''The Tango Lesson'' () is a 1997

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

written and directed by

Sally Potter Charlotte Sally Potter (born 19 September 1949) is an English film director and screenwriter. She directed '' Orlando'' (1992), which won the audience prize for Best Film at the Venice Film Festival. Early life Potter was born and raised in L ...

. It is a semi-autobiographical film starring Potter and Pablo Verón, about Argentinian Tango. The film, a co-production of

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

, France, Germany,

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

and the United Kingdom, was produced by Christopher Sheppard in Britain and

Oscar Kramer Oscar Kramer (25 May 1935 – 7 April 2010) was an Argentine film producer. He was born in Buenos Aires. He worked in the cinema of Argentina when he was young. In the 1970s he lived in Antwerp, Belgium, where he worked in the diamond industr ...

in Argentina, and was shot mostly in

black and white Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white to produce a range of achromatic brightnesses of grey. It is also known as greyscale in technical settings. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, ...

in Paris and

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

. The soundtrack includes original recordings of

Carlos Gardel Carlos Gardel (born Charles Romuald Gardès; 11 December 1890 – 24 June 1935) was a French-born Argentine singer, songwriter, composer and actor, and the most prominent figure in the history of tango. He was one of the most influential inter ...

's '' Mi Buenos Aires querido'' and

Ástor Piazzolla Astor Pantaleón Piazzolla (, ; March 11, 1921 – July 4, 1992) was an Argentine tango composer, bandoneon player, and arranger. His works revolutionized the traditional tango into a new style termed '' nuevo tango'', incorporating elements fr ...

's ''

Libertango ''Libertango'' is a composition by tango composer and bandoneon player Astor Piazzolla, recorded and published in 1974 in Milan. The title is a portmanteau merging " Libertad" (Spanish for "liberty") and "tango", symbolizing Piazzolla's break fr ...

'', two of the most iconic tangos in the history of the genre. It also includes an original song written and sung by Potter.

Synopsis

Sally, a filmmaker and screenwriter suffering from writer's block, is dissatisfied with her film project, a murder mystery called ''

Rage Rage may refer to: * Rage (emotion), an intense form of anger Games * Rage (collectible card game), a collectible card game * Rage (trick-taking card game), a commercial variant of the card game Oh Hell * ''Rage'' (video game), a 2011 first- ...

'', which features the fashion industry. Taking a break, she travels to Paris, where she sees the dancer Pablo (Pablo Verón) performing

tango Tango is a partner dance and social dance that originated in the 1880s along the Río de la Plata, the natural border between Argentina and Uruguay. The tango was born in the impoverished port areas of these countries from a combination of Arge ...

. She becomes obsessed with the dance and offers Pablo a part in her film in exchange for dance lessons. The two become deeply involved as dancers and as lovers. Their emotional intimacy threatens the success of their dancing together. The film explores the conflict between the woman dancer accepting the man's lead in the dance, while the man must accept the woman's lead in the film. It is a love story and a showcase for Verón's dancing.

Cast

as Sally *

Pablo Verón Pablo is a masculine given name, the Spanish form of the name Paul. People * Pablo Acha (born 1996), Spanish archer * Pablo Alarcón (born 1946), Argentine actor * Pablo Alborán (born 1989), Spanish singer * Pablo Aimar (born 1979), Argentin ...

as Pablo * Morgane Maugran as Red Model * Géraldine Maillet as Yellow Model * Katerina Mechera as Blue Model * David Toole as Fashion Designer * George Yiasoumi as Photographer * Michele Parent as Seamstress *

Claudine Mavros Claudine may refer to: Name * Claudine (given name), a feminine given name of French origin Culture * ''Claudine'' (film), a 1974 American film by John Berry ** ''Claudine'' (soundtrack), its soundtrack album. Music by Curtis Mayfield Curtis ...

