Director James Marsh has had great success telling the stories of extraordinary people. He won an Oscar for his documentary Man on Wire, about tightrope walker Philippe Petit, and his Stephen Hawking biopic, The Theory of Everything, which won several awards, including Oscars. So Dance First — a biography about the iconic author and playwright Samuel Beckett (Waiting for Godot), directed by Marsh and starring Garbiel Byrne (Hereditary) and Aidan Gillen (Game of Thrones) — should be a slam dunk. Unfortunately, despite its attempts to break convention, Dance First feels far too safe to make much of an impact.
Dance First Review
Dance First tells the story of Irish writer Samuel Beckett and his incredible life, from his childhood to fighting in the French resistance during WWII to becoming one of the world’s most prolific writers and winning a Nobel Prize for literature. The story plays out pretty much as one would expect, with much of the drama originating from sources like political intrigue and romantic escapades.
Those familiar with Beckett’s work will not be surprised to learn that Dance First is not a straightforward biography — at least in terms of its narrative conceit. The film jumps through time with a nonlinear narrative, although it’s hardly difficult to follow. More interesting is that the film’s conflict is told through the narrative conceit of an inner dialogue that Beckett has with himself. It’s an intriguing idea that’s not put to any particularly substantial use, feeling more like a gimmick than a meaningful device.
One might think that this structure would lend itself to a highly introspective glimpse into things like Beckett’s writing process and relationships, but Dance First offers little insight in this regard. It almost would have been less disappointing had the film been a run-of-the-mill Wikipedia page biopic, but instead, we get something that aims higher and delivers stunningly little of value.
Gabriel Byrne’s performance in the leading role is, unsurprisingly, far more interesting than the film that surrounds him. Granted, Byrne gives the type of biopic performance characterized by “capital-A Acting” — a turn designed to remind the audience that the person whose life is portrayed on screen is legendary, even in the mundanity of the subject’s later years. Still, Byrne has a compelling screen presence and brings enough humanity to the role to ground the film.
On the other hand, the rest of the cast feels put to waste by a script that doesn’t give them enough meaningful material to work with. As the younger version of Joyce, Fionn O’Shea’s is incredibly flat and uninspired. The most egregious waste of talent, though, is Aidan Gillen, who plays another famous Irish writer, James Joyce. Although the film purports to explore the friendship between Beckett and Joyce, this subplot is incredibly underdeveloped and is the greatest opportunity for expansion.
Dance First is inarguably most successful on an aesthetic level, with some incredible cinematography by Antonio Paladino, shot in a crisp black-and-white. Through the visuals, the film successfully periodizes itself and establishes an atmosphere that should be intriguing but is constantly undermined by the script’s inability to hold the audience’s attention.
Is Dance First worth watching?
Those who know about the life of Samuel Beckett will know that the film takes its title from one of the prolific writer’s most iconic quotes: “Dance first, think later. It’s the natural order.” Well, it seems that filmmaker James Marsh and writer Neil Forsyth have taken this a bit too close to heart, making a film that feels like it’s merely going through the motion — like a tightly choreographed dance that’s aesthetically pleasing but not particularly evocative. Marsh’s recent output has confirmed that he’s lost whatever spark it was that made his early work so compelling.
Dance First hits theaters on August 9.
4/10
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