The Unfinished Dance

1947 film by Henry Koster

The Unfinished Dance

Theatrical release poster

Directed by| Henry Koster
Screenplay by| Myles Connolly
Story by| Paul Morand
Produced by| Joe Pasternak
Starring| Margaret O'Brien
Cyd Charisse
Karin Booth
Cinematography| Robert L. Surtees
Edited by| Douglass Biggs
Music by| Herbert Stothart

Production
company

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Distributed by| Loew's, Inc.

Release date

* September 19, 1947 (1947-09-19)

Running time

| 101 minutes
Country| United States
Language| English
Budget| $2,989,000[1]
Box office| $2,303,000[1]

The Unfinished Dance is a 1947 American musical drama film directed by Henry Koster and starring Margaret O'Brien, Cyd Charisse and Karin Booth. The story centers around the members of a ballet company, and is a remake of the 1937 French film Ballerina, based on a short story by Paul Morand.[2][3] It won two awards at the 1948 Locarno International Film Festival.[4]

## Plot[edit]

Aspiring ballerina Meg Merlin idolizes the head of her dance school, Ariane Bouchet, so much so that she often neglects her own studies just to watch Ariane dance. Only the intervention of kindly Mr. Paneros keeps her from being expelled.

When Meg learns that the "first lady of ballet," Lady Anna La Darina has been hired by the school, Meg is livid at the idea of Ariane being upstaged. She sets out to sabotage Anna's stay, beginning with mischief, like turning off the lights in the middle of a photo session.

Meg is so obsessed in her quest, she even strikes dance student Phyllis Brigham when she dares prefer Anna's talent to Ariane's, earning a formal reprimand. During a performance of "Swan Lake", intending to switch off the lights again, Meg accidentally pulls the lever instead on a trap door. Anna plummets through the stage floor opening, seriously injuring her spine, and is likely never to dance again.

Phyllis and Josie have a hunch that Meg is responsible, so they blackmail her. Worse yet, Meg discovers that Ariane is self-indulgent, focusing more on clothing and fame; whereas, Anna is generous and kind, coming back to the school to advise the students as best she can.

Meg becomes more and more frightened and riddled with guilt regarding Anna's plight. Mr. Paneros, decides to talk to Anna and inadvertently reveals Meg's involvement regarding her accident. When Anna learns the truth, she soon forgives her. Meg now has a new idol.

## Cast[edit]

* Margaret O'Brien as "Meg" Merlin
* Cyd Charisse as Mlle. Ariane Bouchet
* Karin Booth as Lady Anna La Darina
* Danny Thomas as Mr. Paneros
* Esther Dale as Olga
* Thurston Hall as Mr. Ronsell
* Harry Hayden as Murphy
* Mary Eleanor Donahue as Josie
* Connie Cornell as Phyllis
* Ruth Brady as Miss Merlin
* Charles Bradstreet as Fred Carleton
* Ann Codee as Mme. Borodin
* Gregory Gay as Jacques Lacoste

## Reception[edit]

According to MGM records, the film earned $1,129,000 in the U.S. and Canada and $1,174,000 in other markets, but because of its high cost, it recorded a loss of $1,797,000. It was the first movie produced by Joe Pasternak at MGM to lose money.[1]

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b c The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.
2. ^ "THE UNFINISHED DANCE(1947), ALSO KNOWN AS: BALLERINA". Turner Classic Movies. tcm.com. Retrieved 28 December 2015.
3. ^ "The Unfinished Dance". FilmAffinity. filmaffinity.com. Retrieved 28 December 2015.
4. ^ "The Unfinished Dance - IMDb". IMDb.

## External links[edit]

* The Unfinished Dance at IMDb
* The Unfinished Dance at AllMovie

* v
* t
* e

Films directed by Henry Koster

* Thea Roland (1932)
* Das häßliche Mädchen (1933)
* Peter (1934)
* Little Mother (1935)
* The Cross-Patch (1935)
* The Homely Girl (1935)
* The Affairs of Maupassant (1936)
* Catherine the Last (1936)
* Three Smart Girls (1936)
* One Hundred Men and a Girl (1937)
* The Rage of Paris (1938)
* Three Smart Girls Grow Up (1939)
* First Love (1939)
* Spring Parade (1940)
* It Started with Eve (1941)
* Between Us Girls (1942)
* Music for Millions (1944)
* Two Sisters from Boston (1946)
* The Unfinished Dance (1947)
* The Bishop's Wife (1947)
* The Luck of the Irish (1948)
* Come to the Stable (1949)
* The Inspector General (1949)
* Wabash Avenue (1950)
* My Blue Heaven (1950)
* Harvey (1950)
* No Highway in the Sky (1951)
* Mr. Belvedere Rings the Bell (1951)
* Elopement (1951)
* Stars and Stripes Forever (1952)
* My Cousin Rachel (1952)
* The Robe (1953)
* Désirée (1954)
* A Man Called Peter (1955)
* The Virgin Queen (1955)
* Good Morning, Miss Dove (1955)
* D-Day the Sixth of June (1956)
* The Power and the Prize (1956)
* My Man Godfrey (1957)
* Fräulein (1958)
* The Naked Maja (1958)
* The Story of Ruth (1960)
* Flower Drum Song (1961)
* Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation (1962)
* Take Her, She's Mine (1963)
* Dear Brigitte (1965)
* The Singing Nun (1966)

* v
* t
* e

Paul Morand

Prose fiction|

* Tender Shoots (1921)
* Open All Night (1922)
* Lewis and Irene (1924)
* The Living Buddha (1927)
* World Champions (1930)
* The Man in a Hurry (1941)
* Hecate and Her Dogs (1954)

Non-fiction books|

* Black Magic (1928)
* New York (1930)
* Venices (1971)
* The Allure of Chanel (1976)

Other works|

* Don Quixote (1933)
* Don Quichotte à Dulcinée (1934)

Film adaptations|

* Open All Night (1924)
* The Three-Sided Mirror (1927)
* Ballerina (1937)
* The Unfinished Dance (1947)
* Man in a Hurry (1977)
* Hécate (1982)

Related|

* Grand prix de littérature Paul-Morand

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template