about. And I really disliked her moping because she was manless and lonely. The way they had a man appear at the end to sweep her off her feet, and her desperate delight when she realised that she wouldn't die a dried up old spinster was ridiculous and offensive.

I would much rather be an old spinster than someone like Theo, and so I loved the old Drs Smith and Jakes, played brilliantly by Harriet Walter and Gemma Jones respectively.

I felt that the movie focussed more on the Sylvia, the children's guardian, than the children. There seemed too much emphasis on her loneliness and struggle to support the children. Of course they killed off Mrs Simpson and had Sylvia fall in love with and marry Mr Simpson!

Almost nothing was shown of the running of the Academy and the children's education and life as performers. So the title, Ballet Shoes, didn't really fit the story that told.

I give it 4/10.

Comments

[Linnea]

I completely agree with you.
I watched the movie again last night with my mother - her first time, my second. We have both been huge lovers of Noel Streatfield's work for forever, and we were quite disappointed with the movie.
There was no need for the love story. The story is about the girls. Ugh. And I hated the way they portrayed Theo..I thought of her as being much more classy and proper.
As much as I like Emma Watson in general, she was not right for Pauline. Posy was the closest for the girls, I liked her most of the time.
Anyway, it was fun to come across your review. I did like this version better than the one from the 70s - that one was entirely too slow moving.

[Andrea]

That's a shame, I really loved the book. :( I hoped the movie would do justice, but I guess it didn't...

[Daphne]

Thanks, Ruth! :-)

[Ruth]

I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don't know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.

Ruth

http://systemmemory.info

[Daphne]

KittyCat: I agree abt Petrova. She is so unlike the character in the book. And it was quite simplistic and lazy of the producers etc to pass her off as an awkward fat child!

[KittyCat]

Hi Daphne - I completely agree with you about the movie's focus on Sylvia and artistic license taken on her love life!

Theo Dane was interesting, though, definitely more fascinating than the way the book portrayed her...

I think the injustice was ultimately on Petrova, who was NOT an overweight girl. I felt that the movie tried to connect a person with two left feet to having weight issues. Sigh, we don't need that in this day and age, right?

Anyways, here's my review of the book