The world, on both sides of the oceans, held its breath as the events of 1979 were slowly revealed about a Chinese ballet dancer named Li Cunxin who wanted political asylum while performing in the United States. Director Bruce Beresford presents a journey back in time that captures the lowly beginnings in China and the choice of destiny of a young boy through the art form of ballet, would put a strain on the ‘cultural/political bridge’ between two powerful countries, and catapult him to world fame as an exceptional ballet dancer…

‘Mao’s Last Dancer’… is a drama based on the autobiography by Li Cunxin. At age 11 in 1968, Li was chosen from a poor Chinese village by Madame Mao's cultural delegates and ‘taken’ to Beijing to study ballet. Based on the philosophy of the Chinese government, its citizen’s primary duty was to serve the government and ‘being chosen’ was looked upon as an extreme honor for the young boy and his family. The years of training go by, the young boy grows into manhood and a prominent dancer in China. In 1979, during a cultural exchange to Texas, he fell in love with an American woman. Two years later, he managed to defect and went on to perform as a principal dancer for the Houston Ballet, and in his later years, a principal artist with the Australian Ballet.

Director Bruce Beresford… We’re presented a documentation of the political climate, the drama of love, and the world of ballet by the sure hand of director Bruce Beresford. The most challenging aspect, “The merging of the primary elements of the autobiography to capture the spirit, political, and artistic worlds of China, the US, and ballet, in a period film set in a 20 year period from the 70’s through the 80’s was indeed a wonderfully challenging undertaking” say’s Bruce!

The basis for a good film is always the printed word, the script, and the story. I asked Bruce what prompted him to take on ‘such a monumental true story’… “It’s a ‘rags to riches’ story in the true sense, in this case the rags is so much more extreme! Li came from a background of incredible depravation and a totalitarian society, to get out of that background and to achieve world fame as a ballet dancer is indeed a remarkable story!”

The casting aspect is a key factor in bringing those ‘printed words to life’, how did Bruce find just the right actor who could dance, act, and handle the two languages the role called for… “The biggest challenge was to find some one who could handle those aspects, we needed someone who was a first class ballet dancer, an actor with ‘leading man handsome screen appeal qualities’ who could act in Mandarin and English. We found Chi Cao in England. We saw him dance, he read some of the script and was very, very good. We knew straight away that he was perfect for the role!”

When the subject matter for a film is based on real life people, there’s an added advantage for getting the essence of the principle characters… “In deed it was a great advantage to make notes on the every day details when I came to direct it because in most films you can’t, because in most films the person isn’t there, they’re dead and can’t give you those little details the director needs to know!

Locations have always been an aspect that my many years of production have always presented challenges for the location scouts and managers. What was the most challenging location for the film… “One challenge in Beijing was where to film the dance academy sequences. The real one wasn’t available. Our Chinese Art Director found a school that wasn’t being used, and the sections that we needed were restored and it was like shooting at the studio!

Many thanks to director Bruce Beresford for sharing a few moments ‘talking shop’ on his latest film ‘Mao’s Last Dancer’. Presenting a story that has the elements of a documentary which chronicles the life of a true-life person while capturing the essence of Chinese society and the US lifestyle, the love story of two people from different worlds, the drama of political intrigue between two countries that are superpowers, and merging the beautiful art form of ballet into a film that briskly moves along while capturing your heart as it plays out to the end. Add ‘Mao’s Last Dancer’ to your list of classic movies! Rating 4 of 5 stars

Starring Bruce Greenwood, Kyle MacLachlan, Joan Chen, Chi Cao, Amanda Schull, Shuangbao Wang, Chengwu Guo, and Wen Bin Huang.

Directed by Bruce Beresford; screenplay by Jan Sardi; based on the autobiography by Cunxin Li. ATO Pictures/Samuel Goldwyn Films release. Rated PG for a brief violent image, some sensuality, language and incidental smoking. Runtime: 117 minutes.

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