Laura Smith (30059947) 2004
Critical
Review and Bibliography
Part 1: Film
Information
Title: Dance
Me to My Song
Format: 35mm
Screen Ratio: 1.85
Country of Production: Australia
Stock: Kodak Eastmancolor
Running Time: 102 minutes *
Sound: Dolby Digital
Year: 1997
*Note- there seems to be a discrepancy in
actual run-time ranging from 101-107 mins in various distributors sites and
reviews
Official
synopsis
(official website and video cover Australia)
What do you do when you're stuck in a fucking
wheelchair and you can't talk except using a voice machine and your carer
doesn't give a shit for anything except herself?
Sit round a lot, I suppose, talking to yourself.
What do you do when a man turns up and you fancy him except your carer does too
the bitch and she steals him from under your nose cause she's not a fucking
spastic?
You try and steal him back, of course...
A film for Heather Rose... by Heather Rose... with Heather Rose.
Principal Cast and Credits
THE PLAYERS
Julia-
Heather Rose
Madelaine - Joey Kennedy
Eddie- John
Brumpton
Rix - Rena
Owen
THE TECHNICIANS
Music by
Graham Tardif
Edited by
Tania Nehme
Director of photography
Tony Clark
Art director and Makeup/ Wardrobe
Beverly Freeman
Casting
Audine Leith
Original screenplay by
Heather Rose - Frederick Stahl
Co produced by
David Wolfe Barry - Paola
Corvino
Produced by
Domenico Procacci
Giuseppe Pedersoli
Written produced and directed by
Rolf De Heer
Funding:
Intra Films- Italy (representing the film
internationally)
Strand/ new oz productions
Produced with the financial assistance AFC-
Australian Film Commission.
Developed an produced with the financial assistance of SAFC- South Australian Film Corporation
Above
Information sourced from htttp://www.vertigoproductions.com.au and the credits from a Video copy of Dance me to my
song
Release
Dates
France May
1998 Cannes
Film Festival
Australia 22 October 1998
Spain 1 January 1999
France 28 April 1999
Finland 28 May 1999
Netherlands 5 August 1999
Belgium 25 August 1999
Hungary 11 October 1999 Titanic International Filmpresence Festival
Italy 19 November 1999
Singapore 13 January 2000
Information
sourced from The Internet Move Database (IMDb) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0154378/releaseinfo
FESTIVALS
& AWARDS/ NOMINATIONS
*Awarded the 1998 Australian Catholic Film Award
*Film Critics Circle of Australia: Nominated for Best Original Screenplay, Best
Actress (Heather Rose) and Best Supporting Actress (Rena Owen)
*Awarded the Premier's Literary Award Script Writing
Prize, New South Wales
Cannes International Film Festival 1998
- Selected to participate in Official Competition
Brisbane International Film Festival 1998
- Voted second most popular film by festival audiences
Sydney International Film Festival 1998Melbourne International Film Festival
1998
- Voted second most popular film by festival audiences
Australian Film Institute Awards Screenings 1998
- Nominated for Best Original Screenplay & Best
Supporting Actress (Rena Owen)
Edinburgh International Film Festival 1998
The World Film Festival, MontrŽal 1998
Telluride Film Festival 1998
Vancouver International Film Festival 1998
Semana International de Cine de Valladolid 1998
- Heather Rose awarded the Special Jury Prize
Saint Louis International Film Festival 1998
Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival 1998
London Film Festival 1998
Hawaii International Film Festival 1998
International Film Festival of India 1999
Santa Barbara International Film Festival 1999
Cleveland International Film Festival 1999
New York Film Buffs 1999
Palm Beach International Film Festival 1999
Istanbul International Film Festival 1999
Roger Ebert's Overlooked Film Festival, Illinois 1999
Singapore International Film Festival 1999
Washington International Film Festival 1999
Philadelphia Festival of World Cinema 1999
George Eastman House, New York 1999
Australian High Commission Film Festival 1999
"The Cinemateque" Montreal 1999
Wine Country Film Festival, Glen Ellen, California 1999
Huntington Inter. Film Festival, Long Island, N.Y. 1999
Bangkok Film Festival 1999
Rocky Mountain Women's Film Festival, Colorado Springs 1999
Calcutta Film Festival 1999
Jakarta International Film Festival 1999
Women In The Director's Chair, Illinois 2000
Bibliographical details
of interviews with filmmakers
:
At the time
of the film's release (May 1998-Jan 2000)
4. http://www.palace.net.au/danceme/direct.htm
Details: Distributor 'Palace' website which has statements from Rolf de Heer and Heather Rose about the making of, and meaning of the film, Cast and crew details and image stills from the production. Also in its layout, marketing and information emphasises that the film is:
'A film for Heather Rose... by Heather Rose... with Heather Rose.'
