Billy Elliot

• Jamie Bell: Billy Elliot
• Julie Walters: Georgia Wilkinson
• Jamie Draven: Tony Elliot
• Gary Lewis: Jackie Elliot, Billy's father
• Jean Heywood: Billy's grandmother
• Stuart Wells: Michael
• Nicola Blackwell: Debbie Wilkinson
• Merryn Owen: Michael (25 - year)
• Adam Cooper: Billy Elliot (25 - year)

Billy Elliot - I Will Dance is the debut film by British director Stephen Daldry. The film is based on an original screenplay by Lee Hall.

Action

During the miners' strike in 1984/1985, the coal mines are threatened by closures in Durham in northern England. The worker's family Elliot is affected. Both the Widower Jackie Elliot and his son Tony are employed in the mines. To prevent closure of the coal mines, the miners strike. It always comes back to clashes between the strikers and the uncooperative colleagues.

While the father and the older son are on strike, the younger son Billy is sent to boxing lessons. Billy feels there, however, clearly uncomfortable. So he gets in the ballet class with Mrs. Wilkinson, who practices in the same hall with their group. Here he soon realizes that he is dancing a lot better. Mrs. Wilkinson also recognizes the talent that lies dormant in Billy and asks him more and more.

Billy's father finds out that Billy is absent from the boxing lessons for quite some time, and is behind his secret. He rages and forbids Billy to continue to participate in the dance classes. This leads to conflicts within the family and between the father and Mrs. Wilkinson, who believes in Billy still. Also, Billy's best friend Michael, who reveals himself gradually more and more as homosexual, yet stands by him.

Mrs. Wilkinson continues to fight for Billy and his talent. So she reports him to audition for one of the most prestigious ballet schools in the country, the Royal Ballet School in London, at. Unintentionally sees Billy's father dancing his son and understands how important it is to dance for them. He does everything from now on in order to allow Billy visiting the ballet school, and accompanied him to London to audition.

However, the audition ends in the eyes of Billy and his father in a disaster. They do not believe that Billy has a chance between all the talented dancers. Days later, Billy gets the long-awaited letter from London. Billy opens it after some hesitation. To his great surprise, it is the message that he received a scholarship in London. However, this also means that he must leave his family to go to London.

Years later take Billy's father and his brother Tony the first big performance from Billy to London to see him as a solo dancer in Matthew Bourne's version of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake, in which the men represent the swans dancing. In the audience next to Billy's family, Michael is present.

Background

The film was shot in England. The budget of the film is estimated at 5 million U.S. dollars. On 19 May 2000, the film celebrated its world premiere at the International Film Festival in Cannes. It was followed by other screenings at various film festivals. In the UK the film from 29 September 2000 to see in the USA, he ran on 13 October 2000. In the German and Swiss theaters the film from 30 November 2000 showed. On the opening weekend, the film played in the United States more than 215,000 U.S. dollars, a total he came there on revenue of nearly 22 million U.S. dollars. In England, more than 1.5 million pounds were taken on the opening weekend, the total revenue in England amounted to almost 17 million pounds sterling. Worldwide revenues of over 109 million U.S. dollars have been posted. At the German box office more than 1.3 million people were counted in Switzerland there were more than 450,000 spectators.

Originally the film was to be published under the title Dancer, due to the likelihood of confusion with the film Dancer in the Dark the film's title was changed.

Some of the film was inspired by the life of a professional ballet dancer Philip Mosley, who comes as the title character from the north of England from a family of miners. Lee Hall met him in the research to know his script.

The London Royal Ballet School was replaced in the film by Wardour Castle in Wiltshire.

Film Music

In the film, among other things, the following songs are heard:

• "Cosmic Dancer" - T. Rex
• " Get It On " - T. Rex
• " Town Called Malice " - The Jam
• " I Love to Boogie" - T. Rex
• " London Calling" - The Clash
• " Children of the Revolution " - T. Rex
• "Shout to the Top" - The Style Council
• "Walls Come Tumbling Down " - The Style Council
• " Ride a White Swan " - T. Rex
• " Burning Up " - Eagle Eye Cherry
• " I Belive " - Stephen Gately

Criticism

The editors of Cinema verdict: "The melodramatic feature film debut of Stephen Daldry skillfully embeds the bittersweet story in a tough but heartfelt realism. " Live your dream," says the film. " Ok, done," one recalls enthusiastically. "

After judgment of the lexicon of the International film, the film is a " complex set in scene drama that brings the whole range of emotional seduction used. From the unusual scenery and sophisticated characters of the film knows just how to take advantage of the upbeat music. "

BR -Online says: " But not a minute slips away " Billy Elliot " to a gray social study. Cinematographer Brian Tufano, who said that he is a master of visual realism even in films such as " Trainspotting " and " Quadrophenia " showed succeed so powerful, and poetic images. Who already on films such as " Brassed Off " and " The Full Monty " had his joy will rediscover all the qualities of the current British cinema in "Billy Elliot ." Humor, authenticity and much much feeling. "

Awards

Billy Elliot - I Will Dance was honored with fifty Film Awards and the same number of nominations. The actor in the title role, Jamie Bell, won the BAFTA Award for Best Actor and sat down with it in 2001 against four Oscar winners ( Russell Crowe, Michael Douglas, Tom Hanks and Geoffrey Rush ) by, who were also nominated in the same category. Were nominated for the Oscar director Stephen Daldry, the original screenplay by Lee Hall and Julie Walters, who acts as Billy's ballet teacher.

BAFTA Awards 2001

• British Film of the Year
• Best Actor: Jamie Bell
• Best Supporting Actress: Julie Walters
• Another 10 nominations

César 2001

Nomination in the category

• Best Foreign Language Film

Empire Awards 2001

• Best British Actress: Julie Walters
• Best Newcomer: Jamie Bell
• Best British Film

Golden Globe Award 2001

Nomination in the categories

• Best Picture ( Drama )
• Best Supporting Actress: Julie Walters

Academy Award 2001

Nomination in the categories:

• Best Supporting Actress: Julie Walters
• Best Director: Stephen Daldry
• Best Original Screenplay: Lee Hall

British Independent Film Awards 2000

• Best Picture
• Best Director: Stephen Daldry
• Best Newcomer (On Screen ): Jamie Bell
• Best Screenplay: Lee Hall

Nomination in the categories:

• Best Actress: Julie Walters

Musical

Director Stephen Daldry realized in 2004 with a budget of 5.5 million pounds sterling a musical version of the film. Since May 12, 2005, these runs with great success at London's Victoria Palace Theatre. For the music of the musical Daldry Elton John to win, who addressed Daldry in Cannes with the idea for the adaptation of the film as a musical. The book and wrote the lyrics Lee Hall. From October 2007 to December 2008, the musical was also in Sydney at the Capitol Theatre with great success and then moved on schedule to Melbourne, where it was also enthusiastically received. Since October 2008 it runs at the Imperial Theater on Broadway New York with equally great success, for which the film was adapted, with a budget of 18 million U.S. dollars. In June 2009, the musical won 10 Tony Awards.