Tango

This beautifully photographed documentary is Spanish-filmmaker Carlos Saura's tribute to the beauty and diversity of Spain's national dance. Using only the minimalist setting of an abandoned Seville train station and the costumes of more than 300 performers, this is a veritable feast of exciting flamenco dances, songs, and guitar playing. Some of the better known artists include Paco de Lucia, Manolo Sanlucar, and Lole Manuel. The film features little…Read More

Reminiscent of the Australian hit Strictly Ballroom (1992), this romantic comedy from Japan was a hit in its country of origin, despite (or perhaps because of) its tacit criticisms of the restrictive aspects of Japanese culture. Shohei Sugiyama (Koji Yakusho) is a typically strait-laced Japanese businessmen who, passing by in his commuter train one day, glimpses a beautiful young woman, Mai (real-life ballerina Tamiyo Kusakari) through the window of a…Read More

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…Read More