The Turning Point (1977)

Great Tender Movie

I hadn't seen this movie in over 10 years, but even though there were some slow scenes, I'll still watch this movie again and again. The dancing was wonderful, and Leslie Brown's dancing sparkled. Youthful, Mikhail Baryshnikov was fantastic, as usual. I also loved the rest of the cast. I'm very happy with my purchase. May 15, 2008

Catfights On Tiptoe

This is another one of those movies you will not forget, and probably hold dearly because it attaches itself to our own subconscious levels of doubts, fears, regrets, and high ambitions. What better way to display and exploit those human frailties than by a modern tale of two close friends bond together for life in the face of roads torn apart. The plot need not be discussed here because it is the stars Shirley Maclaine and Anne Bancroft that illuminate this vehicle. The supporting cast shine around them both, and the setting of the ballet ciruit is the lively backdrop for these two actress pros to wallow. Just sit back, and expect to giggle at what could be the best lesson in bitter rivalry among the best of friends. Top notch! April 27, 2008

Ballet and more

Wonderful movie shows consequences of choices and why we should not second guess them afterward. Shirley Mc Laine and Anne Bancroft portrayed their characters very well. And as always Mikael Barishnokov was fantastic. love to watch him move, what a wonderful dancer. April 18, 2008

Brings Back Memories

What a joy to view this movie again! I remember how much I loved this film from 30 years ago, and it is wonderful to see that it still holds its own as a compelling story. Filled with the fantastic dancing of Mikhail Baryshnikov, Lesley Browne and the artists of American Ballet Theatre, as well as stellar performances by MacLaine and Bancroft, this film is truly a classic and one that I cherish as part of my movie collection. March 10, 2008

More soap opera than a film about ballet

I remember the "ballet boom" of the 70s, and since I was lucky enough to live in NYC, I often saw ABT and NYCB performances. I saw Leslie Browne and Mikhail Baryshnikov perform fairly often (as well as Gelsey Kirkland, who, the story goes, was first choice for the role Leslie Browne eventually got), and I even got to see a class taught by Alexandra Danilova at the School of American Ballet; that was a thrill for me. Those were exciting times for dance, and for balletomanes like me.

That being said, The Turning Point is only coindentally a film about dance. It's more a "woman's film" about how in later life we realize what we gave up when we made important choices, and sometimes we have regrets. This should not be news to anyone. The good news is that we see Bancroft and MacLaine, who would be worth watching no matter what. The limber Leslie Browne, then a soloist at ABT who was also the goddaughter of either Herbert Ross or his wife (forgive me, it was a long time ago) is eminently watchable in the dance scenes, but she is not a good actress. (Years later I saw her in the film "Dancers" and she was very, very good in a nondance role.)

The big gala at the end is a montage of clips showing dancers in different pas de deux - various gala warhorses. It looks almost like stock footage. But the scene in which Emily performs to "Ellingtonia" (it's actually a piece lifted whole from Alvin Ailey's wonderful ballet "The River", which was part of ABT's repertory in those years) is worth seeing; both she and the choreography are smashing. And of course there is the almost-obligatory coda from the Don Q wedding pas de deux, which is spoiled in part by the camera's close-ups of Browne's feet while she's doing turns. Yes, we know ballerinas have feet, and ballet fans know what pointework looks like; but when a dance performance is filmed, the dancer's entire body should be in the frame.

The gala stuff is worth seeing if you never knew who these dancers were, or you did and you miss them. One of my favorite dances there is the one with Peter Martins (I think) and Suzanne Farrell; those two were awesome together.

And there's the sequence between Browne and Baryshnikov set to Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet, set in a vast imaginary loft. I want to groan "Oh, brother", but the truth is, that scene gets me every time. Browne never looked better than she does in that performance.

Danilova herself appears in the film, and I just love her. February 16, 2008

More reviews at Amazon.com ...