Directors statement: Rolf de Heer; "There are two aspects of this film that give me pride above all the other aspects of it that give me pride. The first is that, knowing Heather, I see the character of Julia up on the screen, and the character of Julia is not at all like Heather. It is a performance, not a recording. The second is that part of the way through the film, I perceive the character of Julia quite differently than I do at the beginning of the film... she is just Julia, no longer the disabled character any more than Madelaine is the character with brown hair or Eddie is the character with the muscular body."
Heather Rose's Statement: "We felt that a movie about a woman like me could work, but it had to be a dramatic story, not another "disability" film. That's why we created Madelaine, who is a totally fictional character, but who does represent the very worst of all the worst carers rolled into one."
2. Frederick Stahl (31-10-02) Standing Room
Only for a Thunderbolt in Wheelchair http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/10/30/1035683471529.html
"In 1995 she made the following entry in her computer diary:
"People see me as a person who has to be controlled. But let me
tell you something, people. I am not! And I am going to make something real
special of my life! I am going to go out there and grab life with both hands!!!
I am going to make the most sexy and honest film about disability that has ever
been made!!"
Subsequent to the
film's release (2000 - 2004)
2. Fincina Hopgood, "Shooting to thrill: an interview with Rolf de Heer,"
Metro no. 137, 2003, p 36
www.findarticles.com/m0PAM/137/issue.jhtml
3. Gallery: sexuality and
disability, representing Heather Rose: http://www.intimate- encounters.com.au/galleries/ds36.html
4. 'Screen model for
low-budget winners' The
Australian , 17-03-2004 , Ed: 1 - All-round Country ,
Pg: 012 , 821 words , FEATURES The Australian
5. http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2003/s852967.htm Transcript of interview with Rolf de Heer on 7:30 Report, some mention of Dance me to my Song
6.
Heather Rose Slattery, ISAAC 2000 Conference
presentation/ transcript: www.words-plus.com/website/stories/Isaac2000.htm
Bibliographical details of reviews
Newspapers
1. 'DANCING TO THEIR OWN SONG' THE WEEKEND AUSTRALIAN , 17-10-1998 , Ed: 1 , Pg: R02 , 1843 words , REVIEW
2. 'Harrowing miracle' THE WEEKEND
AUSTRALIAN , 24-10-1998 , Ed: 1 , Pg: R21 , 975 words , REVIEW
3. 'Salute to our BIG SHOTS'
THE AUSTRALIAN , 26-10-1998 , Ed: 1 , Pg:
016 , 721 words , FEATURES
4. 'Dance Me to My Song' Stratton,
David. Variety. New York: May 18-24, 1998. Vol. 371, Iss. 2; pg. 74, 2 pgs
Journals/ critical essays
1. Siemienowicz, Rochelle. Journal of Australian
Studies, 'Globalisation and Home
Values in New Australian Cinema', Dec 1999 p49. (Critical Essay), accessed 29/04/04, from the Gale Group
Infotrac search database- http://0-infotrac.galegroup.com.prospero.murdoch.edu.au/itw
(password required)
2. Hope, Cat. (B. Mus.
Hons.)Hearing the Story: Sound Design in the Films of Rolf de Heer 2004, Published in Senses of
Cinema, www.sensesofcinema.com/
Discussions in books
1. References to de Heer and films in context of Australian National Cinema: O'Regan, T. Australian National Cinema, Routledge New York, London, 1996, reprint 2001 pp. 39, 171, 174, 177, 195, 207, 262, 322, 352
2. Raffaele Caputo & Geoff Burton. Third take: Australian film-makers talk. Crows Nest: Allen & Unwin, 2002.
Details of on-line presence.
The
online presence was quite strong although the critical reviews that appeared
most relevant were predominantly subscription or accessed with password.
