Ballet Shoes, a BBC television film adaption of Noel Streatfeild's novel of the same name, is, even if you're not a twelve-year-old girl disproportionately infatuated with the title-giving type of dancing, a charming and well-made watch, significantly improved by a source material detailed with its plot and characters.
However, that doesn't diminish the often rather sloppy filmmaking director Sandra Goldbacher exhibits in Ballet Shoes. In a counterproductive attempt to include each and every one of the novel's story lines in the 80 minute picture, she and her screenwriter Heidi Thomas both neglect the characters and also partly rob them of their likability by leaving out one or two needed explanations for some peculiar or touchy behaviour. Moreover, the great talent the three main young actresses prove to possess every now and then in Ballet Shoes, isn't particularly encouraged by Goldbacher, leading to many a scene being disappointing.
On the bright side, the story Streatfeild originally conceived preserves all of its loveliness on screen and is almost the perfect viewing choice for a rainy Sunday afternoon, a genuine feel-good flick with a considerable number of exciting actors and actresses in it.
However, that doesn't diminish the often rather sloppy filmmaking director Sandra Goldbacher exhibits in Ballet Shoes. In a counterproductive attempt to include each and every one of the novel's story lines in the 80 minute picture, she and her screenwriter Heidi Thomas both neglect the characters and also partly rob them of their likability by leaving out one or two needed explanations for some peculiar or touchy behaviour. Moreover, the great talent the three main young actresses prove to possess every now and then in Ballet Shoes, isn't particularly encouraged by Goldbacher, leading to many a scene being disappointing.
On the bright side, the story Streatfeild originally conceived preserves all of its loveliness on screen and is almost the perfect viewing choice for a rainy Sunday afternoon, a genuine feel-good flick with a considerable number of exciting actors and actresses in it.