It has been a little while, mainly because I haven't really been watching that many movies (it's been mainly bad TV shows comfort watching!) and although I have read a couple of books that I might eventually review here I just watched a film that takes precedence over all. I want to say that the title of this post is a quote but not from the movie. It is from one of the books in a trilogy by Guy Gaverial Kay, a trilogy that I will review eventually, but it so perfectly describes the movie I want to talk about that I had to use it. So on to the review!
I truly enjoy the fact that I get to see the new movies the weekend before they come out for general release. I get to do this because I work at a video store, as I have said before, and being able to do so is usually a pretty great thing. But the movies that came out last week were nothing but c level movies and so I watched nothing. This weekend I was again prepared to watch nothing but I reconsidered when I found out about one film in particular. It was called "Mao's Last Dancer." A film based on the true story of a Chinese boy who was recruited as a ballet dancer. Taken from home as a young boy and brought to Beijing to live and study at a school for ballet with other boys and girls away from his family. His name was Li Cunxin. He was at first a reluctent student once telling one of his teachers that he didn't like ballet, that he didn't understand it. Until one day he sees a video of Mikhail Baryshnikov dancing and suddenly he understands. He begins training harder, gaining muscle and percision, wanting to fly.
He is not only learning to be a great ballet dancer he is also learning the Communist ways that goverened China at the time. Learning that through communisim China would become one of the greatest nations in the world, that they will have no poverty, no hunger, no greed, no classes. All will be equal and perfect. They learn that places such as America will corrupt them and turn them into mindless consumers. And so when the Houston ballet company asks the Chinese government to lend them a dancer they do so with hopes that whatever young dancer they choose will not only be able to stand against the evils of America but also do what they can to promote China and it's agendas. Li Cunxin is chosen. Soon he becomes the talk of the company even as just a student.
He meets a young beautiful dancer who is still trying to get accepted into the company named Liz. They form a tentative friendship that eventually blossoms into more. One night Li gets the chance of a lifetime when one of the principle dancers is injured right before a big performance. Li gets to step in and show what he is really made of. The crowd goes wild for him and he begins performing more and more as a principle dancer. Then when it is time to leave he finds he wants nothing more then to stay in America and dance there. The Chinese government refuses his request and so Li begins taking drastic measures. Measures that eventually leave him barred from ever going home.
This movie was incredible. Not only from the stand point of it being an great dance movie but as a whole the film was amazing. The strength that Li had in fighting for what he wanted and his true love of the dance was breathtaking. When they say that the movie is based on an incredible true story they are not exaggerating in any way. It really is an incredible story. And the movie itself was wonderful as well. Written by Jan Sardi and directed by Bruce Beresford the film captured all the elements of beauty, struggle, loss and joy that Li went through. Add in the insanely talented dancing that occured and you have a truly great film. I give this a ten out of ten and I highly reccomend it! I do warn that there are some subtitles but the movie is mainly in english. I say to thee go forth and watch you will not be disappointed!
It's so great that you reviewed this! We just recently rented "Black Swan" and this was on the previews, and was the only movie we were interested in from the previews. I am fairly certain that I actually read about the real event (which wasn't nearly as epic in the news as this movie looks, but that's why movies are awesome =D), but it seemed like an interesting concept. Now, I'll be adding it to my Netflix queue definitely!
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