Moviola > Films > Mao's Last Dancer

Mao's Last Dancer  (PG tbc)   117 mins  Where can I see this film?

Director:  Bruce Beresford        Screenplay:  Jan Sardi        from Cunxin Li's autobiography        Cinematography:  Peter James        Original music:  Christopher Gordon        "Before you can fly you have to be free"

Born into a peasant family in a remote Chinese village during Mao’s Cultural Revolution, Li Cunxin (as child Huang Wen Bin, as teenager Chengwu Guo, as adult Chi Chao) is selected by Communist Party officials for special training at Madame Mao's dance academy in Beijing. He grows into a talented and powerful young dancer, making a cultural exchange visit to the Houston ballet, where the artistic director Ben Stevenson (Bruce Greenwood) recognizes his potential. The student soon becomes a star, and he discovers that America is not the place that years of Maoist propaganda would have him believe. In the teeth of opposition from the Chinese government and despite fears for the safety of his family back home, Cunxin decides his future lies in the United States.

San Francisco Chronicle

"Beresford excels at bringing all the elements together in this splendid and ambitious film that presses all our emotional buttons. Christopher Gordon's rousing score, Peter James' wonderful cinematography and Harold Pinter's immaculate production design all add greatly as we become immersed in Li's inspiring story."  Urban Cinefile

For more information, and to see a trailer and stills, visit the official website at www.maoslastdancer-movie.com

Watch an interview with Mao's Last Dancer star, Chi Chao - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JydmM7qyPg4&feature=related

Showing:

06-Jan      Somerton

18-Jan      Calne

22-Jan      Lockeridge

27-Jan      Bishopstone

05-Apr     Titchfield

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