|
|
Rating:  - TOADS AND FROGS
how many times I have used that line when things have popped out of my mouth without thinking them through. This is a GREAT movie. The dancing will "wow" you and the acting by MacLaine and Bancroft is wonderful. This should be released in DVD with lots and lots of extra dance footage. My husband even stayed awake throught it. PLEASE release it!
Rating:  - Please, please, please issue in DVD!!!
I will purchase this film in a heartbeat as soon as it is available in DVD. The story is moving, but the dance sequences that are captured here - especially of Baryshikov in his prime - make it a ballet lover's dream.
Rating:  - Please issue a DVD with extra dancing footage
I am giving this movie 4 stars because, frankly, the acting is so variable. Neither Barishnikov nor Browne are up to acting like real people in this movie, especially when aligned with actors of the caliber of Bancroft, Maclaine and Skerritt. By way of interesting comparison, however, Gayle Young and Dennis Nahat (also dancers in real life) do manage quite well in supporting roles. The plot is sound without being particularly subtle or illuminating. But the dancing is splendid. If they are thinking of re-releasing this on DVD, hopefully the archives of extra performance time will show up on the disc. It is so frustrating to have mere glimpses of Etudes, Giselle and various pas de deux if the entire (or at least larger) segments were filmed. The Kingdom of the Shades entrance that is shown under the main titles is alone worth the price of a DVD. Encore, encore! And soon!
Rating: - One of the Greatest - In my Top Ten!
The Turning Point has been one of my all time favorite Top Ten movies since its debut in 1977. It stands up to repeated viewings, and the meanings have evolved as I've aged and (ahem) matured from puberty through parenthood.
The cast is unbeatable, with performances by MacLaine and Bancroft at their very best. No one mentions Tom Skeritt in this film, but he serves up a great supporting actor performance.
Not only is the dancing and acting exceptional, but the scores are taken from some of the world's best ballets and "pas de deux". The Turning Point is an enchanting movie, and the overall experience of watching it is a physical and emotional inspiration. For the guys - Barishnikov accomplishes superhuman stunts and gets laid a lot.
It's a great walk down memory lane circa 1974 and a great "date" movie to boot.
Rating: - A Dancer's Life - and Baryshnikov in his prime!
I join the many devoted dance fans who demand that the studio release the DVD version of "The Turning Point"! This film, besides being a wonderfully poignant story of a young dancer's life (played by Leslie Browne), captures on film many talented dancers from ABT and other companies, most notably Mikhail Baryshnikov --- in his prime! Misha is featured with Leslie Browne in both the Romeo & Juliet and the Don Quijote pas de deux, and Misha also peforms the exhuberant Corsaire solo. Shirley Maclaine and Anne Bancroft are excellent as the lead characters who have to deal with giving up dance once they are past their prime. There are a lot of insightful, behind-the-scenes looks at life in a ballet company, showing both the ups and the downs of life in the spotlight. This is a film worth having on DVD, both for the historic footage of some fabulous dancers, and as a very entertaining and touching story! Dance lovers will treasure this forever!
|
|