Billy Elliot Musical Live (2014)

Billy Elliot Musical Live: Directed by Stephen Daldry, Brett Sullivan. With Elliott Hanna, Ollie Jochim, Bradley Perret, Matteo Zecca. A talented young dancer has to learn to fight for his dream despite social and parental disapproval.

“Garroneu0026#39;s magical movie opens with bows to two great scenes of Italian cinema: the ornate wedding carriage recalls the childu0026#39;s funeral procession from The Gold of Naples, and the helicopter-borne star of a reality show replays the helicopter ride of Jesus in La Dolce Vita. These images evoke Italy as the longest-running u0026quot;society of the spectacleu0026quot;: Roman games; Renaissance princes and popes who conned everyone, as Machiavelli says; the splendors of the Counter-Reformation Church; and media mogul Silvio Berlusconi with the sun in his pocket-u0026quot;il sole in tasca.u0026quot;nLuciano–fish monger, petty con artist, and pater familias–longs to be cast in a reality show called Big Brother. His quest becomes increasingly obsessive and fantasmagoric, and his extended family shifts from humorous support to escalating concern. Will his dream come true?nAniello Arena in the part of Luciano is terrific and will capture your heart; he has a surprising and poignant story of his own, which you can check online for yourselves. Garrone is a master of production design, creating exuberant post-modern sets in which decaying Neapolitan palazzi mingle with malls and water slides. This movie is perhaps not for everyone-only for those prepared to enter a world that is theatrical, flamboyant, sentimental, and ironic–one that calls for a sense of humor and a big heart.”