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.
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