There's a sub-sub genre of movies under the general heading of drama that has produced some very entertaining and even poignant films. I don't know that this narrow category of movies has a name, so I'll just call it "rebel dance films". These are movies in which people (usually teenagers) get together to dance, but under some degree of secrecy due to the disapproval of their parents, local religious leaders or even government authorities. Parents may disapprove of the kind of dancing (or what it may lead to), religious leaders may feel that the kind of dancing these young people do is immoral, or the authorities may see modern, non-traditional dancing as a form of rebellion
and a sign of more rebellion to come.
The short list of these rebel dance films range from very popular to very obscure, but they should be recognized and appreciated by dedicated movie fans, regardless of the individual's own level of proclivity to move to the music. In 1984 (and in an ill-advised remake in 2011), "Footloose" told the story of the new kid in town trying to bring a senior prom to his small, repressed southern community. 1993's "Swing Kids" showed us teenagers in pre-World War II Nazi Germany insisting on listening and dancing to swing music, even though much of it came from musicians who were Jewish! One of the "Step Up" movies, namely the 4th one, 2012's "Step Up Revolution", has teens dancing in a flash mob to disrupt a corporate developer's plans for their neighborhood. In 2014, "Desert Dancer" told the true story of Iranian young people who learned to dance in secret and planned to put on a performance in the desert. 2015's addition to rebel dance films is the British-Irish movie "Jimmy's Hall" (PG-13, 1:49).
This one is also based on a true story, but is about a lot more than dancing which some people and institutions find objectionable. Jimmy Gralton (Barry Ward) returns to his rural Irish home after ten years of living in the United States. He had been exiled for his unpopular political views, but now he wants no more than to live the life of an ordinary man and help his aging mother take care of the family farm. Unfortunately for him, he's still something of a local legend for the community center that he ran before he was forced to leave the country. Now, with the post-Irish civil war government firmly in place, the locals beg him to fix up and reopen the hall that, years earlier, meant so much to so many. He agrees and the community pitches in to bring the old place back to life. Soon, once again, Jimmy's Hall becomes a spot where everyone is welcome to take classes, learn boxing, take music lessons and, most of all, to socialize and dance. All of this brings him back into contact with a lost love (Simone Kirby) and back into conflict with Father Sheridan (Jim Norton), a powerful local priest who uses the pulpit to criticize the hall for its modern music and dancing – and the socialist ideas discussed in the hall. Most of the community supports Jimmy, and a younger priest (Andrew Scott) increasingly speaks out against Father Sheridan's handling of the situation, but strong forces are gathering to oppose Jimmy and his hall.
Then, the movie's plot takes a sharp turn – a sharp LEFT turn. Things get overtly political, as they were in Jimmy's real life. A local landowner evicts a family from their home, a very serious situation for a poor family in rural Ireland during the Great Depression. Out of empathy for this family, and out of a larger concern over what will happen to the community if these kinds of evictions continue, rival political groups band together to do something about it. There's a vigorous debate over what Jimmy's role in their plan should be. He's an important local symbol, but he knows that his direct public involvement will likely destroy any remaining possibility of him living out his life in peace and helping his mother in her old age. It's quite a dilemma. And quiet a story.
"Jimmy's Hall" depicts an interesting and little-known episode in Irish history, but isn't very compelling. People with no prior knowledge of the problems of this place at this time will have trouble relating to Jimmy's story, and the movie lacks the narrative power to overcome that obstacle. Seeing this film is an opportunity to become educated about what common folk in a different country and in a different time had to deal with, and the underlying themes of standing up for your principles and helping your neighbors should appeal to most movie fans, but it's not quite enough for me to give this film a very strong recommendation. If you're already interested in the subject matter or the setting, you should probably check out "Jimmy's Hall". If, after reading this review, you still have no more than a passing interest, and you come upon "Jimmy's Hall", you should probably pass it by without a second glance. "B"
The short list of these rebel dance films range from very popular to very obscure, but they should be recognized and appreciated by dedicated movie fans, regardless of the individual's own level of proclivity to move to the music. In 1984 (and in an ill-advised remake in 2011), "Footloose" told the story of the new kid in town trying to bring a senior prom to his small, repressed southern community. 1993's "Swing Kids" showed us teenagers in pre-World War II Nazi Germany insisting on listening and dancing to swing music, even though much of it came from musicians who were Jewish! One of the "Step Up" movies, namely the 4th one, 2012's "Step Up Revolution", has teens dancing in a flash mob to disrupt a corporate developer's plans for their neighborhood. In 2014, "Desert Dancer" told the true story of Iranian young people who learned to dance in secret and planned to put on a performance in the desert. 2015's addition to rebel dance films is the British-Irish movie "Jimmy's Hall" (PG-13, 1:49).
This one is also based on a true story, but is about a lot more than dancing which some people and institutions find objectionable. Jimmy Gralton (Barry Ward) returns to his rural Irish home after ten years of living in the United States. He had been exiled for his unpopular political views, but now he wants no more than to live the life of an ordinary man and help his aging mother take care of the family farm. Unfortunately for him, he's still something of a local legend for the community center that he ran before he was forced to leave the country. Now, with the post-Irish civil war government firmly in place, the locals beg him to fix up and reopen the hall that, years earlier, meant so much to so many. He agrees and the community pitches in to bring the old place back to life. Soon, once again, Jimmy's Hall becomes a spot where everyone is welcome to take classes, learn boxing, take music lessons and, most of all, to socialize and dance. All of this brings him back into contact with a lost love (Simone Kirby) and back into conflict with Father Sheridan (Jim Norton), a powerful local priest who uses the pulpit to criticize the hall for its modern music and dancing – and the socialist ideas discussed in the hall. Most of the community supports Jimmy, and a younger priest (Andrew Scott) increasingly speaks out against Father Sheridan's handling of the situation, but strong forces are gathering to oppose Jimmy and his hall.
Then, the movie's plot takes a sharp turn – a sharp LEFT turn. Things get overtly political, as they were in Jimmy's real life. A local landowner evicts a family from their home, a very serious situation for a poor family in rural Ireland during the Great Depression. Out of empathy for this family, and out of a larger concern over what will happen to the community if these kinds of evictions continue, rival political groups band together to do something about it. There's a vigorous debate over what Jimmy's role in their plan should be. He's an important local symbol, but he knows that his direct public involvement will likely destroy any remaining possibility of him living out his life in peace and helping his mother in her old age. It's quite a dilemma. And quiet a story.
"Jimmy's Hall" depicts an interesting and little-known episode in Irish history, but isn't very compelling. People with no prior knowledge of the problems of this place at this time will have trouble relating to Jimmy's story, and the movie lacks the narrative power to overcome that obstacle. Seeing this film is an opportunity to become educated about what common folk in a different country and in a different time had to deal with, and the underlying themes of standing up for your principles and helping your neighbors should appeal to most movie fans, but it's not quite enough for me to give this film a very strong recommendation. If you're already interested in the subject matter or the setting, you should probably check out "Jimmy's Hall". If, after reading this review, you still have no more than a passing interest, and you come upon "Jimmy's Hall", you should probably pass it by without a second glance. "B"