Ballet Shoes (Emma Watson, Yasmin Paige, Lucy Boynton)

(Amazon UK link)

It’s fifteen years since we watched the 2007 film ‘Ballet Shoes’ (originally made for television). I know the story well - it’s adapted from Noel Streatfeild’s best-known book, also called 'Ballet Shoes'. But my husband had almost entirely forgotten the plot. It seemed like a pleasant evening’s light viewing. Although the book was originally written for older children, the author wrote crossover books before the concept was popularised, and I like them just as much as an adult as I did as a child.

The beginning of the film introduces the young Sylvia, who is taken to live with her great-uncle Matthew (known as GUM) when her parents are killed. GUM is a delightfully grumpy (but benevolent) man who grows believably older each time we see him; he’s extremely well played by Richard Griffiths, who is probably best-known as the obnoxious Vernon Dursley in the ‘Harry Potter’ series. Sylvia is accompanied by her nanny, known to all as Nana, perfectly portrayed by Victoria Wood. 

Emilia Fox is the adult Sylvia, who looks after the house when GUM is travelling, as happens most of the time. Twice he returns, briefly, bringing babies whom he has adopted. The third time, he sends a baby via a friend. Pauline (Emma Watson), Petrova (Yasmin Paige) and Posy (Lucy Boynton) are the three sisters, given the surname Fossil, back in days when adoption was considerably easier than it is now. The main part of the book is set in the 1930s in London. 

As GUM stays away longer and longer, money becomes more and more difficult. The two older girls are at a private school, and must be taken out, educated at home. Sylvia decides to take in lodgers; two elderly academics, a car mechanic called John, and a dance teacher called Theo. I had never imagined Theo as anything like the one in this film, but all the other characters feel realistic. Theo is flamboyant - but she has the best idea: to enrol the three girls in Madame Fidolia’s stage school, where impoverished children were often taken for nothing, then trained to go on the stage. 

Pauline turns out to be a talented actress, and as soon as she’s old enough she’s engaged to perform in several productions. This is all true to the book, although in the book her classmate Winifred is much nicer than in the film. Posy is spotted as a potential star in the ballet world, and is soon given private coaching by Madame Fidolia herself. 

However, Petrova, perhaps the most interesting of the three girls, has no wish to be on stage. She’s not talented at dancing or acting; her interests are more mechanical. She’s very good at maths, and interested in cars, though her ambition is to be the pilot of an aeroplane. The scenes with Petrova and Pauline are, I thought, very well done. The two want to work to help with household expenses; Pauline loves what she does, but for Petrova it’s akin to torture. 

Inevitably some of the book is cut out, to fit the story into a 90-minute film production, but on the whole I thought they did it well. According to the IMDb site, Lucy Boynton didn’t dance in the film; instead, the ballet sections were done by a body double. I had no idea: I thought I was watching carefully, as I was impressed that they found someone who could act and dance so well. Evidently it was extremely well shot and edited to enable such good continuity.

The people are all believable, in my view (well, except perhaps Theo…), and the close bond between the three sisters comes through strongly in several places. Pauline and Petrova in particular are close; Posy can be somewhat demanding and self-centered, as was typical for Streatfeild’s ballet stars. But Pauline, too, finds that fame goes to her head, and that was also handled well. 

The BBC, who produced this, always seem to do particularly well with period dramas. While this is in the 20th century, it's set before World War II, and the locations, clothes etc seem entirely authentic. The acting is very good, which isn't surprising with such a talented cast, and the whole flows nicely, drawing us both right into the family and their struggles. 

I’m not sure I entirely approve of the extra romance thrown in towards the end - it’s nicely done, and quite low-key, and makes a pleasant ending for two of the characters. But it’s not even hinted at in the book, and leaves a slight organisational question open about who would be living where, in the future that’s given to the three girls right at the end. It ends a tad abruptly, but then so does the original novel. 

Overall, we both liked watching ‘Ballet Shoes’ very much, and would recommend it highly to anyone who enjoys this kind of production. Suitable for all. It’s rated PG, and apparently the only reason for that is that there’s quite a lot of smoking shown - something that would have been appropriate for the era, when it was thought that cigarettes helped people to relax, and the health dangers were unknown.

Review copyright 2025 Sue's DVD Reviews