Dance First is likely to please audiences who enjoy historical dramas, good books or resilient actors such as Gabriel Byrne (The Usual Suspects, In Treatment, The Man in the Iron Mask). It’s somehow illuminating biopic of Samuel Beckett which is one of my favorite movies.
The Irish novelist/dramatist brought to the stage classic works such as Endgame, Happy Days and Waiting for Godot, which is generating buzz again with the upcoming Broadway production starring Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter. Bill & Ted stars play together on Waiting for Godot; this must be interesting at least in trying to understand what their pairing might mean.
That’s exactly what Dance First achieves. Instead it tends to emphasize on some of his more eye-opener blunders which occurred throughout Beckett’s lifetime. Rather than focusing on the awards-bait power of his myriad achievements, director James Marsh (The Theory of Everything) and writer Neil Forsyth (The Gold, Guilt) take a different approach by making a film about Beckett’s most cherished relationships — and those he betrayed including himself. This may seem like an odd way for a master whose works range from alienating and rather bleak to darkly comedic and even beautiful but there’s a turn here that keeps the drama progressing.
This movie does that by beginning with Beckett winning the Nobel Prize in 1969 – something he is not really excited over. On hearing his name being called out before a packed house he speaks softly ‘catastrophe” to his wife Suzanne (Sandrine Bonnaire). Movie makers could have taken people back when Beckett emerged as a great poet but instead they chose to use creative detours early in this work.
It flips into an unconventional narrative that would have been told by Becketts storytelling style. Within moments we see him discussing his life with himself while zeroing in on those larger regrets from relationships he had. One at a time, these slightly surreal flashbacks bring us back into the past, each sojourn beginning with a black-and-white title card identifying the person — lover, friend, colleague — that the man felt he wronged. For this reason, such self-absorption is justified to some extent although it does not provide a full view of him as an artist.
However Gabriel Byrne does take on his role well and in fact masters it – in essence two Beckett’s. Mr. Byrne is a very reflective actor in himself. Although we usually understand that actors are able to play several different roles, I cannot think of any other who has done such an amazing job. As for other cast members they do fare well; e.g., Fionn O’Shea (Master of Air) as young Beckett who goes away from Ireland to Paris hoping for one thing only that James Joyce takes him under his wings; Aidan Gillen (Game of Thrones) plays James Joyce most successfully ever on screen). The potential romance with Lucia(Gráinne Good), Joyces daughter makes one stop and think about what could have been. Later on we see Beckett serving as an intelligence officer for French Resistance World War II
O’Shea delivers a believable performance throughout, but what fails the film is its insistence on focusing only on Beckett’s private life. In the flashback narrative, by the time Byrne appears, we see that this character has no idea where to concentrate his devotions: Suzanne or Barbara Bray (a literary critic Maxine Peake). Although these actresses give incredible performances, the script doesn’t allow us to delve deeper into what made Beckett such a genius. If it featured some more scenes in that direction, this experience might have been different.
Beckett is “escaping” through his mind and can communicate with the other self – “The Other Beckett”. The director James Marsh and the film’s location manager found an abandoned quarry in Budapest which fits their needs. It was a place that was nowhere yet it had a moody feel about it. This is one of many elements contributing towards top-notch production of the movie.
The title of the film comes from famous Beckett’s dictum “dance first; think later,” analyzed for centuries. Surely there is something more than just another “carpe diem” bumper sticker? Was he afraid of being paralyzed by his own words or deeds? Maybe he felt that excessive cogitations may hinder action and livelihoods as well. Did he prefer taking immediate action over contemplation? Dance First enjoys meditation; however, only in later years when two Beckets—and two Byrnes—battle.
This unique portrayal of Beckett by James Marsh and Neil Forsyth makes it worth watching for sure. But if you are looking to understand how this man changed as an artist and what drove him creatively – you will find none here. Similarly, The New Look – Apple TV+ series about fashion icon Christian Dior faltered too though with multiple episodes which gave them space to tell their story unlike those in aforementioned movies’. That being said, a limited series would do justice to explore Beckett’s life and work.
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