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| | With 13 BAFTA and 3 OSCAR nominations, Billy Elliot is a heart-warming tale of an 11 year old coal miner’s son (Jamie Bell) in the North of England who’s life is forever changed when he stumbles upon Mrs Wilkinson’s (Julie Walters) ballet class during his weekly boxing lesson.
Before long, he finds himself immersed in ballet, demonstrating a raw talent never seen before and reaching for a dream that changes the lives of everyone he touches.
Also includes “Breaking Free” Featurette.
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Here's what our members thought of this title. 5 stars = very good, 1 star = poor.
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The life of 11-year old Billy Elliot (Jamie Bell), a coal miner's son in
northern England, is forever changed one day when he stumbles upon a ballet
class
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during his weekly boxing lesson. Before long he
finds himself in dance, demonstrating the kind of raw talent seldom seen by the
class's exacting instructor, Mrs. Wilkinson (Julie Walters). With a tart tongue
and a never-ending stream of cigarettes in her hand, Mrs. Wilkinson's zest for
teaching is revived when she sees Billy's potential. Rather forgetting the
other ballerinas, she's drawn into teaching her new protg.
But Billy must keep his participation in the class a secret from his widowed
father (Gary Lewis) and overbearing brother (Jamie Draven), as both men are on
strike from their jobs at the mine, and are struggling just to keep food on the
table. Their pent up frustrations finally explode when they discover Billy has
been squandering his boxing money on less than manly pursuits.
Banned from ballet, and troubled by the diminishing mental capacity of his
grandmother (Jean Heywood), Billy finds solace with his school friend Michael
(Stuart Wells) which deepens into a touching friendship. Meanwhile, Mrs.
Wilkinson encourages Billy to try out for the Royal Ballet School in London,
where he can refine his craft while escaping his oppressive surroundings.
Billy is torn between his responsibility to his family and to the gift with
which he has been blessed. For his overwhelming desire to dance is more than a
means of self-expression. It is his passion, and it is his destiny.
This story of triumph against adversity is both moving and funny with exuberant
dance scenes and a great soundtrack - a must see movie!
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Universal
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WHAT'S THE BEST FILM YOU'VE SEEN
RECENTLY?
Leon, I saw it yesterday [was on TV]. Leon, with Jean Reno
[Luc Besson, Natalie Portman, Gary Oldman, aka The Professional]. Trainspotting
- but this is on video, so it's permitted by my mother. I enjoyed those.
ARE THE SCRIPTS YOU HAVE BEEN SENT, BRITISH OR AMERICAN?
I think one is British and two American.
WHY WON'T YOU TALK ABOUT THEM?
At this point I might not do it, then I'll be known as a
failure: "Oh, he didn't do that, did he? Liar! Liar!" [laughs] It's
early days. I just read the British one and I enjoyed that. It depends what
time they are going to shoot it because I don't want it interfering with my
schoolwork. Most of these three are meant to be shooting when I'm on holiday,
during the spring or summer, so it's alright.
WHAT'S YOUR PERFECT ROLE WITH YOUR PERFECT CO-STARS?
I'd like to co-star with Jonny Lee Miller, possibly throwing
in Liv Tyler.
THEY WERE IN PLUNKETT AND MACLEANE TOGETHER.
You like that film? Because the producer of that produced
this film. All his friends and everyone who made this, on this film, hated it.
I was the only one who liked it. I remember all of it, all the speeches,
everything, because Jonny Lee Miller is my hero.
HAVE YOU MET HIM?
Yeah, I met him at the premiere. He actually spoke to me. It
wasn't me going up to him, saying hello. He came up to me. And we talked for a
while because we were both in the National Youth Music Theatre. I was in that
for three years. And he was in the actual production, the Ragged Child, about
ten years ago that I was rehearsing for at the time I was doing Billy Elliott.
It was really weird that we met up then.
WHAT MUSIC DO YOU LISTEN TO?
Moby, Travis, Coldplay.
ARE YOU A BOYZONE FAN?
No. [remembers Stephen Gately did music for "Billy
Elliott"] Yes!!! Yeah, I am [laughs]. Yeah I am!
HAVE YOU KEPT IN TOUCH WITH JULIE WALTERS FROM THE FILM?
She's doing a play at the minute so it's very hard because
she's not at home. She's doing All My Sons at the National [Theatre]. And she
changed her email address as well, so.
YOU KNOW FAMOUS PEOPLE, YOU'RE FAMOUS - HOW HAS LIFE
CHANGED FOR YOU?
Everything from money to clothes to facial products to hair
products, new Friends, new telephones - you get loads of free stuff!
THE MORE MONEY YOU HAVE THE MORE PEOPLE THROW THINGS AT YOU.
Yeah, which is weird. My friends say that I haven't changed
which is the best thing. I'm really happy they said that. The only thing that's
changed is that my room is really hi-tec and I have a wardrobe full of clothes
that I probably won't even wear. There's nothing about me or my life or daily
routine that's really changed. I still get up at half seven and have my
breakfast before I wash my teeth.
WHAT IS IT ABOUT YOUR UPBRINGING THAT KEEPS YOU LEVEL-HEADED?
YOUR MUM MUST BE FANTASTIC.
[uneasy] She gives me confidence. Whenever she tells me off,
when I'm dancing, I say, "Well, you try it!" And she goes, "No,
no, I see what you're saying!" I'm always good at making friends with
people and I think that helps.
DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU ARE GROWING UP FAST?
In America they were going to try this suit on me. I was in
this suit and it didn't look like me. I looked like a little penguin. It was
weird. I was looking in the mirror thinking, "What am I doing?" I'm I
America with all these posh people and I'm wearing a suit. Sometimes I do look
in the mirror and think. Because my face has changed and my voice has changed
and it feels like the film has changed me, physically, has moved me on. Before
I did the film, I was this cute kid with no spots, no facial hair or anything.
Now I look in the mirror I have big, gelled hair, spots and a little moustache
coming through! It's really weird.
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