Review by Cate McVeigh
Stars Michael Flatley
Written by Michael Flatley
Cinematography by Nick Wheeler
Certification UK U
Runtime 95 minutes
Directed by Marcus Viner
UK Release 13 March 2011
One of the most memorable moments from my childhood was watching the 1994 Eurovision song contest when I was eight years old. Ireland had won two years in a row and were primed to take the Eurovision hattrick. I had been Irish dancing for four years and my teacher had recently left to join an Irish dance troupe in Dublin that would be performing during the Eurovision interval, so I was really excited to see my first glimpse of professional Irish dancing performed on TV.
I sat with my family, fixated on the screen for seven minutes; no-one spoke, the hairs on the back of my neck were standing up and as soon as it had finished, everyone sprang to their feet and cheered. We had just watched the first performance of Riverdance, which would eclipse every other interval show performed on Eurovision and would go down as the second most successful Eurovision act behind ABBA.
Michael Flatley was undoubtedly the star of the show. The confident Irish American that would bring Irish dancing, a lesser known traditional art form, to the masses. When Flatley left the show in 1996 to create his own vision (Lord of the Dance), which he wrote, choreographed and directed, there was no question that it would be a runaway success. Fourteen years after Flatley debuted Lord of the Dance at the Point Theatre in Dublin (the same arena that he premiered Riverdance in 1994), he returned to film the show with 20 3D cameras for an audience spanning five continents.
As a concept, Lord of the Dance filmed in 3D seems unneccessary as it can be seen live in venues throughout the world every year. However, the movie gives those who would not be predisposed to pay £40-£50 per ticket a chance to see the phenomenon in the next closest setting. The composition of the film and the fact that it's shot in 3D gives the audience the feeling that they are watching a staged production. As there is such a high level of motion in the dancing, the movie really showcases how 3D should be used.
Lord of the Dance has a fairly melodramatic storyline about falling in love, temptresses, warriors and redemption. Michael Flatley has played the title role since its inception in 1996. It is incredibly impressive that at the age of 52, he is able to perform reels and heelcuts with such gusto and dance performers 30 years his junior off the screen. Michael Flatley's mesmerising acappella solos remind the world that 14 years on, he is still Lord of the Dance
The rest of the cast is extremely talented and the charm of the story coupled with the extraordinary dancing leads to a polished and breathtaking show. However, this style of dancing is not going to appeal to everyone and if you are neither a fan of fairytales told to dance or of a more traditional style of dance; you may want to give this film a miss. Otherwise it is a thoroughly entertaining 100 minutes and Flatley comes off as being surprisingly likeable. If you're looking for something thoroughly Irish to watch on St Patrick's day, then you couldn't find a better film. I'll be waiting on tenterhooks to see if little Michael Jr will step into his father's dancing shoes and treats us all to Lad of the Dance 3D.