Ballet Shoes (DVD)

...loved Noel Streatfield's books and Ballet Shoes was top of my list of favourites. When I saw that it was being televised over Christmas, I made a beeline for it. However, it is often hard to watch the translation of a loved book onto the screen; so often it does not meet expectations. Knowing that Emma Watson (who plays Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter movies) was playing Pauline concerned me a little - she has become so type-cast and I was worried ...
...quality period drama with a ballet theme, and/or a nostalgic reminder of your childhood, then you will probably like this. I am delighted to see that it will be available on DVD from 7 January - I have already pre-ordered a copy. It costs £10.99 (including delivery) from play.com

Classification: PG

Running time: 90 minutes  ... more

Great Uncle Matthew travels the world collecting things - including three orphans - whom he then dumps on his niece, Sylvia, before disappearing on his travels again. The three orphans, named Pauline, Petrova and Posy, given the surname Fossil because of their Great Uncle's hobby, are brought up by Sylvia and Nana. G U Matthew (Gum for short) has left enough money for a few years, but once this runs out, Sylvia finds it hard to pay for the girl's upkeep. Removing the girls from school to teach them at home, she is forced to take in lodgers, who take an interest in the girls and eventually enable them to go to stage school, where Pauline decides she wants act, Posy discovers a talent for dancing and Petrova finds a passion for science! Will the girls be able to follow their dreams? And will Sylvia be able to keep the family solvent?

As a child, I loved Noel Streatfield's books and Ballet Shoes was top of my list of favourites. When I saw that it was being televised over Christmas, I made a beeline for it. However, it is often hard to watch the translation of a loved book onto the screen; so often it does not meet expectations. Knowing that Emma Watson (who plays Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter movies) was playing Pauline concerned me a little - she has become so type-cast and I was worried that this would detract from the film. However, I was pleased to discover that the BBC have done an excellent job of turning this much loved classic into a high standard film.

I thought Emma Watson did a really good job of portraying Pauline, a girl only too aware of her circumstances and the need to make money for her sisters and guardian. I was really worried that, because of the Harry Potter movies, it would be hard for her to make her presence as Pauline felt. I needn't have worried though - by the time the film had finished, I had completely forgotten anything other than the fact that she was Pauline. Emma Watson really can act. Also good are Yasmin Paige and Lucy Boynton who pay Petrova and Posy. What I liked about all the roles are that they were very close to how I remember the girls in the book, even down to their looks, and there were some scenes that I'm pretty sure were almost word for word taken from the book. What came over very strongly was their desire to stay together and support each other, including Sylvia and Nana, an important concept in the book that could have easily been lost when translated onto the screen.

I am not particularly a fan of Emilia Fox; in fact, she irritates the hell of out me in Silent Witness. However, as Sylvia, she is much softer, much less sure of herself and I thought she did the role justice and then some. Sylvia is basically a good woman, well brought-up, but without much desire of how to make a living - however, when pushed, she is much stronger than she herself knows. This is the best performance I have ever seen her give.

I was less sure about Victoria Wood as Nana. It isn't that she didn't do a good job, it was that every time I looked at her, I remembered that she was Victoria Wood - she just didn't really seem to make her own mark on the role. Shame, because I have a great deal of respect for her as an actress. It didn't help that she had the most god-awful hairstyle. I'm sure it fitted in with the fashions of the time (the story is set in the nineteen thirties), but it made her look stupid!

I'm glad to say that the director (Sandra Goldbacher) really did capture the essence of the book in the ninety minutes that she had to work with. This is all the more impressive when you consider that she spends most of her time directing commercials. Although I haven't read the book for many years, I read and re-read it many times as a child and she really has managed to fit all that goes on very nicely, without missing too much out or changing much. My only comment was that, certainly before I saw this, I would have thought it might have been better as a series, but that is largely irrelevant now that I have seen the 90 minute version.

There is a lot of attention to detail - clothes, hairstyles, interior decoration and cars that prove that the researchers have done their background research. Thank goodness I wasn't a child then - some of the skirts and jerseys that the poor girls are forced to wear are awful! It also makes quite an interesting social commentary.The idea of Sylvia going out to work is clearly not an option for a lady of her class, although the family are struggling; thankfully the girls are of a different generation, so their acting/dancing to earn a living is acceptable! I suppose the socialist in me struggles a bit with their story of poverty; Sylvia (through Gum, who is presumed dead) owns the house that they live in, so they are an awful lot better off than many people at the time. However, poverty is always relative and this is only a story after all!

I loved this and think it was one of the better offerings over the Christmas period. It is, of course, based on a children's book and will therefore appeal largely to women who read the book as a child and girls - I certainly can't see all that many men interested in watching it, although Emma Watson's presence may attract some. However, if you like good quality period drama with a ballet theme, and/or a nostalgic reminder of your childhood, then you will probably like this. I am delighted to see that it will be available on DVD from 7 January - I have already pre-ordered a copy. It costs £10.99 (including delivery) from play.com

Classification: PG

Running time: 90 minutes 

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