Billy Elliot (DVD)

The basic story behind the movie Billy Elliot is a very familiar one – a child from a poor family discovers a hidden talent, but the family doesn't approve of the talent and/or hasn't the funds to help (in this case, its both). Can the child triumph through adversity? Well, come on – if not, there's no reason to make a movie of it, is there? So yes, this type of story isn't a new one. The question then is – what, if anything makes the movie Billy Elliot special? If you ask me (and you wouldn't be reading this review if you weren't interested in my opinion), I would say that firstly, the addition of irony and juxtaposition played a major role in making the ...  Read the complete review

This was a movie I was never going to write a dooyoo review on. I eventually went to see it long after reading Jill Murphy's excellent review and with that still in my mind as I watched. While there was *that* review, I reasoned, there was no need of another. Isn't it interesting though how we all grab some aspect of a movie and realise when reading and re-reading what someone else has written, that what you grabbed is something different, something more personal to you perhaps? As for me, what I grabbed is different to Jill, even though she was the one who inspired me to see the movie in the first place! So here with no further preamble is my offering ...  Read the complete review

As you all doubtless know by now, Billy Elliott is the story of an eleven year old boy growing up in a tough environment in County Durham in 1984, amidst the chaos and depression of the miners' strike. Billy discovers he likes to dance by wandering into a ballet class (taught by Julie Walters, yet another under-statedly brilliant performance from a great actress) which is unaccountably sharing the same space as his boxing class that day. From then on the storyline is somewhat predictable. As Billy discovers that his talents lean towards dancing, rather than boxing, for which he has no gift whatsoever, he has to fight to be allowed to continue to ...  Read the complete review

2000 has been a pretty poor year for films but 'Billy Elliot' ranks as one of the few highlights. That said, it is not without its' defects. The plot is fairly straightforward - young boy wishes to learn ballet, his father (mother is deceased) won't let him so he practices in secret until the necessity of furthering his natural talent forces him to encourage his father to support him. This is further complicated by the miner's strike of the late '70s / early '80s in which the film is set. Young Billy's father and elder brother are too preoccupied with defending their living to support or even acknowledge him. The scene is set. Often, however, you get the ...  Read the complete review

When Billy Elliot first came out in the cinema, I knew it was just the sort of film I would enjoy – British, with a ‘real’ and working class feel to it, plus the ballet. I did ballet myself for many years, but gymnastics was my love. While Billy pirouettes along the streets of County Durham, I used to cartwheel. So the film was on at the cinema and somehow I didn’t go. Being a mum, I find we only tend to make the effort when it’s something they want to see, but Billy Elliot is a ‘15’ certificate and all my kids are too young. I read several reviews of the film on Ciao and Dooyoo (naturellement!), ...  Read the complete review