Further, there is a lot of repetition when searching through and within
different databases.
1. Official Rolf de
Heer films site:
http://www.vertigoproductions.com.au/information.php?film_id=10&display=tech
2.Production Company
and Distribution banner:
http://www.fandango.it/eng/storia.htm
http://www.palace.net.au/danceme/direct.htm
4. Berardinelli, James.
1999 "Dance Me To My Song",
accessed 28/04/04, http://movie-reviews.colossus.net/movies/d/dance_me.html
5. Chandler, Jan. Arts alive, 'Dance me to my song'- accessed 28/04/04
http://home.vicnet.net.au/~artsaliv/film_review/danceme.htm
6. Ebert Roger 'Dance Me to My Song'-By from the Telluride Film Festival (and) Williams, Evan. 'Dance Me to My Song' of The Australian, accessed 1/05/04 http://www.ebertfest.com/one/dance__rev.htm
7. Pomeranz, Margaret and Stratton, David. 'Dance me to My Song', SBS: The Movie Show, accessed 1/05/04, from the 'movieshow' reviews link http://www.sbs.com.au/movieshow/reviews.php3?id=128
8. Movie Review Query Engine http://www.mrqe.com/lookup?dance+me+to+my+song Details: - 3 reviews one url doesn't work, one in
Dutch
9. Mair,
Tracey. 'AUSTRALIAN FILMS SELECTED FOR
CANNES', 23 April 1998 http://www.afc.gov.au/newsandevents/mediarelease/1998/release_161.aspx
10. Independent
Film
Magazine: http://www.if.com.au/tools/find.taf?fn=detail&id=0497
Details: about formation of fandango
production company
10. http://parisvoice.com/99/may/html/cineview.cfm , Review
Note: These are only a sample of those available.
Methodology:
MED231 database;
specifically 'The Tracker' critical review by Helena Sharp (2002) provided much
information on Rolf De Heer and research methodologies. http://online.murdoch.edu.au/MED231s1/index.html
Website search engine Google. This site was used
initially for gauging a sense of the materials available. Searches for general
information required quickly were undertaken by inputting 'Rolf de Heer's Dance
me to My Song', as well as 'Rolf de Heer' and 'Dance me to my song' separately. This pulled up reviews, Dance me to my
Song production
company, Vertigo Productions as well as databases of info such as IMB. Also
searched for Heather Rose Slattery http://www.google.com/, accessed
April/May 2004.
The Internet Movie
Database;
http://us.imdb.com/,
accessed April/ May 2004, provided database information and links to general
film information, biographies, reviews as well as generating related films.
Australia's Culture
and Recreation database http://www.cultureandrecreation.gov.au/,
accessed April/May 2004. A search for 'dance
me to my song' + rolf de heer' matched 187 documents, 20 displayed (some
repetition and redundancy noted)
Newstext -newstext.com.au- 35 documents matched the query "dance me to my
song",
max. of 20
returned.
Proquest: http://0-proquest.umi.com.prospero.murdoch.edu.au/
20 returned for Rolf de Heer, 26 for Dance Me to My Song. (most inaccessible-
pay per view articles but can be searched for elsewhere with details)
Part 2: Critical Review of Film and its
Literature
Synopsis
Dance Me to My Song addresses issues of obligation, accountability, need and love, as well as problematising and challenging the representation and 'treatment' of and towards disability through the conflict between a young woman with Cerebral Palsy, Julia, and her abusive, short-tempered and lonely carer, Madelaine.
Much of the film is set around juxtaposing these two characters in relation to their ability to express themselves and their differing relationships to Australian social institutions, as well as their different approaches to the value and belief system. Their conflict is established through showing their different needs and wants inherent in the arduous nature of their daily routine and then moves to revolve around their battle for the attentions of the mysterious yet sensitive character of Eddie. There are sub-characters and plots also, Madelaine's unfulfilling boyfriends and implied date-rape, Julia's lesbian sister Rix and her girlfriend taking Julia on drunken bouts and Rix's feelings of inadequacy for caring for Julia, Julia's interaction with the 'outside' world and the 'institution' and the problems of getting a decent carer threatening Julia's way of life.
The film resolves with Julia and Eddie reuniting after being separated by Madelaine but is still slightly ambiguous in regards to the future.
