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| Jamie Bell, Julie Walters, Jamie Draven,
Gary Lewis, Jean Haywood |
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Anamorphic
widescreen |
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Dolby Digital
5.1 |
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DTS |
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Trailer(s) |
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Featurette(s) |
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Documentary |
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Audio commentary
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Deleted scenes
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Concept art
/ storyboards |
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Multi-angle
feature |
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Billy
Elliot (Jamie Bell): Just because I like ballet doesn't mean I'm
a poof, you know.
An
eleven-year-old boy in a Northern England mining town discovers he has
a passion for ballet dancing just as his embittered father is embroiled
in a bitter strike.
 One
of those movies that's simply hard to dislike due to its underdog theme
set in a grungy industrial background, Billy Elliot nevertheless
at first seems like a disappointingly clichéd affair. Once one
is familiar with the initial setup, the events in the first half hour
are predictable and rather dull, with the boy's gruff father especially
tiresome in an overly familiar type of one-note performance. And yet
the film manages to take flight a little while in, thanks largely to
Jamie Bell's irresistible performance in the title role. As we watch
his character develop both credibly and sympathetically, it's hard not
to form some kind of bond with him, and even those parts that start
off uncomfortably somehow end up finding their place in the film, ultimately
bringing the film to a heartfelt and impressive conclusion. |
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Identical
releases are available for Region 1 and Region 2.
The
anamorphic widescreen image is framed at an aspect ratio of approx.
1.85:1. The naturalistic cinematography, with its restrained pallette
of greys and washed-out browns, is gorgeously rendered in an excellent
transfer that never distracts from the film.
The Dolby Digital 5.1 audio mix does a fine job in rendering the dialogues,
New Wave pop tunes from the early 1980s and the occasional crowd scenes,
which provide the rear channels with some action.
A
20-minute featurette turns out to be a rather grating promotional
piece, clearly produced specifically for the American market and selling
the film mostly based on a weak comparison to The Full Monty.
The theatrical trailer and a few limited pages of production
notes are the only other extras.Simple,
underdesigned static menu screens provide easy access to the disc's few
features.
Dan
Hassler-Forest
Reviewed: 2001
Click
here for IMDB info on Billy
Elliot .
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