Mao's Last Dancer
China-born ballet star Li Cunxin gets lush biopic treatment in the inspirational story of his extraordinary journey from poverty to international stardom. Chronicling the artist from his grueling apprenticeship as a classical dancer in communist China to the glory of creative freedom in America, Academy Award®-nominated director Bruce Beresford captures the intoxicating effects of first love and celebrity, the pain of exile, and ultimately, the triumph of individual endeavor over ideology. As an 11-year-old in 1972, Li was plucked from his backwater Shandong classroom by talent scouts and offered a place at Madame Mao’s legendary Beijing Dance Academy. After becoming the Academy’s top dancer, he earns a place as a cultural exchange student at the Houston Ballet. There, a brief bout of culture shock gives way to an abiding love for his host country’s freedoms, as well as an attraction to a local ballerina. When Li refuses to return home at the end of his exchange, the resulting dramatic standoff makes headlines around the world. Mao’s Last Dancer features some of the most viscerally potent dance ever captured in a fiction film, the adult Li (Chi Cao) a principal dancer with the Birmingham Royal Ballet, brilliantly leaps, soars, and spins.
Everett Opening Night
Thursday May 27, 7pm, Everett Performing Arts Center
It's wonderful to be able to expand our community, and we thank the City of Everett for its support in hosting us this year -- a historic first! We have an outstanding selection of films for this year's Festival, and we're thrilled to screen 25 of them at the Everett Performing Arts Center May 27-June 3. Join us for the Everett Opening Night celebration on Thursday, May 27 for the film Mao's Last Dancer. Tickets for Everett Opening Night include the post-film party which will be a rousing celebration of community with catering from some of Everett's finest restaurants, specialty drinks, and more. Tickets are just $25 (SIFF Members $23).
Screens in The Best of SIFF 2010 series at SIFF Cinema June 18-20
Sponsors:
City of Everett, Everett Performing Arts Center, Holiday Inn Downtown Everett, Inn at Port Gardner, Lombardi’s Neighborhood Italian Restaurant, Pave Specialty Bakery, Qantas Airlines, Terracotta Red Asian Bistro, The Majestic Cafe, The Savory Table
Cast & Crew
Director: Bruce Beresford
Producer: Jane Scott
Editor: Mark Warner
Screenwriter: Jan Sardi
Cinematographer: Peter James
Music: Christopher Gordon
Principal Cast: Bruce Greenwood, Kyle MacLachlan, Joan Chen, Chi Cao, Amanda Schull
Filmography: The Contract (2006); Evelyn (2002); Double Jeopardy (1999); Paradise Road (1997); Last Dance (1996); Black Robe (1991); Driving Miss Daisy (1989); Her Alibi (1989); Crimes of the Heart (1986)
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User reviews
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Charming, May 29, 2010
By cdundon
“This is a sweet film that I think would appeal to those who like ballet and "based on a true story" films. Joan Chen does not get enough screen time. A nice movie to take your grandmother or mother to - with a few funny moments, flashbacks of life in China, a very small, good performance by Kyle”
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Breathtaking!, May 30, 2010
By wspoons5
“I am not even a ballet person and the dance sequences made me gasp... Beautiful cinematography; vintage 1980's story with an authentic look and feel; and an astonishing performance by the lead actor/dancer. Great movie!”
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feel good movie, Jun 06, 2010
By jayspot
“Nothing too deep or analytical, just a well written, acted and beautifully filmed. Great performances all around, will do well when released to the public. Glad to catch this gem!”
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Extraordinary man in extraordinary circumstances, Jun 08, 2010
By bethalder
“Some say the best stories are about ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances, but you can't prove that by this story of a gifted and highly trained dancer who gets caught in the gears of cold war politics. The story affords a bird's eye view of the zeitgeist of the time, capturing the”
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