Critical analysis of main plot
points and thematic concerns
As in his
earlier films 'Bad Boy Bubby' and 'The Quiet Room', de Heer focuses again on a
central character that succeeds in battling against totally inconceivable odds
to overcome their victimisation. In 'Dance Me to My Song" there is the re-occurring theme of shortcomings
and misunderstanding of language that is one of De Heer's thematic concerns in
his auteurism.
"De Heer has been equally consistent in exploring the communicative difficulties underpinning troubled relationships. From the mute young protagonist of The Quiet Room to the aphasic heroine of Dance Me to My Song, De Heer's films are frequently preoccupied with the profound inadequacy or outright failure of language as a means of communication." http://www.realtimearts.net/rt56/capp.html (accessed 1/05/04)
This concern comes through particularly with Julia's communication through the voice synthesiser; everybody around her (excepting trained, willing and ethical carers) have, to differing degrees, problems of 'hearing' or understanding both what and how Julia communicates- with different approaches such as asking to repeat or not trusting it. An example of this is upon Eddie and Julia's first meeting Eddie states, "I don't understand what the machines trying to say". This parallels with what I would assume is the hypothetical audiences experience of difficulty in understanding what is predominantly an alien mode of communication. Second source in face-to-face situations is quite challenging not only through non-exposure to this reality but also that this is an unusual representation and audiences could be confronted by their inability to identify showing that the identification process that occurs in cinema generally does not support difference.
Another example is these
characters ability and inability to express themselves. Madeline is visually
described as introspective whereas Julia is more forthcoming with her thoughts
and feelings even though it is a physical struggle. The two characters
juxtapose each other in a sense that Madelaine's problems are internal and are
more of an 'emotional disability' whilst she attempts to find/seek power
through her body, yet continually encountering problems with her investment in
sex and sexuality. Madelaine's instability is shown through her act of
repeatedly using Julia almost as a mirror, the extreme of this being taking her
voice-machine away so that her sense of reality cannot be challenged.
" I know I'm good
looking, good in bed...better off then you, you poor thing".
This is only one example
of her stream of consciousness communication as she continually demeans Julia
to the role of 'listener' rather
than seeing merit in what Julia could communicate. Julia, who, although more
emotionally stable, has to deal with the construction of disability by most of
those around her seeing her as 'a problem' or 'poor thing' as well as not being
able to easily communicate. Madelaine and her boyfriend continually compare her
to an animal, and Rix and her girlfriend and even Eddie doubt her sexual
desires and ability.
Madelaine:
"I wish you could eat like a normal person instead of a bloody animal"
Trevor: "she looks like a fuckin' insect"
This culminates to show the easy reduction of her body to a signifier of powerlessness and therefore sub-human in the eyes of more able people.
Issues of
communication are also brought up in showing a parrot-like learning of
language, behaviour and attitudes. Copying Madelaine's approach and patronizingly 'sweet' language to Julia and her
illness, Eddy chides Julia into drinking a glass of water saying:
Similar to
Eddie's mimicking Bad Boy Bubby (1993) De Heer's earlier feature also shows learnt behaviour... "Bubby has a tendency to repeat what others have spoken to
him, or what he has heard, and much of his dialogue is this." http://www.angelfire.com/wa/BadBoyBubby/index2.html
but interestingly the character of Bubby/Pop has the ability to understand the
disabled peoples language (including Heather Rose) and this is one of the
limited times he 'converses' and doesn't just repeat.
Another issue of communication is brought up through Julia being talked 'at' by almost everyone. Cat Hope quotes Jake Wilson as suggesting, "de Heer has a "habit of using a struggle over spoken language as a central plot device" An example of this is the ice-cream shop lady patronising with her 'poor dear' and her embarrassed reaction " and can you get her out of here please' when Julia shows herself to be outside of the cultural frame of poor defenceless cripple with her "fuck me" which is framed to be about the "prices being steep" but seems more toward the woman's behaviour.
After this incident Eddie
too falls into the trap of talking 'at' her:
Julia replies
defiantly:
"Please
don't talk about me, in front of me, like I'm an animal or not there at all".
This repeated line
elucidates again that she is above this and at the same time shows her
frustration with this undermining habit.
There is a sequence in which through inter-cutt