Mao's Last Dancer

Ballet fans can bask in the wide-shot dance sequences, with stunningly staged renditions of Swan Lake and The Rite of Spring.
-Janet Smith, GEORGIA STRAIGHT
Beresford keeps the camera, and the audience, fluidly engaged in the film's central, athletic aestheticism... he succeeds in fashioning a moving memoir into a thrilling movie.
-Colin Fraser, FILM INK
Late in his career, Bruce Beresford has delivered one of his best movies.
-TIME OUT SIDNEY
Beautiful and compelling...Ballet has never looked so darn sumptuous and appealing!
-Bruce DeMara, TORONTO STAR
Exemplary!
-Rebecca J. Ritzel, THE WASHINGTON POST
Mao's Last Dancer is a masterpiece! A feel-good film bursting with courage, energy and overwhelming inspiration... the highly charged emotional finale will leave you cheering.
-Rex Reed, THE NEW YORK OBSERVER
A treat to watch.
-Joe Morgenstern, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
Spectacular dancing and music!
-Maria Puente, USA TODAY

Synopsis

Two-time Academy Award®-nominated director Bruce Beresford (Driving Miss Daisy) celebrates the inspirational true story of ballet dancer Li Cunxin in this stunning adaptation of Li’s best-selling autobiography. When granted the opportunity of a lifetime to train with the renowned Houston Ballet, eighteen-year-old Li leaves behind a life of poverty and oppression in Communist China to embark on a transformative journey to the West, where he soars to stardom—and meets the love of his life. But he soon learns that his quest for freedom must come at a price.

Home Entertainment Release Date

Original Languages: English, Mandarin
Genre: Drama, Biography, Music & Live Performance, Romance
Running Time: 117 min.
Year: 2010

CREDITS

CAST
Amanda Schull
Bruce Greenwood
Joan Chen
Kyle MacLachlan
Chi Cao
DIRECTED BY
Bruce Beresford

TRAILER


PHOTOS

Li Cunxin (Chengwu Guo). Photo Courtesy of Mongrel Media
Li Cunxin (Chi Cao). Photo Courtesy of Mongrel Media
Left to Right: Dia (Wang Shuang Bao), Li Cunxin (Huang Wen Bin). Photo Courtesy of Mongrel Media
Left to Right: Mary McKendry (Camilla Vergotis), Li Cunxin (Chi Cao). Photo Courtesy of Mongrel Media
Photo Courtesy of Mongrel Media
Photo Courtesy of Mongrel Media
Li Cunxin (Chi Cao). Photo Courtesy of Mongrel Media
Li Unxin (Huang Wen Bein). Photo Courtesy of Mongrel Media
Right: Charles Foster (Kyle MacLachlan). Photo Courtesy of Mongrel Media
Left to Right:Dia (Wang Shuang Bao), Niang (Joan Chen). Photo Courtesy of Mongrel Media
Li Cunxin (Huang Wen Bin). Photo Courtesy of Mongrel Media
Left to Right: Li Cunxin (Chi Cao), Mary McKendry (Camilla Vergotis). Photo Courtesy of Mongrel Media
Left to Right: Elizabeth Mackey (Amanda Schull), Li Cunxin (Chi Cao). Photo Courtesy of Mongrel Media
Photo Courtesy of Mongrel Media
Left to Right: Niang (Joan Chen), Dia (Wang Shuang Bao). Photo Courtesy of Mongrel Media
Niang (Joan Chen). Photo Courtesy of Mongrel Media
Photo Courtesy of Mongrel Media
Left to Right: Li Cunxin (Huang Wen Bin), Dia (Wang Shuang Bao), Niang (Joan Chen). Photo Courtesy of Mongrel Media
Left to Right: Li Cunxin (Chi Cao), Mary McKendry (Camilla Vergotis). Photo Courtesy of Mongrel Media
Far Left to FarRight: Ben Stevenson (Bruce Greenwood), Mary McKendry (Camilla Vergotis). Photo Courtesy of Mongrel Media
Photo Courtesy of Mongrel Media
Li Cunxin (Chi Cao). Photo Courtesy of Mongrel Media
Li Cunxin (Huang Wen Bin). Photo Courtesy of Mongrel Media
Li Cunxin (Huang Wen Bin). Photo Courtesy of Mongrel Media
Li Cunxin (Chengwu Guo). Photo Courtesy of Mongrel Media
Li Cunxin (Chengwu Guo). Photo Courtesy of Mongrel Media
Left to Right: Charles Foster (Kyle MacLachlan), Judge Woodrow Seals (Jack Thompson). Photo Courtesy of Mongrel Media
Charles Foster (Kyle MacLachlan). Photo Courtesy of Mongrel Media
Li Cunxin (Chengwu Guo). Photo Courtesy of Mongrel Media