''The Tango Lesson'' ( es, La lección de tango) is a 1997

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

written and directed by

Sally Potter Charlotte Sally Potter (born 19 September 1949) is an English film director and screenwriter. She is known for directing ''Orlando'' (1992), which won the audience prize for Best Film at the Venice Film Festival. Early life Potter was born an ...

. It is a semi-autobiographical film starring Potter and Pablo Verón, about Argentinian Tango. The film, a co-production of

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

, France, Germany,

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

and the United Kingdom, was produced by Christopher Sheppard in Britain and

Oscar Kramer Oscar Kramer (25 May 1935 – 7 April 2010) was an Argentine film producer. He was born in Buenos Aires. He worked in the cinema of Argentina when he was young. In the 1970s he lived in Antwerp, Belgium, where he worked in the diamond industry ...

in Argentina, and was shot mostly in

black and white Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white in a continuous spectrum, producing a range of shades of grey. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, and as technology improved, altered to color. ...

in Paris and

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

. The soundtrack includes original recordings of

Carlos Gardel Carlos Gardel (born Charles Romuald Gardès; 11 December 1890 – 24 June 1935) was a French-born Argentine singer, songwriter, composer and actor, and the most prominent figure in the history of tango. He was one of the most influential inte ...

's '' Mi Buenos Aires querido'' and

Ástor Piazzolla Astor Pantaleón Piazzolla (, ; March 11, 1921 – July 4, 1992) was an Argentine tango composer, bandoneon player, and arranger. His works revolutionized the traditional tango into a new style termed ''nuevo tango'', incorporating elements from ...

's ''

Libertango ''Libertango'' is a composition by tango composer and bandoneon player Astor Piazzolla, recorded and published in 1974 in Milan. The title is a portmanteau merging " Libertad" (Spanish for "liberty") and "tango", symbolizing Piazzolla's break fr ...

'', two of the most iconic tangos in the history of the genre. It also includes an original song written and sung by Potter.

Synopsis

Sally, a filmmaker and screenwriter suffering from writer's block, is dissatisfied with her film project, a murder mystery called '' Rage'', which features the fashion industry. Taking a break, she travels to Paris, where she sees the dancer Pablo (Pablo Verón) performing

tango Tango is a partner dance and social dance that originated in the 1880s along the Río de la Plata, the natural border between Argentina and Uruguay. The tango was born in the impoverished port areas of these countries as the result of a combina ...

. She becomes obsessed with the dance and offers Pablo a part in her film in exchange for dance lessons. The two become deeply involved as dancers and as lovers. Their emotional intimacy threatens the success of their dancing together. The film explores the conflict between the woman dancer accepting the man's lead in the dance, while the man must accept the woman's lead in the film. It is a love story and a showcase for Verón's dancing.

Cast

as Sally * Pablo Verón as Pablo *

Morgane Maugran Morgane may refer to: People * Morgane Dubled (born 1984), French supermodel * Morgane Tschiember (born 1976), artist * Morgane (born 1975), belgian singer Other uses * ''Greta morgane'' (thick-tipped greta), a butterfly in the family Nymphalida ...

as Red Model * Géraldine Maillet as Yellow Model *

Katerina Mechera Katerina (Greek: Κατερίνα, ''Katerína''; Russian, Bulgarian and Macedonian: Катерина, ''Katerina'') is a feminine given name. It is a Greek variant of '' Ekaterini'' and a Russian and Bulgarian short form of ''Ekaterina'' or ' ...

as Blue Model *

David Toole David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

as Fashion Designer *

George Yiasoumi George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd Presid ...

as Photographer *

Michele Parent Michele (), is an Italian male given name, akin to the English male name Michael. Michele (pronounced ), is also an English female given name that is derived from the French Michèle. It is a variant spelling of the more common (and identically ...

as Seamstress * Claudine Mavros as Seamstress * Monique Couturier as Seamstress * Matthew Hawkins as Bodyguard *

