Ballet Shoes (2007) (TV)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Sandra Goldbacher

Writers:

Noel Streatfeild (novel)
Heidi Thomas (screenplay)

Release Date:

26 December 2007 (UK)

Genre:

Drama | Family

Tagline:

Dreams do come true...

Plot:

The story of three orphan girls (Pauline, Petrova, and Posy), adopted by an eccentric explorer, Great Uncle Matthew, and his niece Sylvia, in 1930s London.

Plot Keywords:

Dance | Talent | 1930s | Teenage Girl In Ballet Suit | London England

Awards:

2 wins

Cast

Emilia Fox	...	Sylvia Brown
Victoria Wood	...	Nana
Emma Watson	...	Pauline Fossil
Yasmin Paige	...	Petrova Fossil
Lucy Boynton	...	Posy Fossil
Richard Griffiths	...	Great Uncle Matthew
Marc Warren	...	Mr. Simpson
Lucy Cohu	...	Theo Dane
Gemma Jones	...	Dr. Jakes
Harriet Walter	...	Dr. Smith
Eileen Atkins	...	Madame Fidolia
Heather Nicol	...	Winifred
Mary Stockley	...	Miss Jay
Teresa Churcher	...	Clara
Skye Bennett	...	Young Sylvia
Peter Bowles	...	Sir Donald Houghton
Don Gallagher	...	Mr. French
Emma Darwall-Smith	...	Titania (as Emma Darwall Smith)
Isabella Parriss	...	Cobweb
Jade Longley	...	Moth
Adrian Lester	...	Mr. Sholsky
Tim Wallers	...	Mr. Montague
Gresby Nash	...	Leopold Neville
Ebe Sievwright	...	Valentin Manoff
Ruth Brill	...	Featured Dancer
Natasha Mould	...	Featured Dancer
Jack Thorpe-Baker	...	Featured Dancer (as Jack Thorpe Baker)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Laurence Richardson	...	Dancer

Directed by
Sandra Goldbacher

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Noel Streatfeild		novel
Heidi Thomas		screenplay

Produced by
Michele Buck	....	executive producer: Granada
Matthew Hamilton	....	line producer
Patrick Spence	....	executive producer: BBC
Heidi Thomas	....	executive producer: BBC
Damien Timmer	....	executive producer: Granada
Piers Wenger	....	producer: Granada

Original Music by
Kevin Sargent

Cinematography by
Peter Greenhalgh

Film Editing by
Adam Recht

Production Design by
Jeff Tessler

Art Direction by
Paul Gilpin

Costume Design by
Sheena Napier

Makeup Department
Alice Hopkins	....	makeup artist
Bea Millas	....	hair stylist
Bea Millas	....	makeup artist
Luca Saccuman	....	hair stylist
Sue Wyburgh	....	makeup designer
Wakana Yoshihara	....	crowd hair stylist
Wakana Yoshihara	....	crowd makeup artist

Production Management
Emma Riley	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Adam Ackland	....	second assistant director
Philip Booth	....	third assistant director
Marco Ciglia	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Miranda Cull	....	graphic designer
Bruce Gordon	....	sculptor
Jim Grindley	....	property master
Andrew Lavin	....	stand-by art director
Naomi Moore	....	art department assistant/runner
Jay Pales	....	props stand-by
Spencer Robertson	....	art department assistant
Neil Smith	....	stand-by props
Nigel Woodford	....	stand-by chippie
Gus Wookey	....	construction manager

Sound Department
Peter Brill	....	sound mixer
Tony Cook	....	sound maintenance
Matthew Morreale	....	sound assistant
Pip Norton	....	dubbing mixer
Chris Nuttall	....	sound effects editor
Joseph Paines	....	sound assistant
Anna Sulley	....	dialogue editor

