Beautifully Done, Don't Miss This One

Rating: 9/10 (1 May 2020)

A young boy in a remote coal-mining town discovers his love for ballet, much to the dismay of his hardened father and brother who are striking members of a labor union. This is not a musical per se; it's a movie about a dancer who succeeds against all odds. Billy Elliot-played brilliantly by Jamie Bell-is supposed to learn to box but secretly chooses ballet with the girls. The film is unsentimental and inspiring especially when Billy finally dances in front of his father and the old man loosens up. Billy describes how dancing feels to him: "I feel a change in my whole body. And I've got this fire in my body. I'm just there. Flying like a bird. Like electricity." The music score is brilliantly chosen and ranges from T. Rex to Tchaikovsky. This is the original (released under the title Dancer) that inspired a musical version of the film in England in 2005 that led to the Broadway production, which cost $18 million to produce, over three times as much as the original film's budget. All three were financial and popular successes.