Simon Worgan Simon may refer to: People * Simon (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name Simon * Simon (surname), including a list of people with the surname Simon * Eugène Simon, French naturalist and the genus ...

as Bodyguard * Carolina Iotti as Pablo's partner * Zobeida as Pablo's Friend * Orazio Massaro as Pablo's Friend *

Gustavo Naveira Gustavo Naveira (born 12 August 1960) is an Argentine tango dancer and teacher who contributed to the detailed analysis of the movements of dancing to Argentine tango. Biography He was born in Comodoro Rivadavia, province of Chubut. His fami ...

as Gustavo * Fabián Salas as Fabian * Carlos Copello as Carlos * María Noel as Film Executive * Gregory Dayton as Film Executive

Distribution

The film was first presented at the

Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival he ...

in Italy on 29 August 1997. One week later it was screened 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 ...

in Canada on 8 September 1997. The picture screened at various film festivals, including: the

Mar del Plata Film Festival The Mar del Plata International Film Festival ( es, Festival Internacional de Cine de Mar del Plata) is an international film festival that takes place every November in the city of Mar del Plata, Argentina. It is the only competitive feature fest ...

, Argentina; the Reykjavik Film Festival,

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

; the Istanbul Film Festival,

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

; and others.

Film soundtrack

*''Milonga Triste'' composed by Sebastián Piana and

Homero Manzi Homero Nicolás Manzione Prestera, better known as Homero Manzi (November 1, 1907 – May 3, 1951) was an Argentine tango lyricist, author of various famous tangos. He was born on November 1 of 1907 in Añatuya (province of Santiago del Estero), ...

, performed by Hugo Díaz y su Conjunto, recorded in Buenos Aires in 1972. *''Now'' composed by Sally Potter & Fred Frith, sung by Sally Potter, recorded in Paris 1996. *''Quejas de bandoneón'' composed by

Juan de Dios Filiberto Juan de Dios Filiberto (8 March 1885 11 November 1964) was an Argentine violinist, conductor, poet and composer who became prominent in the Argentine tango genre. Life and work He was born Óscar Juan de Dios Filiberti in 1885 to Josefa Roballo ...

, performed by

Aníbal Troilo Aníbal Carmelo Troilo (11 July 1914 – 18 May 1975), also known as Pichuco, was an Argentine tango musician. Troilo was a bandoneon player, composer, arranger, and bandleader in Argentina. His orquesta típica was among the most popular with ...

y su

Orquesta típica Orquesta típica, or simply a típica, is a Latin American term for a band which plays popular music. The details vary from country to country. The term tends to be used for groups of medium size (about 8 to 12 musicians) in some well-defined in ...

, recorded in Buenos Aires in 1958. *''Red, yellow, blue'' composed by Sally Potter & Fred Frith, recorded in Paris in 1996. *'' Mi Buenos Aires querido'' composed by

and

Alfredo Le Pera Alfredo Le Pera (4 June 1900 – 24 June 1935) was an Argentine journalist, dramatist, and lyricist, best known for his brief but fruitful collaboration with the renowned tango singer Carlos Gardel. He died in a plane accident with Gardel whe ...

, sung by

, recorded in New York in 1934. *''El flete'' composed by Gerónimo Gradito and

Vicente Greco Vicente Greco (February 3, 1888 – October 5, 1924) was an Argentinian composer, conductor, and bandoneon player of tango music. He had a significant role in the spread of tango music from the suburbs into the cities, where it became very popular ...

, performed by Juan D'Arienzo y su Orquesta Típica, recorded in Buenos Aires in 1936. *''Rage'' composed by Sally Potter & Fred Frith, sung by Sally Potter, recorded in Paris in 1996. *''Zum'' composed by

Astor Piazzolla Astor Pantaleón Piazzolla (, ; March 11, 1921 – July 4, 1992) was an Argentine tango composer, bandoneon player, and arranger. His works revolutionized the traditional tango into a new style termed ''nuevo tango'', incorporating elements from ...