as Seamstress * Monique Couturier as Seamstress *

Matthew Hawkins Matt Hawkins may refer to: * Matt Hawkins (rugby union) (born 1983), South African born, American rugby union player * Matt Hawkins (racing driver) (1988–2009), American racing driver * Matt Hawkins (cyclist) (born 1982), American mountai ...

as Bodyguard * Simon Worgan as Bodyguard * Carolina Iotti as Pablo's partner * Zobeida as Pablo's Friend * Orazio Massaro as Pablo's Friend * Gustavo Naveira as Gustavo * Fabián Salas as Fabian * Carlos Copello as Carlos * María Noel as Film Executive * Gregory Dayton as Film Executive

Distribution

The film was first presented at the

Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival (, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival held in Venice, Italy. It is the world's oldest film festival and one of the ...

in Italy on 29 August 1997. It was screened at the

Toronto International Film Festival The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the most prestigious and largest publicly attended film festivals in the world. Founded in 1976, the festival takes place every year in early September. The organi ...

in Canada on 8 September. The picture screened at various film festivals, including the

Mar del Plata Film Festival The Mar del Plata International Film Festival () is an List of film festivals, international film festival that takes place every November in the city of Mar del Plata, Argentina. It is the only competitive feature festival recognized by the FIAPF ...

in Argentina, the Reykjavik Film Festival in

Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...

, the Istanbul Film Festival in

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

, and others.

Film soundtrack

*''Milonga Triste'' composed by Sebastián Piana and

Homero Manzi Homero Nicolás Manzione Prestera, better known as Homero Manzi (November 1, 1907 – May 3, 1951) was an Argentine tango lyricist, author of various famous tangos. He was also a filmmaker, notable for his work during the classical era of Argen ...

, performed by Hugo Díaz y su Conjunto, recorded in Buenos Aires in 1972. *''Now'' composed by Sally Potter & Fred Frith, sung by Sally Potter, recorded in Paris 1996. *''Quejas de bandoneón'' composed by

Juan de Dios Filiberto Juan de Dios Filiberto (8 March 1885 11 November 1964) was an Argentine violinist, conductor, poet and composer who became prominent in the Argentine tango genre. Life and work He was born Óscar Juan de Dios Filiberti in 1885 to Josefa Roballo, ...

, performed by

Aníbal Troilo Aníbal Carmelo Troilo (11 July 1914 – 18 May 1975), also known as Pichuco, was an Argentine tango musician. Troilo was a bandoneon player, composer, arranger, and bandleader in Argentina. His orquesta típica was among the most popular wit ...

y su

Orquesta típica Orquesta típica, or simply a típica, is a Latin American term for a band which plays popular music. The details vary from country to country. The term tends to be used for groups of medium size (about 8 to 12 musicians) in some well-defined in ...

, recorded in Buenos Aires in 1958. *''Red, yellow, blue'' composed by Sally Potter & Fred Frith, recorded in Paris in 1996. *'' Mi Buenos Aires querido'' composed by

and

Alfredo Le Pera Alfredo Le Pera (7 June 1900 – 24 June 1935) was a Brazilian-born Argentine journalist, dramatist, and lyricist, best known for his brief but fruitful collaboration with the renowned tango singer Carlos Gardel. He died in a plane accident w ...

, sung by

, recorded in New York in 1934. *''El flete'' composed by Gerónimo Gradito and Vicente Greco, performed by

Juan D'Arienzo Juan d'Arienzo (December 14, 1900 – January 14, 1976) was an Argentine tango musician, also known as ''"El Rey del Compás"'' (''King of the Beat''). He was a violinist, band leader, and composer. He was the son of Italian immigrants and used ...

y su Orquesta Típica, recorded in Buenos Aires in 1936. *''Rage'' composed by Sally Potter & Fred Frith, sung by Sally Potter, recorded in Paris in 1996. *''Zum'' composed by

Astor Piazzolla Astor Pantaleón Piazzolla (, ; March 11, 1921 – July 4, 1992) was an Argentine tango composer, bandoneon player, and arranger. His works revolutionized the traditional tango into a new style termed '' nuevo tango'', incorporating elements fr ...

