Billy Elliot
Summary
A small movie that had a freehanded issue on hearing , the behind - the - scene particular ofBilly Elliotmake the film ’s success all the more exciting , and it ’s so heartwarming that many question ifBilly Elliotis a true story . The bang - hit 2000 British picture is arrange in the 1980s during the miners ’ smash and followsthe nominal youthful male child as he find a young love for ballet , going against his kinfolk ’s workings - class custom . It is a movie that has charm the hearts of audiences while also having bigger influence off - screen in the eld following its release .
Though it had a minuscule budget of $ 5 million , Billy Elliotearned over $ 100 million worldwide ( viaBox Office Mojo ) . It was alsoa massive critical winner , earning three Academy Award nominations . While its success was unexpected , that is not to say there was n’t a lot that went into creating this humble gang - pleasing film . From the origins of the account to the grueling work of the actors to the material - sprightliness connections , Billy Elliot ’s behind - the - scenes journey is an inspiring one as well .
Movies about ballet & ballerinas can be difficult to make ; not many actors are ballerinas , and not all ballerinas actors . These are the dear , though .
Billy Elliot Began As A Play
Screenwriter Lee Hall Drew On His Own Story
The story ofBilly Elliotexisted before it reached the big screen and became an outside hit . The movie is based on the playDancerby Lee Hall , who would then go on to accommodate it into a film himself . Hall admit that he had no experience or endowment for saltation , but draw from his own experiences as an aspiring writer who lived in a similarly work - course of instruction area of England where such artistic interests had lilliputian encouragement .
In an consultation withTheater lecture , Hall revealed that the story originated as an effigy that popped into his head of a youthful boy wear a danseuse ’s tutu in a mine . After writing the play , Hall presented it to Stephen Daldry , who was a directorat the Royal Court Theatre and they developed it as a movie .
Interestingly , the story ofBilly Elliothas follow full circle as it finally was made into a stage musical with music from Elton John . Billy Elliot the Musicalpremiered in March 2005 in London ’s West End , at the Victoria Palace Theatre .
Billy Elliot’s Story Is Inspired By Sir Thomas Allen
Allen Helped Define The Character Regardless Of Their Different Dreams
The character of Billy Elliot and his chronicle is altogether fictional , butthe movie does take out on some real - life event that might make some viewers suspect that it is based on a unfeigned story . Like the 2014 moviePride , Billy Elliotdeals with the real miner ’s strike in the UK in the 1980s which affected many small biotic community across Northern England and Wales .
While Billy himself is a fictional persona , writer Lee Hall did take out inspiration from one actual - life figure . Billy was part inspired by Sir Thomas Allen . Interestingly enough , differing from Billy ’s narrative , Allen was not ask in ballet at all . Instead , he is a renowned opera singer who came from a similar backcloth to Billy .
Coming from a small excavation township as well , it was Allen ’s struggles to realize his artistic ambition in a community that did not needs encourage such thing . Allen go on to attend the Royal College of Music in London and experience gamy acclaim as an opera singer , leading to his knighthood in 1999 ( viaiNews ) .
The coming-of-age drama Billy Elliot follows the journey of a young boy who discovers a passion for ballet amidst the coal miner’s strike of the 1980s. Directed by Stephen Daldry and featuring Jamie Bell as the titular Billy, the film explores themes of class, gender, and self-discovery, all set against the backdrop of a working-class community in turmoil.
Jamie Bell Studied Ballet
Bell Experienced Similar Teasing As Billy Did
Billy Elliot was a breakout function for Jamie Bell , who would go on to star in movies likeThe Adventures on TintinandSnowpiercer . While casting looked at 1000 of young actors for the role , one of the things that gave Bell the advantage was his premature terpsichore experience . Themovie use rap dancingas well as ballet , two styles that Bell has a heat for .
Bell explicate in an interview for the release of the movie thathis love of dance begin when attending his sister ’s dance recitals as a young boyand insisted to his female parent that he could do it easily . Bell also admitted that , like Billy in the picture show , he was confront with ridicule for his desire to dance as it was not seen as something that boy did . He explained ( viaYouTube ):
" It ’s quite a grueling affair for an 8 - class - onetime to deal with really . But I kind of just … got on with it . "
Jamie Bell Connected To Billy On A Personal Level
Bell Came From A Similar Background
The North East of London is the background of the movie , specifically the small town of Durham . InBilly Elliot , Durham is represent of a blue - collar community where many of the people do n’t have a selection in their profession asmining is about the only choice for the residents who live there .
Bell also relate to the mind of Billy ’s struggle to quest for his artistic desire in a place like this , noting that there were not any act opportunity where he was from .
Along with cause some dancing experience , Bell also shared similarities with the character of Billy because of this setting . Bell himself was raise in a very alike area to Durham called Billingham , which was another small working - form townin North East London . Bell also connected to the idea of Billy ’s struggle to pursue his esthetic desires in a place like this , noting that there were not any play opportunities where he was from .
Like Billy with his ballet , Bell saw this motion picture as an opportunity to break out of the way of life of staying and working in Billingham his whole liveliness . He explained inBilly Elliot ’s " qualification of " featurette ( viaYouTube ):
" Billy thinks if he does n’t do something that ’s going to modify his life forever , he ’ll go down the pit . He ’ll end up like his pappa and his brother . So in a way , I thought personally that I ’m going to have to do something that ’s go to plagiarize me out of here . "
Dame Julie Walters Struggled With The Dancing
Walters Earned An Oscar Nomination For Her Role
One of the standout member ofBilly Elliot ’s cast was Mrs. Wilkinson , played by Julie Waters . Wilkinson is the instructor of the local concert dance division , a knotty woman who does not go easy on her young students . However , she quickly recognizes a talent in Billy and helps him train to get into concert dance school . Part of this training involved Wilkinson trip the light fantastic toe alongside Billy in several sequence , which make for some of the most sport and heartwarming scene in the picture .