, performed by

Osvaldo Pugliese Osvaldo Pedro Pugliese (Buenos Aires, December 2, 1905 – July 25, 1995, Buenos Aires) was an Argentine tango musician. He developed dramatic arrangements that retained strong elements of the walking beat of salon tango but also heralded the de ...

y su Orquesta, recorded in Buenos Aires in 1973. *''Amor y celos'' composed by Miguel Padula & Alfredo F. Roldán, performed by Juan D'Arienzo y su Orquesta Típica, recorded in Buenos Aires in 1936. *''Doyna'' composed by Frank London, David Licht & David Krakauer, performed by The Klezmatics, recorded in New York in 1994. *''Danse de cuisine'' composed by Sally Potter & Fred Frith, sung by Sally Potter, recorded in Paris in 1996. *''Pensalo bien'' composed by Juan Jose Visiglio, Nola Lopez & Julio Alberto, sung by Alberto Echague with the Juan D'Arienzo y su Orquesta Típica, recorded in Buenos Aires in 1938. *''

La yumba La yumba (zhoóm-ba) is a tango created by Osvaldo Pugliese in 1946. The term ''yumba'' - despite its indigenous origin - was not chosen by Pugliese for its etymology but for its onomatopoeic similarity with the profound gasping from a bandoneón ...

'' composed by

, performed by Osvaldo Pugliese y su Orquesta, recorded in Buenos Aires in 1946. *''Jacob and the angel'' composed by Sally Potter & Fred Frith, sung by Sally Potter, recorded in Paris in 1996. *''Milonga de mis amores'' composed by Pedro B. Laurenz & José Maria Contursi, performed by Juan D'Arienzo y su Orquesta Típica, recorded in Buenos Aires in 1970. *''Gallo ciego'', composed by

Agustín Bardi Agustin Bardi (August 13, 1884 – April 21, 1941) was an Argentina, Argentine Argentine Tango, Tango pianist, violinist, and composer. Bardi was born in Las Flores, Buenos Aires, Las Flores district of Buenos Aires and was couched in music from a ...

, performed by Osvaldo Pugliese y su Orquesta, recorded in Buenos Aires in 1959. *''Libertango'' composed by Astor Piazzolla, performed by Astor Piazzolla & orchestra, recorded in Milan in 1974. *''Bahia Blanca'' composed by

Carlos di Sarli Carlos Di Sarli (January 7, 1903January 12, 1960) was an Argentine tango musician, orchestra leader, composer and pianist. Early years Carlos di Sarli was born at 511 Buenos Aires street (now Yrigoyen) in the city of Bahía Blanca, located in S ...

, performed by Carlos Di Sarli y su Orquesta Típica, recorded in Buenos Aires in 1958. *''I am you'', composed by Sebastian Piana & Homero Manzi with English lyrics by Sally Potter, sung by Sally Potter with

Yo-Yo Ma Yo-Yo Ma (''Chinese'': 馬友友 ''Ma Yo Yo''; born October 7, 1955) is an American cellist. Born in Paris to Chinese parents and educated in New York City, he was a child prodigy, performing from the age of four and a half. He graduated from ...

(cello), Nestor E. Marconi (bandoneon), Antonio Agri (violin), Leonardo D. Marconi (piano) &

Horacio Malvicino Horacio Malvicino (born 20 October 1929 in Concordia, Entre Ríos Province, Argentina) is a jazz and tango electric guitarist and composer who played for many years with the tango musician Ástor Piazzolla in several of his ensembles. Biography T ...

(guitar), recorded in Buenos Aires in 1997. *''Libertango'' (reprise) composed by Astor Piazzolla, performed by Yo-Yo Ma (cello), Antonio Agri (violin), Nestor E. Marconi (bandoneon), Horacio Malvicino (guitar).

