Comments on: Beware of The Unfinished Dance (1947)

By: Swan Lake Can Kill You: Morbidity, Ballet, and The Unfinished Dance | Grand Old Movies

Mon, 05 Sep 2011 18:06:03 +0000

[...] for a coveted lead role. TUD’s innovative twist on this category is to add a child into the mix. Moira Finnie notes the “disquieting effect” this addition has, comparing TUD’s youthful protagonist, [...]

By: Judith Goldstein

Judith Goldstein — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 02:35:24 +0000

I have not seen the movie The Unfinished Dance since I was a child.Margaret O’Brian was my idol,I had coloring books and paper dolls. I have been trying to locate a copy of the Unfinished Dance,maybe someone out there can help me.

By: Christina

Christina — Sun, 16 Jan 2011 02:51:30 +0000

I saw the unfinished dance around 8 years of age. I fell in love with ballet. I haven’t seen the film since then and just happen to stumble on this review while trying to find it on dvd. I hope it comes out soon. Childhood is lonely for many children and without guidance, they make mistakes like Meg. Thanks for the insights of the character.

By: Cynthia

Cynthia — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 18:23:54 +0000

Having just seen the horror film “Black Swan”, I got thinking about the parallels between it and “The Unfinished Dance”. “Black Swan gave me nightmares, but “Unfinished Dance was the film that inspired me to take up dance and spend my life devoted to it. As a child, in a small rural town, the ballet was totally foreign to me until I saw this film in ’47. I can’t wait for the 15th; I was not aware it had ever been on TCM and will DVR it to show my daughter who went on to become a beautiful principal dancer and is supporting her own daughter’s interest and talent as a dancer. I hope someday it does come out on DVD.

By: Mimigy

Mimigy — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 17:39:27 +0000

A HUGE THANK YOU TO TCM FOR BRINGING THE UNFINISHED DANCE TO US. I HAVE LONGED FOR THIS MOVIE FOR YEEEEEEEARS. I DID NOT WANT TO DIE WITHOUT SEEING IT AGAIN. I BLESS THE INTERNET TECHNOLOGY AS WELL. I SAW THIS MOVIE ONLY ONCE AS A CHILD AND IT IMPACTED MY LIFE. I TOOK BALLET UNTIL I WAS 15. DID NOT BECOME A DANCER, BUT THE LOVE FOR BALLET REMAINED INTACT IN MY HEART SINCE THE UNFINISHED DANCE. ACTUALLY, I AM TEARY-EYED WITH EMOTION. CANNOT WAIT TIL JAN. 15TH. THANK YOU!!!!!

By: Cindy

Cindy — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 04:04:43 +0000

I first saw the Unfinished Dance as an 8 year old, and immediately fell in love with Margaret O’Brien and ballet dancing! This movie prompted me to start taking ballet lessons, and instilled in me a desire to become a ballerina. I took ballet lessons for a number of years and danced with a few small (non-professional) companies. This movie gave me a lifelong love of dance, and especially of ballet.

By: sitting pugs

sitting pugs — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 19:07:43 +0000

I love Margaret O’Brien, but that first image of her….yikes! What she up to?!

By: Pat

Pat — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 06:34:10 +0000

Thanks, Moira. It’s nice to know others appreciate this rare movie. I first saw “The Unfinished Dance” a few years ago, but I think I had to watch it two or three times before I could get past the shock of seeing O’Brien in such a disturbing role. It’s now one of my favorites of hers, a great performance that truly showed her range as an actress.

By: ziggy 6708

ziggy 6708 — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 01:20:59 +0000

I guess what bugged me the most was the lack of a deserved ‘comeuppance’ to the O’Brian character for destroying the career and nearly the life of La Darina. I thought with ‘the code’ in place no rotten deed could go unpunished. Geez, she almost got away with unintended murder.
But thanks for an excellent & thoughtful review on an unusual O’Brian performance in a little known film.

By: Jacqueline T Lynch

Jacqueline T Lynch — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 13:47:58 +0000

I had to set the recorder based on your excellent essay. Fascinating. I think I have to watch this one a couple more times to be able to really mull it over. One the elements that really keeps the viewer off balance is the way a dramatic scene is ended with offbeat humor, or conversely, something silly then suddenly shifts to something heavy. What an unusual movie. Thanks for the heads-up.