revisiting a childhood favorite and very disappointed

This movie is worth it for the costumes alone, It makes me want a time machine so I can go shopping.

Filthy sounds stumbling, ugly and cruel
Between the lips of your beautiful mouth

I recently recorded this on DVR, because I also used to love this movie as a child. Many years after, watching this movie again was such a huge disappointment. The story does not hold together at all. This film has the pretension to give the characters personality, but the end effect is the total opposite. I find them all too one dimensional. For what it’s worth, this movie allowed me to revive some childhood memories.

I loved it when I was little, too, and I still love it -- but for entirely different reasons.

For example, the fateful Swan Lake, danced on mirrors. The women are lucky they didn't kill themselves slipping around on the glass. Watch the feet of the dancers when they do an arabesque; they constantly shift because the women are not strong enough dancers to maintain position. The choreography -- wow. Where to start? When I was little a dance class was divided between ballet, tap and gymnastics. I can only think that was also the experience of the choreographer, because mixed in with ballet steps the actress/dancer does yoga poses, tumbling...you name it.

How I envied those little girls in the movie; no ugly, sweaty leotards for them. Cute little dance dresses, flowers in their hair, toe shoes... In those years all (or almost all) little girls were put en pointe very early because some parents were hoping their kids would be 'discovered' for the movies, and because the little girls and their parents demanded it. That was what they knew about ballet and anything less wasn't going to excite them; the teachers needed students so the bills would get paid. I was little when I started dancing in the late 50s, and this practice was being phased out. My friends and I begged to be allowed to wear toe shoes, but our teacher held firm. A lot of girls dropped out because that's all they wanted - to twirl around in satin slippers and tutus - but my teacher never had misshapen feet and shin splints (or worse) on her conscience. It was a huge disappointment to me at the time, but when I finally was old enough (and strong enough) to get those precious satin slippers...what a major disappointment. Until you have actually danced in them, you cannot imagine the pain. I eventually grew proficient enough to toe-tap (sadly, a goofy talent you hardly see anymore), but I always told my friends that it wasn't my dancing that was my true talent; it was the fact that I was able to refrain from grimacing and cursing while strapped into what I called Satan slippers.

Also, how about the cottage of the injured ballerina? I can only assume she came from a wealthy, indulgent family because unless she was a Prima Ballerina Absoluta - who most likely wouldn't be spending a season dancing in that school's company - she couldn't even afford that couch.

Margaret O'Brien is a treat, both as an actress and as a young dancer. The costumes are gorgeous (although few ballerinas get to wear Cadillac-red lipstick when dancing Swan Lake)...why quibble? It is what it is, and plays more like a parody now. Little girls will always love to watch dancers twirling in sequin-laden tutus, and more knowledgeable dancers and dance fans can howl with every tendu and pirouette.

As for the moral...what the hell are you supposed to learn from this? That it's wrong to open a stage trap door near an unaware woman dancing on mirrors? Well...lesson learned.