Li Cunxin is a Chinese ballet dancer. He arrives in America in a cultural exchange program sponsored by the Houston Ballet director Ben Stevenson (Bruce Greenwood). As a child, he was taken from a small rural village and trained in the state dance program in Beijing. He tries to adjust to the new culture and the new dance program. He falls for fellow dancer Elizabeth (Amanda Schull). Li wants to extend his stay but the Chinese government refuses.There is a general lack of drama in this biopic. His childhood story is interesting but without any surprises. It's interesting to see China but the story has no intensity. A similar thing can be said about the modern American side of the story. At least that has a love story and some drama about his defection. Two hours is way too long for a biopic that isn't that dramatic.

is heart of this film. a film full of Manicheic shadows, touching, cruel, with few drops of melodrama, but precise work. because, far from image of a China from many others, far from a nice adaptation of a novel, it is a profound story of a man with ordinary ambitions. axis of his desires - be yourself. and the courage of the young man is root for an entire universe. result - touching fairy - tale, beautiful ballet scenes, good performance, and universal image of making happiness. an universal case of every "ballerino" beyond Iron Curtain who choose freedom. its virtue - science to respect measure ( the Chinese shadows are only instrument for powerful effect ) and to create not exactly a film but image of a painful testimony. and this is appreciated.

China's cultural revolution had a devastating effect on the way certain works of art were perceived by the people on top. Anything that had to do with the West, was deemed not proper and therefore, not fit for the masses. Ballet, a classical dance expression, became a vehicle for propaganda, as the higher ups wanted the works presented in a revolutionary manner, in tone and content.A young man, Li Cunxin, showed an innate talent for ballet. Coming from a poor family, he had almost no chances to pursue a career as a dancer, let alone to have been singled out to go to America to study for a limited period with the Houston Ballet, under Ben Stevenson's artistic direction, gave him an opportunity, first to study, and then, to shine as a gifted soloist that conquered the hearts of whoever saw him dance.Li Cunxin got caught in between his loyalty to his birth country and what he wanted to accomplish as an artist with a great gift to give the audiences that flocked to watch him perform. After making his decision, Li lived to experience his dream, not without sacrificing his desire to be in both places, but was not allowed to be.An inspirational film by Bruce Beresford, the Australian director that has had a string of hits in America. Based on the autobiography by Li Cunxin, and adapted by Jan Sardi, this production gets a great look from its creators, who clearly that plays with the viewer's emotions as it unfolds on the screen. There have been other great ballet films, but "Mao's Last Dancer" resonates with audiences thanks to Mr. Beresford's intelligent take on the dancing world.Chi Cao plays the title role as an adult. His dancing impresses because it almost appears to be effortless. Bruce Greenwood playing Mr. Stevenson is one of his best roles in the cinema. Joan Chen, Kyle MacLachlan, Amanda Schull, Camilla Vergotis, and the rest of the supporting cast do a good job for Mr. Beresford, in a film that shows the indestructible will of a man that wanted to bring joy through his dancing. Peter James photographs the production in all its splendor as different ballet pieces are performed.

there are a lot of things I found lacking or somewhat poor execution on the part of the filmmaker...the way it was packaged in the editing, the way some seemingly important details were glossed over, some particular liberties I imagine was taken with some of the real story, some choice of shots, inconsistencies in the use of music, a few overextended numbers, etc. etc. It wasn't a masterpiece in any sense that I sa "Not One Less" (1999, Zhang Yimou) is, in a similar genre and similar concerns.That being said, this film falls on the shoulder of Li Cunxin's story and the story carries well. It's tension of family versus individual and not the tension of East versus West, and to that end it is where the film gets its power, as we see toward the end of the film. It's hard for a life's journey to be chronicled in two hours in an entertainment format but I think this film does it well enough to perhaps encourage people to do some additional reading on their own.