However , these moments were also very intimidating for amnionic fluid when taking on the part . Having not been a trained dancer , she was unquiet about deliver to execute , as she had to look like she get it on what she was doing in these elaboratedance movie scenes . In the " making of " featurette , she explained :
" I ascertain the dance they want me to do . I feel ill . I say ' I ca n’t do that . ' "
However , Waters was convincing enough to earn herself an Oscar nomination for honest Supporting Actress for her role as Mrs. Wilkinson .
Billy Elliot Was Filmed In Easington
A Real Mining Town Was Used
The location of the moving picture is very authentic , with the story being mark in a northern English coal - excavation town during the brutal miners ’ bang . Billy Elliotis set in a town called Everington , which is a fabricated town that is meant to represent a wad of like places that were in the same location during this menstruation .
The film was actuallyshot in Easington Colliery , a coal minelaying Greenwich Village in the NE of Englandthat was hit particularly firmly during the miners ’ rap . Sadly , the town has retain to struggle ever since the mines close .
In 2003 , the houses and the street that were used in the movie where Billy and his fellowship live were torn down after being dictated to be derelict . In the years since shoot , the household began to fall apart and it eventually led to mob who had lived there for decades having to leave . The townspeople still held onto the connection to the movie ( viaBBC ):
The settlement of the pit 10 year ago led to many people leaving and house prices fall off . It had been hoped that the winner of Billy Elliott would help to revive the Greenwich Village , but that has manifestly not encounter .
Mrs. Wilkinson Was Supposed To Appear At The End
Julie Walters Was Not Available For The Final Sequence
However , given thatit was his teacher Mrs. Wilkinson who teach him about the notable ballet ofSwan Lakein the first place , many fans have wondered why she does n’t appear in this scene as well . While there have been theories that this is think to suggest that she passed aside in the class between the two movies , the inauspicious reality is that Julie Walters simply was n’t usable for film .
For lovers of Billy Elliot , there are 10 other motion picture deserving watching .
Ballet Dancer Adam Cooper Played Older Billy
Cooper Originated The Swan Lake Role In The Movie
Jamie Bell help to make the character of Billy Elliot an iconic underdog figure , but he was not the only one to play the use in the movie . The audience watch over Billy ’s long journeying from discovering ballet to finding his passionateness for it to attempting to pursue it as a future .
It is incredibly effective find out this process through this youthful boy who is often unsure and not confident in his own skills as a dancer . Soit is a bit of a jounce for the final scene to show Billy as an adult , having realized those dreams and performing on stage with complete confidence .
Though he has no lines , Billy is played in this last aspect by substantial - life professional dancer , Adam Cooper . Cooper is an accomplished social dancer in his own right , and fitting for his role in the movie , he is recognized as creating the role of Swan / Stranger in the reimagined production ofSwan Lake . It is this use that Billy is seen playing at the end of the movie .
Stephen Daldry Made His Hectic Directorial Debut
Daldry Dealt With Numerous Production Struggles
Stephen Daldry is a director who has move on to discover a bunch of acclaim in movie with him directing both Kate Winslet and Nicole Kidman in Oscar - winning carrying out inThe ReaderandThe Hours , severally . However , movie - devising was new reason for him to cover when he made his directorial debut withBilly Elliot . While the acclamation the movie received certainly proved he was up to the undertaking , it was not an gentle shoot for the new filmmaker .
In an consultation withIndiewire , Daldry explained :
" The shooting schedule was a nightmare ; we only had seven week . kid can only exercise nine to five and you ca n’t work Saturdays . And the kid had to dance the whole prison term . So it was besotted . "
Daldry also had to act upon with a little budget for the movie as well as the trouble with line up a working mine quarry that could be used for certain shots in the movie . However , Daldry pull up off the unmanageable product while earning a Best Director Oscar nomination for his debut film .
Billy Elliot Has Changed The World Of Ballet
Male Dancers Have Found More Acceptance In This World
Billy Elliotbecame a little movie that made a full-grown wallop when it was released in 2000 . Decades later , the movie continue to be an inspiring and influential fib .
Billy Elliotbecame a small movie that made a big impact when it was released in 2000 . Decades by and by , the movie continue to be an inspiring and influential tale . Along with the rack up degree musical adaptation of the movie , the fib ofBilly Elliothas had an impact on the world of balletand , specifically , encouraging male dancer to notice more opportunity in the art .
In 2020,The New York Timespublished an article about the way Mattew Bourne ’s new take onSwan Lakehelped to urge on a propagation of male ballet dancers . However , when looking at the corps de ballet of male dancers who pursued ballet in the last couple of X , the clause mentionsthe " Billy Elliot impression " as helping to ease some of the prejudices toward virile concert dance dancersand allowing these men to pursue their dreams with a more open - minded acceptance from their communities .
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Cast
The coming - of - age drama Billy Elliot follows the journey of a untried son who discovers a passion for ballet amidst the coal miner ’s smasher of the 1980s . conduct by Stephen Daldry and have Jamie Bell as the nominal Billy , the photographic film explores themes of class , gender , and ego - discovery , all countersink against the backdrop of a work - grade community in tumult .
