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Billy Elliot [DVD] [Widescreen] [2001] [1 disc] [Multilingual] [Region 1]

1 disc
Region 1 USA/CA (info)

Theatrical release: October 13, 2000. Filmed on location in Northeast England. The film was originally titled DANCER but was changed to BILLY ELLIOT shortly before its release. Some of BILLY ELLIOT is based on screenwriter Lee Hall's experiences growing up in northeast England at the time of the devastating miners strike in 1984 and 1985. BILLY ELLIOT is the directorial debut of British theatrical director Stephen Daldry. The filmmakers auditioned more than 2,000 boys looking for their Billy. The winner was Jamie Bell, a 12-year-old from Billingham, England, who had also struggled with being a dancer in a small, conservative town. BILLY ELLIOT won Best Picture at the 2000 British Independent Film Awards, which also saw Stephen Daldry take home Best Director, Jamie Bell win Best Newcomer, and Lee Hall grab Best Screenplay. Paul Clinton of cnn.com and Peter Travers of Rolling Stone named BILLY ELLIOT one of the 10 best films of 2000. The National Board of Review named Jamie Bell Outstanding Young Actor for his work in BILLY ELLIOT. The Broadcast Film Critics Association named him Best Child Performer. BILLY ELLIOT was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture--Drama, and Julie Walters was nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture.
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- Rating - language
Additional Info

Manufacturer Part Number (MPN): 21134
Credits

Julie Walters, Jamie Bell, Gary Lewis
Critic Reviews

"...A heartwarming, toe-tapping delight....Daldry elicits a star-making turn from 14-year-old newcomer Jamie Bell..." -- 4 out of 5 stars
Total Film
"...Stephen Daldry anchors [the film's] melodramatic formula in tough, heartfelt realism....Jamie Bell [conveys a] convincing mixture of sullenness and innocent charm..."
New York Times
"...If Dickens had written FLASHDANCE after seeing THE FULL MONTY, it probably would have come out something like this infectious, feel-good bundle of ambition in the face of adversity..." -- 3.5 out of 4 stars
USA Today
"...An inspirational Brit-prole dance fable..."
Entertainment Weekly
"...Gracefully executed....The fleet-footed BILLY ELLIOT illustrates how classic storylines, in the right hands, can work over and over again..."
Box Office
"...Daldry scores a sensational film debut....Bell explodes onscreen in a performance that cuts to the heart..."
Rolling Stone
"...Jimmy Bell is an engaging Billy, earnest and high-spirited, and a pretty good dancer, too..."
Chicago Sun-Times