The Dancer and the Thief (Spanish: El baile de la victoria) is a 2009 film directed by Fernando Trueba. It is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by author Antonio Skármeta.
| The Dancer and the Thief | |
|---|---|
| Spanish | El baile de la victoria |
| Directed by | Fernando Trueba |
| Screenplay by |
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| Based on | El baile de la victoria by Antonio Skármeta |
| Produced by | Jessica Berman |
| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Julián Ledesma |
| Edited by | Carmen Frías |
Production company | Fernando Trueba PC |
| Distributed by | Notro Films |
Release date |
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Running time | 127 min |
| Countries |
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| Language | Spanish |
With the arrival of democracy in Chile following the 1988 national plebiscite, the president of Chile declares a general amnesty for all prisoners convicted of non-violent crimes.
Among these former prisoners is the young Ángel Santiago and the veteran Vergara Grey, a famous thief. The two have different plans: while Vergara Grey only wishes to regain his family and turn over a new leaf, Ángel dreams of avenging the prison warden and undertaking a grand heist with Grey. But then Ángel meets the young Victoria, a ballet dancer who has not spoken a word since she lost her parents as a small child during the Chilean dictatorship.
The lives of all three are changed irrevocably as they are faced with a new future.
Director Fernando Trueba has said of the film: “I am proud of how I have portrayed [Santiago], I believe it is very interesting visually. This is above all a romantic film, but with elements of comedy and film noir. It’s film-noir and it is western, it’s realist and very romantic. Definitively Latin American.”[1]
Adapting the Antonio Skármeta's novel El baile de la Victoria, Fernando Trueba, Jonás Trueba and Skármeta himself collaborated in the writing of the screenplay.[2] The film was produced by Fernando Trueba P.C.[3] Shooting started in Chile in July 2008.[4]
Distributed by Notro Films,[3] the film was theatrically released in Spain on 27 November 2009. The film was selected as the Spanish entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 82nd Academy Awards.[5]
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 24th Goya Awards | Best Film | Nominated | [6][7] | |
| Best Director | Fernando Trueba | Nominated | |||
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Antonio Skármeta, Fernando Trueba, Jonás Trueba | Nominated | |||
| Best Supporting Actor | Ricardo Darín | Nominated | |||
| Best Production Supervision | Eduardo Castro | Nominated | |||
| Best Editing | Carmen Frías | Nominated | |||
| Best Art Direction | Carmen Frías | Nominated | |||
| Best Costume Design | Lala Huete | Nominated | |||
| Best Sound | Pierre Gamet, Nacho Royo-Villanova, Pelayo Gutiérrez | Nominated | |||
The film had mixed reviews: