Billy Elliot [Paperback]

Lee Hall (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 2000 | ISBN-10: 0571207030 | ISBN-13: 978-0571207039

Set in northern England during the 1984 miner's strike, Billy Elliot tells the story of a young working class boy who chooses not to follow his widowed father's instructions to train to be a boxer. Instead, fascinated by the ballet class sharing the same building as his gym, Billy hangs up his gloves to pursue dreams of being a dancer. But even as he discovers his virtuoso gift for ballet he must hide his triumph from his father and brother -- both miners on strike struggling to keep food on the table. A hit at last years Cannes Film Festival and a smash success in the UK just one week into its premiere, Billy Elliot is being hailed as one of the best films of the year.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Floats like a butterfly and stings like a bee!" -Sarah Bailey, Elle

"Poised to sweep the world off its feet!" -Michael Rechtshaffen, Hollywood Reporter

"If you're making up a ten best list of films this year, you'll only need nine more!" -Brandon Judell, Detour

About the Author

Lee Hall is a playwright. Billy Elliot is his first feature film script.

Product Details

• Paperback: 112 pages
• Publisher: Faber & Faber (November 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0571207030
• ISBN-13: 978-0571207039
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 4.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,352,447 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "It flows, like electricity...aye...that's it..electricity!", April 2, 2001

By 

R. Stott (Aurora, CO USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Billy Elliot (Paperback)

When Billy is explaining what it feels like to dance, he basically summarizes the whole of this screenplay: "...starts out sort of stiff..." but then, he adds, the dance (and story) unfolds and becomes "a fire....electricity." Since I decided that Billy Elliot ranked as one of my favorite movies of 2000, I felt that the book would offer some insight and help to follow the whole of the story (boy those accents are hard to decipher at times in the movie!) This book, in screenplay form, offers all those one liners and dialogue parts you just missed while watching the movie. Pictures from the movie placed throughout the book are a nice added touch. A very satisfying screenplay of a very satisifying movie! It is simply a wonderful tale of getting out of the hard places and truly soaring towards your goals.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant by far the best book i've read, September 2, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Billy Elliot (Paperback)

It is just brilliant although it isn't very long you just have keep reading you cannot put it down it is just brilliant!

6 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good read, but not up to par with the play or movie, April 2, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Billy Elliot (Paperback)

Curiously, this version of Billy Elliot (a novelization written by Melvin Burgess) was obviously written to appeal to young adult readers of about jr. high/high school age, who, strangely enough, would not likely be old enough to go see or even really interested in a film such as Billy Elliot in the first place. This novelization unfortunately washes away the directness and vividness so apparent in the written screenplay. The descriptions interspersed within the dialogue take much of the original starkness of the play and movie away, leaving Billy to seem rather flat emotionally. The strife and hardship of Billy's struggle to attain his goals in light of his difficult family situation is largely defused. Lee Hall's excellent screenplay is FAR superior!! Pick that up and by-pass Melvin Burgess's attempt.