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Jean-Claude Van Damme in Swan Lake


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This one's too good to languish on Links (thanks, Ari, for finding it):

Well, it survived Matthew Bourne.  But is it tough enough for Jean-Claude Van Damme?  The star is considering a film version of Swan Lake.

From the article:

The limber Belgian who, lest we forget, made his bones with projects like Bloodsport, Kickboxer, Streetfighter and Universal Soldier - may take the Billy Elliot route to appear in a film version of Tchaikovsky's classic. According to Sunday's Observer, the film - featuring the English National Ballet - is an attempt to bring ballet to the masses using the effects team behind Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings.

...Van Damme is one of a number of stars being considered for non-dancing roles. The man behind the film, Jonathan Shalit, declared his casting wish-list to be as follows: "For Swan Lake I have been thinking of: Von Rothbart - Jean-Claude Van Damme or Ewan MacGregor; The Prince's Mother - Dame Judi Dench, Angela Lansbury, Glenn Close or Jane Seymour. As director, l have in mind the likes of Stephen Daldry, Sam Mendes or Nicholas Hynter."

This would be the famous Swan Lake in the Round, I take it? Will Siegfried fight the good Baron a karate?

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Oh la la! :pinch:

Well, if it's a talking role, then it will really become a comical film (I don't know if Van Damme is known for that too in the US, but in France there even have been books making fun of his interviews and quotes, because every time he opens his mouths it's a real festival of grammatical mistakes, English words mixed with French ones, and complete nonsense which himself seems to consider as deep philosophy.)

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Well, if it's a talking role, then it will really become a comical film (I don't know if Van Damme is known for that too in the US, but in France there even have been books making fun of his interviews and quotes, because every time he opens his mouths it's a real festival of grammatical mistakes, English words mixed with French ones, and complete nonsense which himself seems to consider as deep philosophy.)

A new take on Von Rothbart! The stupid, not-quite-bilingual big owlie guy.

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I have this awful feeling that if I go to hell, there will only be two "ballet" videos that I can choose from:  Barbie Swan Lake or Van Damme Swan Lake.

:shhh: As long as it's not "Swan Lake," starring Barbie and J-C VD. :speechless: This production really, really needs a Jester, for which I nominate Jackie Chan. :pinch:

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glebb, if Mendes directs and we have "Swan Lake Meets the Road to Perdition" I shall leave the country to avoid it, if need be. :)

You know, this project doesn't have to be awful, although it probably will. Putting aside the silly "for the masses" rhetoric, if you found a director with a genuine visual imagination and gift for shooting movement (none of which I've yet seen from any of the directors mentioned in their work for film), you might have something interesting, although it wouldn't be a real Swan Lake.

Ewan McGregor is too short for Rothbart. At least van Damme would be scary (in more than one sense).

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If you rent or buy "Dancers" I'd also recommend that you hit the mute button every time the fair Miss Kent appears within camera range. :wub:

This venture may be misguided, but I still think it's a Good Thing that people are still interested in bringing ballet related projects to the screen minus the participation of any Russian defectors. Good luck to them.

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If you rent or buy "Dancers" I'd also recommend that you hit the mute button every time the fair Miss Kent appears within camera range.
:wub:

Oh, that is not true Dirac. I think she have a wonderful voice and her acting was much better than some other actresses that I had seen on screen.

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Considering some of the von Rothbarts that already exist on film, Van Damme might be an improvement. I could never quite stomach that short black wings costume that looked like it had been filched from the ice capades, or was it water ballet? As long as they leave the "dancing" parts to dancers, who cares. Perhaps we should be casting Siegfried's mother?

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Amy, I read your post in my e-mail alert and instantly saw Glenn Close. Then, reading the opening of this thread, the article (ahem) which we are now discussing also mentions her :3dnod: -- along with Dame Judi Dench, Angela Lansbury and Jane Seymour. Of course, there's always Madonna, too! :speechless: :FIREdevil:

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That's wierd, I had been picturing Angela Lansbury, but couldn't come up with a good reason for her. It must have lodged there when I first scanned the article, but I was so focussed on Van Damme that I didn't notice. I could see Glenn Close as Odile, character-wise, but can't bring myself to picture her doing fouettes! Now now now, this is just getting out of hand.... an image of Cher attempting the split-character role has popped into my head and is obnoxiously refusing to depart.

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