, performed by

Osvaldo Pugliese Osvaldo Pedro Pugliese (December 2, 1905 – July 25, 1995) was an Argentine tango musician. He developed dramatic arrangements that retained strong elements of the walking beat of salon tango but also heralded the development of concert-style ...

y su Orquesta, recorded in Buenos Aires in 1973. *''Amor y celos'' composed by Miguel Padula &

Alfredo F. Roldán Alfredo (, ) is a cognate of the Anglo-Saxon name Alfred and a common Italian, Galician, Portuguese and Spanish language personal name. Given name Artists and musicians * Aldo Sambrell (1931–2010), Spanish actor also known as Alfredo San ...

, performed by Juan D'Arienzo y su Orquesta Típica, recorded in Buenos Aires in 1936. *''Doyna'' composed by Frank London, David Licht & David Krakauer, performed by The Klezmatics, recorded in New York in 1994. *''Danse de cuisine'' composed by Sally Potter & Fred Frith, sung by Sally Potter, recorded in Paris in 1996. *''Pensalo bien'' composed by Juan Jose Visiglio, Nola Lopez & Julio Alberto, sung by Alberto Echague with the Juan D'Arienzo y su Orquesta Típica, recorded in Buenos Aires in 1938. *'' La yumba'' composed by

, performed by Osvaldo Pugliese y su Orquesta, recorded in Buenos Aires in 1946. *''Jacob and the angel'' composed by Sally Potter & Fred Frith, sung by Sally Potter, recorded in Paris in 1996. *''Milonga de mis amores'' composed by Pedro B. Laurenz &

José Maria Contursi José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced very differently in each of the two languages: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , ...

, performed by Juan D'Arienzo y su Orquesta Típica, recorded in Buenos Aires in 1970. *''Gallo ciego'', composed by

Agustín Bardi Agustin Bardi (August 13, 1884 – April 21, 1941) was an Argentine Tango pianist, violinist, and composer. Bardi was born in Las Flores district of Buenos Aires and was couched in music from a young age. During his life he produced around 70 p ...

, performed by Osvaldo Pugliese y su Orquesta, recorded in Buenos Aires in 1959. *''Libertango'' composed by Astor Piazzolla, performed by Astor Piazzolla & orchestra, recorded in Milan in 1974. *''Bahia Blanca'' composed by

Carlos di Sarli Carlos Di Sarli (January 7, 1903January 12, 1960) was an Argentine tango musician, orchestra leader, composer and pianist. Early years Carlos di Sarli was born at 511 Buenos Aires street (now Yrigoyen) in the city of Bahía Blanca, located in ...

, performed by Carlos Di Sarli y su Orquesta Típica, recorded in Buenos Aires in 1958. *''I am you'', composed by Sebastian Piana & Homero Manzi with English lyrics by Sally Potter, sung by Sally Potter with

Yo-Yo Ma Yo-Yo Ma (born October 7, 1955) is a French-born American Cello, cellist. Born to Chinese people, Chinese parents in Paris, he was regarded as a child prodigy there and began to study the cello with his father at age four. At the age of seven, ...

(cello), Nestor E. Marconi (bandoneon),

Antonio Agri Antonio Agri (May 5, 1932 – October 17, 1998) was an Argentine violinist, composer and conductor prominent in both the tango and classical music genres. Life and work Antonio Agri was born in Rosario, Argentina, in 1932. He was taugh ...

(violin), Leonardo D. Marconi (piano) & Horacio Malvicino (guitar), recorded in Buenos Aires in 1997. *''Libertango'' (reprise) composed by Astor Piazzolla, performed by Yo-Yo Ma (cello), Antonio Agri (violin), Nestor E. Marconi (bandoneon), Horacio Malvicino (guitar).

