Plot - What's it all about?

f we could turn back the clock eleven years, we'd see that there was much talk of "Billy Elliot" and a possible mention nod for Best Picture. That never happened, as much as Universal would have liked it to. The film seemed to follow a certain formula (that's usually a shoo-in for a "hit" at the movies) and that was the story of one "Billy Elliot" (Jamie Bell). The story takes place in Northern England, a blue-collar town that is currently in the midst of a coal workers strike. They are striking against their union and in the meantime have nothing better to do than taunt and throw eggs at the "scabs" (the people who are working at the coal mine while the strike is going on). Billy lives with his father, brother and Grandmother in their house. The Dad, Jackie (Gary Lewis), and Brother, Tony (Jammie Draven) both are both currently unemployed and are part of the mob that is attacking the scabs on a daily basis. On top of all this, the family has just lost their mother (it never says how) and is coping with the death and her loss in their own ways. We see the town in many ways, and by the end we're used to seeing armed guards with plexiglass shields line the streets. But all that is just the background. You see..."Billy Elliot" is all about the ballet!

Unlike here in America where kids play basketball, baseball or football (the American kind), up in England, sports like Boxing, Wrestling and Soccer are popular. As a daily activity, Billy goes down to the local gym where he boxes, or at least tries to. His mind is clearly elsewhere. Due to the economic status of the town, the girls ballet class has been moved to the other half of the gym where Billy and the other boys go to box. After class one day, Billy's curiosity gets the best of him and he starts to watch the girls do their ballet. He is enthralled with it and starts to go on his own time, still under the guise of boxing mind you. As he is more and more taken with ballet, his teacher, Mrs. Wilkinson (Julie Walters) sees something special in him and decides that his "gift" might best be expressed at the Royal Academy of Ballet located in London. Up until now, Billy had been doing a good job of keeping his ballet "secret" from his unsupportive brother and father. However, upon Mrs. Wilkinson's visit to Billy's house, they all learn the truth and what Billy has really been doing.

It's at this time when things start to change for Billy. His father, sometimes abusive, and certainly very unsupportive of most everything anyone does, has a change of heart. He swallows his pride and becomes a scab to get money to pay for a trip for Billy to go to London. It's also at this time when the movie really takes off. "Billy Elliot" is a very odd, strange movie. Some of the subplots don't seem to make sense to me. Billy and Mrs. Wilkinson's daughter seem to be interested in each other, yet it's never explored. Billy's friend, Michael, is another strange child. He walks in on him dressed up in his sister's dresses and wearing makeup. We later find out that he's gay, or as they say...a "puffer". Still, "Billy Elliot" has those certain areas of it that liken it to movies like "The Karate Kid" or "Rudy". The movie is set in England and the dialects are so thick that it takes a bit of listening to make out everything that's said. Still, the underlying theme is there and that's what makes "Billy Elliot" worth watching.

Video - How's it look?

I can remember watching this film on standard DVD (also included in this Blu-Ray package) and being thoroughly impressed with the transfer. The opening sequence looks even better on Blu-Ray and the 1.85:1 VC-1 transfer is certainly a step up (or a leap?) in quality from its DVD counterpart. I'd forgotten how dull some of the scenes look, though it's not a fault of the transfer, rather just the grey skies in Northern Ireland in general. There are still a few specs of dust and grain in a few selected scenes, namely the outdoor shots, but by and large Universal has given this the royal treatment.

Audio - How's it sound?

Though the film has received an upgrade in the audio department, it still sounds a bit on the shallow side. This new DTS HD Master Audio sound mix gives a bit more clarity to the vocals, though the thick Irish accents do tend to prevail and take front and center. The movie isn't a total loss, however, Billy's statement of "I like to boogie..." sequence does still resonate throughout and really injects a bit of much needed depth into the film (speaking in terms of audio, of course). Surrounds are used, though not very often.

Supplements - It's all about the extras...

When it comes to extras, I was a bit disappointed. The same featurette entitled "Billy Elliot: Breaking Free" is present as is the original theatrical trailer. Even the cast bios and production notes have been removed (though they're still present on the DVD version). You'd figure since "Billy Elliot" is now (or was) a Broadway play that they'd have something of note to put on the Blu-Ray. Nope. This is also one of the inaugural titles in Universal's 100th Anniversary Celebration to boot. Still, no new extras here to talk about.

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