Ballando al buio

A beautiful film, which captures the sadness, squalor and decay of post-Beatles Liverpool and the wasted young lives of those growing up there. It is a sort-of musical comedy, with a superb ensemble of well-rounded characters, all desperate in their different ways, with talents and flaws. Even Mark Womack as Eddie is not a mere stage villain, but rather an embittered and unstable but loyal friend.

The theme is simple - leaving home - and the execution brilliant. The early scenes, as a London rock group encounters the horrors of run-down Liverpool - predatory kids and a hostile pub - are hilarious. The theatrical origins of the film are retained with the most dramatic scenes staged in the ladies' and gents' toilets of a down-town disco. The plot is so straightforward as to be trite, but the writing (by Willy Russell from his stage play), the energetic direction by Mike Ockrent and the vitality of the performances make this a film to remember.

dancin thru the dark is one of my favourite films. I love the grittiness of the way Liverpool is portrayed. The characters are really believable. Mark womaks character is very well acted. Con o'neills character is so lovely.I would love to know more about the exact locations of the club and the Italian restaurant used in the film.I'd love to visit where they were filmed as i go to Liverpool sometimes. i am a huge fan of all of Willy Russell's films and plays. he's a fantastic writer.I love Shirley valentine the most. Pauline Collins portrayal of Shirley is amazing, she brings such a feeling of warmth and realism and humour to the character. I feel that Julie Walters character in Educating Rita is portrayed by her with such compassion. You really feel for her as she try's to better her life to a one she knows she is capable of achieving. All his writing appears to show his leads desperately want more from their lives than they appear to be getting.They all feel there has to be more!

I love Dancin' Thru The Dark and have done since I saw it on the BBC several years ago.

It's hard to pinpoint what I like best about it, but I think a lot of it comes from the brilliant and funny script, the excellent choice of unknowns to play the leads and the atmosphere of the whole thing - I think we all know local dives like Bransky's!

The soundtrack also stands out for me, with three excellent songs written by Willy Russell and sung by Con O'Neill (So Many People, Shoe Shine, Dancin' Thru The Dark) who shows a considerable musical talent.

All in all, I'd watch this movie all day and wish it was more widely available on DVD - if only to let more people see Bernie stick her foot in the men's toilet!

A Classic - 5 out of 5!!

I am reflective of the age of the cast in this movie and saw it when it came out and it really hit the mark with me. Many of the actors in it have had pretty solid careers on TV but I am amazed that at least some of them like Con O'Neil never really hit the big time. Suffice to say if you are a Generation X'er like myself and have not seen this film I advice you to give it a go next time it is on the TV it really takes you back to pub and club life and the pro's and cons of life back then for working class men and women.

The only reason I give it a 9 is because of the lighting. It's so dark on the set that half the time I had trouble keeping track of the characters. Otherwise, I loved this oh-so-believable winking slice of working-class life. I have a couple of questions for other viewers: 1. I don't recall actually seeing the much-commented-upon boots that Peter is wearing. Did anyone? 2. I also don't recall the name of Peter's band ever being mentioned. Is this correct?

Also, when Linda's friends try to convince her to leave because it's bad luck for her to see her groom the night before the wedding, I'm surprised she didn't suggest that _he_ leave, not her.

I also was impressed with the building tension that climaxed in the two bathrooms (Ladies and Gents respectively). A Russell masterpiece.

Anyone else in love with Con O'Neill? I adore Blood Brothers too!!!