Sally Potter is not one of the most famous British directors, but some of her films are quite good (I’ve watched The Man Who Cried, Orlando, The Party, Yes), although not one of those that catch the soul. I watched her movie The Tango Lesson (1997). I can’t say that the script of the film is very good, it is quite simple – a female director Sally (played by Sally Potter herself) comes to Paris to work on the script of her film, there accidentally gets to the performance of the famous Tangogliero Pablo (Pablo Veron), and she decides to take tango lessons from him. So begins her journey into the world of this beautiful dance. The film is divided into 12 lessons, although these are not always lessons. Pablo is actually a wonderful dancer, Sally’s successes are also undoubted, in the end she decides to make a film about tango, which, in fact, is done, this is the film we are watching. And since this is a special dance, very sensual, well-danced, which can only be done if the dancers penetrate each other, often there is a feeling between them, however, this is shown very restrained, because the heroine is much older than the hero. However, the main character in this film is tango, this film is permeated through it, our heroes are filled with it, watching them is a real pleasure for those who also love him. I also want to note that visually it is good, almost the entire film, except for the scenes from the script of the failed film Sally, black and white.
As far as I understand, this is an autobiographical film about the film itself and the real life story of Sally Potter and Pablo Verona. Pablo is a born dancer. Sally is a good director, looking for a plot for a new film and meeting Pablo. He teaches her to dance tango, she immortalizes him dancing on film. Their long-held dreams are being realized. For this, as the film says, they met in this life. And that's great!
Interestingly, Sally Potter objectively dances very average, and will never be a top dancer because of its inherent non-plasticity, external stiffness, excessive tension of all muscles. Wooden back, neck, shoulders, arms, legs – these lessons, alas, are not adjusted. A dancer has to be born. For Pablo Verona, dancing, the stage and public performances are a natural form of self-expression, but he is not an actor. It turns out that both in the film half the time do things that are not very good, but the film is amazing. Sally Potter is a very good director. And Pablo Veron is a great dancer. Or is it all about great music?
10 out of 10
I watched last night one of the most beautiful films about the relationship between a man and a woman, shot in the history of cinema. The Tango Lesson by Sally Potter (1997) There is not a word of love, not a word of passion, not a hint of lust, not a millimeter of open skin. Only an elderly woman is a screenwriter, her young dance partner is the famous Argentine dancer Pablo Veron.
and tango. Nothing else.
There's not even a plot as such. The torment of creativity, written - not written, mayta and all bad. And clumped painted sheets in a basket, and aimless wandering through the streets of Paris. And the heroine, accidentally seeing on the stage tango, decides to learn to dance. And asks the hero whether he gives lessons.
All. And then only relationships through dance, through body contact, through music. Against the backdrop of London, Paris and Buenos Aires. Black - white pictures, a reference to a silent movie, a hint that the colors of the person inside. There are only a few color shots in the whole film, everything else is a delicate monochrome.
Subtle, sensual and completely unearthly cinema. I saw this film twice in my youth, but only now, having started to dance myself, I understood its essence. Almost everything can be expressed through dance. Bodies rarely lie, and tango never. And let it be a game that lasts those 12 minutes (a set of 4 songs that usually last about 1 2 minutes, and are called tanda), but those 12 minutes on the floor there is magic.
A very beautiful and very gentle film for those who love a good art house.
1. A man conquers, a woman leads an equal dialogue.
2. A man leads with a chest - a woman perceives the chest.
3. 90% of the time, a woman moves her back, yielding (It depends on where your partner leads you - back, forward or sideways).
4. All responsibility lies with the man. The woman trusts.
5. The quality of a hug in motion reflects the quality of trust in a partner.
6. The woman relaxes and does not try to control.
7. A woman is guilty only in one case, if she stepped on her leg - did not take a step back in time. A good partner always apologizes for their partner’s mistakes. He dances for a woman. )
8. If a woman is lost, the task of a man with dignity to get out of the situation.
9. When a woman thinks that she does not have time, she is in a hurry. (a woman may not keep up with her partner - this is either from a lack of her technique or from the fact that her partner does not listen to her and dances for herself.) And she can hurry because, as it were, she knows herself that now she is going to be and is trying to predict. Don't do that. Listen to the body. And answer with your body. All inside.
It's an amazing movie. He cannot be understood by anyone who has never loved or lost his love.
A mature woman and a young man. Director and dancer. Their relationship is those drafts that the main character broke a lot, trying to write a script for her film. Their love throughout the film goes through ups and downs: they quarrel, break up, and then reunite again to continue their dance.
This film gives us life and love as it is. No embellishment, no extra burlesque, so characteristic of many modern love films. You have to live life, enjoy every moment. You have to love. And love like tango is unpredictable.
This movie reminds me of a fine and graceful lace. After watching it, I had a bright sense of purity in my soul. And love. Love of life, music and tango.
Amazing movie. Fascinating. Music, changing its tonality, periodically sounds loud, like blood in the temples. And then, quietly fades into the background, becoming an illustration of the story that Sally Potter told us and not only told, but also danced with Pablo Verone. And the black and white coloring of this film is like a canvas on which the skillful master drew the emotions and feelings of this wonderful dance.
“I place my hand carefully on your shoulder. And it wraps around your neck, freezing at the last minute. My bangs are touching your temple. Your right hand is on my back. Almost weightless. But if you move, I feel like my body is enclosed in your tender embrace. From which there is only one way. Follow you.
The music sounds quiet. But she's not in the room around me. It's in me. Somewhere inside. The guitar echoes the bandoneon keys. The sound is building. And I come to life. I'm coming alive with music. From your hands and the movements of your body.
And -- first step, second, third step. Four long steps back. Two short to the side. Turn. You're freezing. It's like listening to music. Or maybe to me. Can I hear if I feel the rhythm? The rhythm of our hearts, setting the movement of our bodies.
Moving to the beat of the music. Sometimes sharp, then turning into smooth. Wave after wave. One-two-three-four. Several turns one by one. And a sharp, short flap of my leg, like a desire to push away from something invisible and be close to you. But tango dictates its rules. You don't need a strong hug. There is a rule of law here - we do not need to be closer than we really are. Only touch. Alternate. Heads, hands, feet.
Touches that tell us where our dance is headed. At some point, we're suddenly closer than ever. And after a few minutes, we diverge to the distance of almost outstretched arms, so that, having measured, we again begin to draw the pattern of our dance. Slicing the floor with our feet, like the strings of a guitar, we draw love and passion, pain and despair, gain and loss, meeting and parting. And each of these events, like music, has its own shades. Your color, your rhythm.
Somewhere out there in the world around me, the music is starting to fade. Last chords. But I don't know that. I can feel it from your movements telling me that the guitar is tired of accompanying us. Four long steps forward, one short, foot by foot. U-turn. Face to face. This is my first time looking at you.
How did you choose tango? “I didn't choose him. Tango chose me (C)