Exhibition dates

: 20 November 1997 * France: 8 April 1998 * Germany: 9 October 1997 *

: 15 January 1998 * United Kingdom: 28 November 1997 * United States: 14 November 1997

Critical reception

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' film critic,

Janet Maslin Janet R. Maslin (born August 12, 1949) is an American journalist, best known as a film and literary critic for ''The New York Times''. She served as a ''Times'' film critic from 1977 to 1999 and as a book critic from 2000 to 2015. In 2000 Maslin ...

, thought the film was rather simple, and wrote,

"Stiffly playing a filmmaker with a growing passion for the tango, ally Pottermakes this a handsome, dryly meticulous film with no real fire anywhere beyond its supple dance scenes. The lessons are numbered and cataloged with an obsessive care like that of
Peter Greenaway Peter Greenaway, (born 5 April 1942) is a Welsh film director, screenwriter and artist. His films are noted for the distinct influence of Renaissance and Baroque painting, and Flemish painting in particular. Common traits in his films are the ...
, but this material has little of his corresponding complexity."

Chicago Sun-Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has the second largest circulation among Chicago newspapers, after the ''Chicago T ...

'' film critic Roger Ebert discussed in his review the film's major goal, writing, "Most dances are for people who are falling in love. The tango is a dance for those who have survived it, and are still a little angry about having their hearts so mishandled. ''The Tango Lesson'' is a movie for people who understand that difference." Edward Guthmann, ''

San Francisco Chronicle The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and M. H. de Young, Michael H. de ...

'' staff critic, lauded the film and the courage of director Potter, and wrote,

"British director Sally Potter stuck her neck out when she made ''The Tango Lesson,'' a fictionalized account of her relationship with Argentine tango master Pablo Veron...Potter takes what seemed like a recipe for embarrassment and excess and delivers a film that's sweet and understated and devoid of diva posturing...
he film is He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' in ...
smoothly directed, nicely written and falters only in the performance that Potter was able to squeeze out of herself while performing her multiple tasks."

Yet, Guthmann says Potter should have cast another actor in her role. He adds,

"It's too bad, then, that Potter couldn't have figured out a way to use another actress to play herself. She often looks worn out, which makes sense given her offscreen responsibilities but works against her tale of courtship, infatuation and the emotional sparks that fly between two gifted, bullheaded artists."

Awards

;Wins *

: Best Film, Sally Potter; 1997. *

National Board of Review The National Board of Review of Motion Pictures is a non-profit organization of New York City area film enthusiasts. Its awards, which are announced in early December, are considered an early harbinger of the film awards season that culminat ...

: Special Recognition, for excellence in filmmaking; 1997. *

American Choreography Awards The American Choreography Awards was a ceremony and show that honored outstanding choreographers in the fields of feature film, television, music videos, and commercials. They were first known as the L.A. Dance Awards (1994–95), then as Bob Fo ...

: American Choreography Award Outstanding Achievement in Feature Film, Pablo Verón; 1998. ;Nominations *

British Academy of Film and Television Arts British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

: BAFTA Film Award; Best Film not in the English Language; 1998.

References

External links

* Official Web-site *
''La lección de tango''
at the

cinenacional.com Cinenacional.com is a web portal and World Wide Web, web-based database about Cinema of Argentina, Argentine cinema. It is the most comprehensive site for information about the Argentine film industry, with a vast array of information on films, tel ...

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tango Lesson, The 1997 films Argentine black-and-white films British black-and-white films Dutch black-and-white films German black-and-white films French black-and-white films Films directed by Sally Potter French romantic drama films 1997 romantic drama films Tango films British romantic drama films Dutch romantic drama films German romantic drama films Argentine romantic drama films Films set in Buenos Aires Films shot in Buenos Aires 1990s Spanish-language films 1990s French-language films 1990s English-language films English-language Argentine films English-language Dutch films English-language French films English-language German films Sony Pictures Classics films 1990s British films 1990s French films 1990s German films