Special Effects by
Graham Longhurst	....	special effects

Visual Effects by
Jonathan Hills	....	visual effects supervisor

Camera and Electrical Department
Steve Annis	....	second focus puller
Catherine Ashmore	....	still photographer
Adam Coles	....	first assistant camera
Jeremy Gee	....	camera operator
Dean Murray	....	second assistant camera
Sam Smithard	....	assistant camera
Aaron Walters	....	best boy
Gavin Walters	....	gaffer

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Natalie Humphries	....	costume supervisor
Philip O'Connor	....	costumer

Editorial Department
Matthew Streatfield	....	first assistant editor
Farley Thomson	....	post-production coordinator

Music Department
Seanine Joyce	....	orchestrator
Steve Parr	....	music recording mixer

Transportation Department
David Grose	....	transportation captain

Other crew
Jane Burrows	....	script supervisor
Rachel Davies	....	tutor chaperone
Stuart Jones	....	key floor runner
Samantha Murray	....	choreographer
Caroline Russell	....	production accountant
Caroline Sanders	....	production accountant
Joanna Sanders	....	production accountant
Mark Walledge	....	assistant location manager
Chris White	....	location manager
Simon Blakey	....	unit runner (uncredited)

Production Companies

• British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
• Granada Television

Distributors

• Screenvision (2008) (USA) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2008) (Brazil) (DVD)
• British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) (2007) (UK) (TV) (BBC 1)
• Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) (2007) (Canada) (TV)
• Elephant Films (2009) (France) (DVD)
• Koch Vision (2008) (USA) (DVD)
• Screenvision (2008) (USA) (TV)

Other Companies

• Coach House Studios  location avid editing
• Production Copier Company  production equipment and services

MPAA:

Rated PG for smoking.

Runtime:

90 min | UK:180 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:PG | Australia:G | New Zealand:G | Argentina:Atp

Filming Locations:

Bloomsbury, London, England, UK

Company:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Trivia:

Emilia Fox plays the part of Sylvia Brown in this adaptation. Emilia's mother, Joanna David, played the part of Theo Danes in the 1975 BBC adaptation of the same story.

Quotes:

[Miss Jay meets Pauline and Winifred after their Alice auditions]
Miss Jay: Well done, you two. Right, Pauline is to play Alice
[pauses as girls gasp]
Miss Jay: and Winifred is to be engaged as understudy.
Pauline Fossil: [starts to say] What?
Winifred: [interrupts] When I finished my dance, people clapped! Nobody clapped her, there was just silence!
Miss Jay: Dance is important, but Pauline looks right for Alice.
Winifred: She looks right for everything, she always will!
[looks at Pauline and murmurs]
Winifred: Pretty face... blonde hair...
[...]

Movie Connections:

Remake of "Ballet Shoes" (1975)

Charming and well acted, if not strictly true to the book!

I will confess I haven't read the book for a while, but I do remember it was a wonderful read, with great characters and a sweet story. The TV adaptation was just as charming as the book. The only real thing that undermines it is the changes to the story, so some scenes didn't seem as developed as others, though I will say I am not the sort of person who criticises a film or TV drama on its unfaithfulness to the source material. The adaptation does look lovely, with some stunning costumes and some nice locations. The direction mayn't be the best ever in a TV drama, but I have seen worse in films alone. Remember the incompetent direction in that abomination Home Alone 4? Anyway, back to Ballet Shoes; I thought the acting was excellent. Emma Watson, Yasmin Page and Lucy Boynton are very charming as three ambitious young girls, and they are solidly supported by Emilia Fox(the actress Joanna David's daughter), Gemma Jones, Eileen Atkins and Harriet Walter, and even Richard Griffiths is subdued to a secondary role. The actors are aided by a well written script, and some bits are even touching; I did feel sorry for Petrova when her dancing mentor had a stroke during the ballet performance. I thought that Ballet Shoes was a charming adaptation of an excellent book, but I don't think it is the best TV drama ever made; one truly remarkable TV drama of recent times that does spring to mind is the recent Occupation. 9/10 Bethany Cox.