Dance First

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2:26

Dance First

Released Aug 9

1h 40m

Biography

Drama

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Popcornmeter

43%

Tomatometer

35 Reviews

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

Literary genius Samuel Beckett lived a life of many parts: Parisian bon vivant, WWII Resistance fighter, Nobel Prize-winning playwright, philandering husband, recluse. But despite all the adulation that came his way, he was a man acutely aware of his own failings. Titled after Beckett's famous ethos "Dance first, think later," the film is a sweeping account of the life of this 20th-century icon.

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Kyle Smith

Wall Street Journal

Parts of the film are so good that it’s a shame it strikes so many false notes.

Aug 16, 2024

Full Review

Glenn Kenny

RogerEbert.com

It frequently seems that what the movie ultimately wants from Samuel Beckett is for him not to have been…well, Samuel Beckett.

Rated: 2/4

Aug 12, 2024

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Ben Kenigsberg

New York Times

“Dance First,” a Beckett biopic from James Marsh (“The Theory of Everything”), offers simple explanations for the career of a writer whose output famously resists explaining.

Aug 12, 2024

Full Review

Devon Webb

Spectrum Culture

Dance First lets down its subject with a disrespectfully shallow approach to the life and work of playwright Samuel Beckett, which leaves us waiting, waiting, waiting, on a narrative that never seems to arrive.

Sep 16, 2024

Full Review

Clotilde Chinnici

Loud and Clear Reviews

While there is a lot to be appreciated in terms of its artistic endeavours, Marsh’ film is not entirely successful the very thing we would have expected from a biopic

Rated: 3.5/5

Sep 14, 2024

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Carla Hay

Culture Mix

Dance First (a biopic of writer Samuel Beckett) crafts his life story like a stylish but uneven patchwork quilt. The cast members' performances can keep viewers interested when some scenes drag with monotony. The movie mostly ignores his creative talent.

Aug 24, 2024

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P.J. L

A stunning film carried by outstanding performances. I was aware of a lot of Beckett's history so I was curious to see how the film would flesh most of it out and I was not disappointed. Byrne gives a stellar performance that I hope is not forgotten when award season rolls around.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/26/24

Full Review

Fyre S

It´s like it was written by someone who only read Beckett´s life story without reading any on his work, just heard that Waiting for Godot is weird. very boring film. No depth, no research or any effort to make it closer to Beckett´s style. The actors are very good definitely but one can see that this is a very superficial film not made for those who love the author. disappointing.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

08/22/24

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James Marsh

Director

Gabriel Byrne

Samuel Beckett

Aidan Gillen

James Joyce

Fionn O'Shea

Younger Samuel Beckett

Sandrine Bonnaire

Suzanne

Maxine Peake

Barbara Bray

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Dance First: Trailer 1

2:26

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Synopsis

Literary genius Samuel Beckett lived a life of many parts: Parisian bon vivant, WWII Resistance fighter, Nobel Prize-winning playwright, philandering husband, recluse. But despite all the adulation that came his way, he was a man acutely aware of his own failings. Titled after Beckett's famous ethos "Dance first, think later," the film is a sweeping account of the life of this 20th-century icon.

Director: James Marsh
Producer: Michael Livingstone, Tom Thostrup, Viktória Petrányi
Screenwriter: Neil Forsyth
Distributor: Magnolia Pictures
Production Co: Sky Arts, 2LE Media, Proton Cinema, Film Constellation, Umedia
Genre: Biography, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 9, 2024, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 16, 2024
Box Office (Gross USA): $24.7K
Runtime: 1h 40m

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