''Mao's Last Dancer'' is a 2009 Australian film based on professional dancer
Li Cunxin's 2003
memoir of the same name. Li Cunxin is portrayed by
Birmingham Royal Ballet
Birmingham Royal Ballet (BRB) is one of the five major ballet companies of the United Kingdom, alongside The Royal Ballet, the English National Ballet, Northern Ballet and Scottish Ballet. Founded as the Sadler's Wells Theatre Ballet, the company ...
Principal Dancer
Chi Cao
Chi Cao (; b. March 22, 1978) is a British ballet dancer born in China.
Early life
Cao was born in Shanghai, the son of a dance teacher and a musician. When he was four years old, the family moved to Beijing. He received training in classical da ...
(),
Australian Ballet
The Australian Ballet is the largest classical ballet company in Australia. It was founded by J. C. Williamson's, J. C. Williamson Theatres Ltd and the Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust in 1962, with the English-born dancer, teache ...
dancer
Chengwu Guo
Guo Chengwu (), also known as Chengwu Guo, is a Chinese ballet dancer, and a principal artist with The Australian Ballet.
Dance career
Guo was born in China. At the age of 11 he joined the Beijing Dance Academy. After he won a scholarship in th ...
() and Huang Wen Bin. The film also stars
Bruce Greenwood,
Kyle MacLachlan
Kyle Merritt MacLachlan (; ' McLachlan, February 22, 1959) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Dale Cooper in ''Twin Peaks'' (1990–1991; 2017) and its film prequel '' Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me'' (1992), as well as roles ...
,
Joan Chen and
Amanda Schull
Amanda Schull is an American actress and former professional ballet dancer. She is known for her lead role in the 2000 film '' Center Stage'', and for her recurring roles on the American television series ''One Tree Hill'' and ''Pretty Little Li ...
.
The film premiered on 13 September 2009, at the
Toronto International Film Festival
The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the largest publicly attended film festivals in the world, attracting over 480,000 people annually. Since its founding in 1976, TIFF has grown to become a permane ...
. General release in Australia and New Zealand began on 1 October 2009. It began screening in the United States on 33 screens in August 2010.
Plot
In the era of
Mao's Cultural Revolution (in the 60s/70s), 11-year-old Chinese boy Li Cunxin resides in a rural village commune in Shandong Province, destined to labour in the fields. As often occurred in those times, government officials fanning out across the nation seeking young candidates for centralized training arrive at this school. At first bypassed but selected after a plea by his teacher during the school visit, Li seems bewildered although piqued by the gruff preliminary inspection screening at the provincial capital city of Qingdao. Forwarded to a Beijing audition for a place in Madame Mao's Dance Academy, he is admitted for ballet training based on a series of physique and flexibility examinations.
Years of arduous training follow, Li surpassing his initial lukewarm interest and mediocre performance after inspiration from senior teacher Chan (whose advocacy of classical Russian ballet as opposed to the politically aimed, physically strident form required by Madame Mao leads to the teacher's apparent banishment). Later during the course of a groundbreaking cultural visit to China, American-based English ballet director
Ben Stevenson, impressed by Li's standout talent, seeks him as an exchange student at
the Houston Ballet. Li's determined courage garners a formerly disparaging teacher to influence the Academy to allow him the opportunity for a three-month stay in the United States.
Li's encounters with US life cause questioning of the Chinese Communist Party dictates upon which he has been raised, and he begins a relationship with an aspiring American dancer, Elizabeth Mackey. Quickly attracting the attention of the local ballet scene, Li together with Stevenson requests a time extension in America, but the Chinese government refuses. Overwhelmed by the opportunities offered in America and in love with Mackey, Li is determined to stay. With legal advice that the Chinese government would recognize certain residence rights arising from an international marriage, Li and Mackey rush into a marriage. To declare personal responsibility for his decision and hopefully avoid consequences for his family and Stevenson, Li visits the Chinese Consulate in Houston. The Chinese resident diplomat forcibly detains Li in an attempt to coerce his return to China. Unknown to Li, the situation quickly evolves when the media and high level government agents both in the US and China become involved. When Li perseveres in his refusal to repatriate, the Chinese Government agrees to release him but revokes his citizenship and declares he can never return to the land of his birth.
Li and Elizabeth are set to depart for Florida but Li is persuaded to stay by Stevenson for his ballet company, dooming Elizabeth's prospects of dancing success. Burdened by this, plus concerned for and unable to communicate with his family, Cunxin continues to excel as a dancer, but his relationship with Elizabeth disintegrates and their marriage ends. Five years later, as a show of goodwill the Chinese government allows Li's parents to visit him in the US where they finally witness his performance of ''
The Rite of Spring
''The Rite of Spring''. Full name: ''The Rite of Spring: Pictures from Pagan Russia in Two Parts'' (french: Le Sacre du printemps: tableaux de la Russie païenne en deux parties) (french: Le Sacre du printemps, link=no) is a ballet and orchestral ...