Exhibition dates

: 20 November 1997 * France: 8 April 1998 * Germany: 9 October 1997 *

: 15 January 1998 * United Kingdom: 28 November 1997 * United States: 14 November 1997

Critical reception

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' film critic,

Janet Maslin Janet R. Maslin (born August 12, 1949) is an American journalist, who served as a film critic for ''The New York Times'' from 1977 to 1999, serving as chief critic for the last six years, and then a literary critic from 2000 to 2015. In 2000, M ...

, thought the film was rather simple, and wrote,

"Stiffly playing a filmmaker with a growing passion for the tango, ally Pottermakes this a handsome, dryly meticulous film with no real fire anywhere beyond its supple dance scenes. The lessons are numbered and cataloged with an obsessive care like that of
Peter Greenaway Peter Greenaway, (born 5 April 1942) is a British film director, screenwriter and artist. His films are noted for the distinct influence of Renaissance and Baroque painting, and Mannerist painting in particular. Common traits in his films a ...
, but this material has little of his corresponding complexity."

Chicago Sun-Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily nonprofit newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has long held the second largest circulation among Chicago newspaper ...

'' film critic Roger Ebert discussed in his review the film's major goal, writing, "Most dances are for people who are falling in love. The tango is a dance for those who have survived it, and are still a little angry about having their hearts so mishandled. ''The Tango Lesson'' is a movie for people who understand that difference." Edward Guthmann, ''

San Francisco Chronicle The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and M. H. de Young, Michael H. ...

'' staff critic, lauded the film and the courage of director Potter, and wrote,

"British director Sally Potter stuck her neck out when she made ''The Tango Lesson,'' a fictionalized account of her relationship with Argentine tango master Pablo Veron...Potter takes what seemed like a recipe for embarrassment and excess and delivers a film that's sweet and understated and devoid of diva posturing... he film issmoothly directed, nicely written and falters only in the performance that Potter was able to squeeze out of herself while performing her multiple tasks."

Yet, Guthmann says Potter should have cast another actor in her role. He adds,

"It's too bad, then, that Potter couldn't have figured out a way to use another actress to play herself. She often looks worn out, which makes sense given her offscreen responsibilities but works against her tale of courtship, infatuation and the emotional sparks that fly between two gifted, bullheaded artists."

Awards

;Wins *

: Best Film, Sally Potter; 1997. *

National Board of Review The National Board of Review of Motion Pictures is a non-profit organization of New York City area film enthusiasts. Its awards, which are announced in early December, are considered the first major harbinger of the film awards season that ...

: Special Recognition, for excellence in filmmaking; 1997. *

American Choreography Awards The American Choreography Awards was a ceremony and show that honored outstanding choreographers in the fields of feature film, television, music videos, and commercials. They were first known as the L.A. Dance Awards (1994–95), then as Bob Fos ...

: American Choreography Award Outstanding Achievement in Feature Film, Pablo Verón; 1998. ;Nominations *

British Academy of Film and Television Arts The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, ) is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual awa ...

: BAFTA Film Award; Best Film not in the English Language; 1998.

References

External links

* Official Web-site *
''La lección de tango''
at the

cinenacional.com Cinenacional.com is a web portal and web-based database about Argentine cinema. It is the most comprehensive site for information about the Argentine film industry, with a vast array of information on films, television programs, directors, actor ...

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tango Lesson, The 1997 films Argentine black-and-white films British black-and-white films Dutch black-and-white films German black-and-white films French black-and-white films Films directed by Sally Potter French romantic drama films 1997 romantic drama films Tango films British romantic drama films Dutch romantic drama films German romantic drama films Argentine romantic drama films Films set in Buenos Aires Films shot in Buenos Aires 1990s Spanish-language films 1990s French-language films 1990s English-language films English-language Argentine films English-language Dutch films English-language French films English-language German films Sony Pictures Classics films 1990s British films 1990s French films 1990s German films Films scored by Fred Frith Semi-autobiographical films English-language romantic drama films