Product Details

• Actors: Sally Potter, Morgane Maugran, Géraldine Maillet, Katerina Mechera, David Toole
• Directors: Sally Potter
• Producers: The Tango Lesson (1997) ( La Leçon de tango ), The Tango Lesson (1997), La Leçon de tango
• Format: Import, PAL, Widescreen
• Subtitles: Italian
• Region: Region 2 (Read more about DVD formats.)
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: Unrated
• Studio: 01 Distribution
• Run Time: 102 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (76 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B001W8KYHI
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #246,950 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Italy released, PAL/Region 2 DVD: it WILL NOT play on standard US DVD player. You need multi-region PAL/NTSC DVD player to view it in USA/Canada: LANGUAGES: English ( Dolby Digital 2.0 ), Italian ( Dolby Digital 2.0 ), Italian ( Subtitles ), ANAMORPHIC WIDESCREEN (1.78:1), SPECIAL FEATURES: Interactive Menu, Scene Access, Trailer(s), SYNOPSIS: Maverick filmmaker Sally Potter, who won acclaim in 1993 with the gender-bending, history-warping Orlando, returns to her dancing roots with The Tango Lesson. Potter wrote, directed, and starred in the film, also assembling the soundtrack, dancing, and even singing the film's final song. Potter was trained as a dancer in London in the 1970s before turning to film. Here, she plays Sally, a character who is essentially herself. Sally is a screenwriter suffering from writer's block and dissatisfaction with her own project, a murder mystery movie called Rage which focuses on the fashion industry. To take a break, she travels to Paris, where she sees the dancer Pablo Veron perform the tango. She becomes obsessed with the dance and offers Veron a part in her film in exchange for lessons. The two become deeply involved as dancers and as lovers, and their emotional intimacy threatens the success of their dancing together. The film is shot mostly in black and white, except for some dream sequences in which Sally fantasizes about her film project. Veron performs many modern dance numbers, including tap and ballroom dancing, as part of his tango repertoire. SCREENED/AWARDED AT: BAFTA Awards, ...The Tango Lesson (1997) ( La Leçon de tango )

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

60 of 62 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars To set things straight..., December 7, 1999

By 

Vargiu Riccardo James (Bologna, Italy) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tango Lesson [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I saw the Tango Lesson and found it a genuine work of Art. I recommend those who love good movies to watch this one. The Tango Lesson perhaps has a weak plot, but a film director isn't necessarily a story teller. The meta-narration which takes place in the Tango Lesson certainly makes this movie an advanced art product, which has nothing to do with the telling of actual occurrences, but rather focuses on the developing of Art itself in the mind and life of an Artist. In my opinion, one of the strong-points of this film is that it allows us to peek into the director's head, and see Art through her eyes (I can assure it's quite a sight). Some may interpret this film as an "exercise in self-indulgence," but personally, I think this approach misleading, in the age of the "Self." We're talking Art here, and Sally Potter is the Artist. Herself: no one else should be the starting point and centre of her own movie. The Lady knows how to direct, act, dance and sing: why shouldn't she do all of the above? I think she deserves much admiration: she's a well rounded Artist, and there aren't many! (Besides, as I've said already, to me the film is about Art and Life before anything else: the director uses her own experience and many skills to make a point and to get things done exactly how she wants them, but the movie isn't "about" Sally Potter.) Now to the point. The editing has character, it's intelligent, original, definitely not a Hollywood product. The photography is breathtaking - and eloquent: it says "the Tango Lesson is about Aesthetics, Beauty itself." The acting is honest, fresh, and charming. In my opinion, the acting is superb: Sally Potter really knows what measure and elegance are. The soundtrack is exquisite. The tango pieces are great, and so is the leitmotiv of the movie: the seagull-like cry in the airport scene tears my heart out every time I listen to it (it's also the one track that made me decide to buy the CD). This film, someone said, has little to offer the general public. I'm afraid this is accurate. Or rather, "the general public" probably would have some difficulty in tacklig this art-movie, which I don't believe was meant to give easy answers to difficult questions (like so many other films) but to make people think. Nonetheless, seeing this movie made me realise all over again that it's definitely worth trying.

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Striking movie that captures the spirit of the Tango, November 17, 1998

By 

Chris Charuhas ([e-mail]) (Alexandria, VA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tango Lesson [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Most dance movies obscure the actual dancing in a barrage of MTV-quick-cut shots of heads and feet. This one doesn't. Why not? Because it doesn't have to. The dancers are terrific, and shooting them full-length, with the camera on them for minutes at a time, shows them and the Tango to advantage.

After a distracting yet stylish introduction, the movie settles down into its intelligent portrayal of two exceptional people learning to love each other and dance together. The director wisely keeps the dialogue to a minimum, and lets the dancing tell the story. And what dancing! The Tango is a captivating dance to begin with, and these folks dance it with grace and passion.

Pablo Veron has more screen presence than any other actor alive, and he's a world-class dancer to boot. Sally Potter, the movie's director who plays his partner is also an excellent tanguera. Did I say it before? The dancing is amazing!

From the parks of Paris to the Tango salons of Buenos Aires, the characters speak to each other in French, Spanish, and English. This ain't Hollywood fare. No car chases, no pulling of heart strings, no wacky characters. Just striking cinematography, a fine, spare script, and delightful dancing. If you like beautiful things, you'll like this movie.

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best films of the 90s, January 9, 1999

By 

Collin Mitchell Kelley - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tango Lesson [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Director Sally Potter, who gave us the brilliant "Orlando, turns the camera on herself to give an intimate and often wrenching performance. Potter plays herself, a frustrated director desperately trying to finish a script she has no faith in. On a research trip to Paris, she sees Veron dancing the tango and instantly falls in love. She takes up the dance, and the story follows her around the world as she learns the art of the tango. The stunning camera work (shot mostly in black and white, but with haunting colour images as Potter imagines her screenplay coming to life)is breathtaking. There are so many moments of pleasure in this film: Potter and Veron dancing the tango along the Seine in Paris, in the rain in Argentina and in an abandoned barbershop. The soundtrack is a must as well. A masterpiece.