'' and even reunite with him on stage. Li is eventually granted permission to visit China. Together with his new wife Mary McKendry (Camilla Vergotis), an Australian ballerina, and coming back to the village of his youth, he rejoins his family and his former teacher Chan, who expresses regret that he never got to see Li perform. Li and McKendry give an impromptu outdoor ballet performance to the village's uproarious cheer.
Closing credits announce that:
Li Cunxin danced in China with the Houston Ballet in 1995, a performance broadcast to an audience of over 500 million people. He and Mary McKendry now live in Australia with their three children.
Ben Stevenson left the Houston Ballet after 27 years as Artistic Director. Acclaimed as one of the world's leading choreographers, he is now Artistic Director of the Texas Ballet Theater.
Charles C. Foster still practices law in Houston. He is recognized internationally as an authority on Immigration Law.
Elizabeth Mackey (Liz) danced with the Oklahoma Ballet for some years. She is now a speech therapist, working mainly with children.
Cast
*
Chi Cao
Chi Cao (; b. March 22, 1978) is a British ballet dancer born in China.
Early life
Cao was born in Shanghai, the son of a dance teacher and a musician. When he was four years old, the family moved to Beijing. He received training in classical da ...
as
Li Cunxin
**
Chengwu Guo
Guo Chengwu (), also known as Chengwu Guo, is a Chinese ballet dancer, and a principal artist with The Australian Ballet.
Dance career
Guo was born in China. At the age of 11 he joined the Beijing Dance Academy. After he won a scholarship in th ...
as teenage Li Cunxin
**Huang Wen Bin as child Li Cunxin
*
Joan Chen as Li Cunxin's mother
*Wang Shuang Bao as Li Cunxin's father
*
Bruce Greenwood as
Ben Stevenson
*
Kyle MacLachlan
Kyle Merritt MacLachlan (; ' McLachlan, February 22, 1959) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Dale Cooper in ''Twin Peaks'' (1990–1991; 2017) and its film prequel '' Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me'' (1992), as well as roles ...
as
Charles Foster
*
Penne Hackforth-Jones as Cynthia Dodds
*
Amanda Schull
Amanda Schull is an American actress and former professional ballet dancer. She is known for her lead role in the 2000 film '' Center Stage'', and for her recurring roles on the American television series ''One Tree Hill'' and ''Pretty Little Li ...
as Elizabeth "Liz" Mackey
*
Jack Thompson Jack Thompson may refer to:
Sports
*Jack Thompson (footballer, born 1892) (1892–1969), English footballer who played for Sheffield United and Bristol City
*Jack Thompson (1920s footballer), English footballer who played for Aston Villa and Bright ...
as Judge Woodrow Seals
*Camilla Vergotis as Mary McKendry
*
Aden Young
Aden Young (born 30 November 1971) is a Canadian-Australian actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Daniel Holden in the SundanceTV drama ''Rectify'', for which he was twice nominated for the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actor ...
as Dilworth
Music
The soundtrack score was composed by Australian composer
Christopher Gordon. The score utilises a standard Western orchestra, with the addition of a number of Chinese instruments. The score won the
Best Original Music Score prize at the 2009 AFI Awards (now
AACTA
The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) is a professional organisation of film and television practitioners in Australia. The Academy's aim is "to identify, award, promote, and celebrate Australia's greatest achievements i ...
) as well as Best Feature Score and Best Soundtrack Album at the
Screen Music Awards Australia,
Federation Square in
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
. An ensemble led by composer and pianist
Paul Grabowsky performed excerpts from the nominated scores including Pas de Deux and Madame's Model Ballet from Mao's Last Dancer. The night closed with a performance of Out of the Well and Free Dance conducted by the composer.
Reception
The film received mixed reviews, with a score of 55% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 72 reviews. with an average rating of 6.1/10.
The film was the 15th highest-grossing film in Australia in 2009 and was the 12th highest grossing Australian film of all time as of 2010.
Accolades
Box office
''Mao's Last Dancer'' grossed $15,440,315 at the box office in Australia.
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Mao's Last Dancer
2009 films
2000s biographical films
2000s dance films
Australian biographical films
Films about ballet
Films about communism
Films based on works by Australian writers
APRA Award winners
Films directed by Bruce Beresford
Films set in Shandong
Films set in Houston
Films shot in Houston
Films produced by Jane Scott
Biographical films about dancers
2000s English-language films
Roadshow Entertainment films