The Turning Point (1977)
First screened in August 2008 / Most recently screened in July 2016
Director: Herbert Ross. Cast: Shirley MacLaine, Anne Bancroft, Leslie Browne, Tom Skerritt, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Martha Scott, Alexandra Danilova, Antoinette Sibley, Lisa Lucas, Starr Danias, Marshall Thompson, James Mitchell, Daniel Levins, Scott Douglas, Phillip Saunders, Jurgen Schneider, Dennis Nahat, Anthony Zerbe, James Crittenden, Donald Petrie. Screenplay: Arthur Laurents.

 Twitter Capsule: Alternately gratifies and grates, both on terms it intends and as claws-out camp. Bravely elastic structure.

VOR: ③  The most famous aspects of the movie (the "feminist" debate, the hair-pulling fight) resonate less than the sometimes-inventive construction and fitfully credible feel for dance.


Photo © 1977 20th Century Fox

Not yet reviewed in full. Grade: B–

Academy Award Nominations:
Best Picture
Best Director: Herbert Ross
Best Actress: Anne Bancroft
Best Actress: Shirley MacLaine
Best Supporting Actress: Leslie Browne
Best Supporting Actor: Mikhail Baryshnikov
Best Original Screenplay: Arthur Laurents
Best Cinematography: Robert Surtees
Best Art Direction: Albert Brenner; Marvin March
Best Film Editing: William Reynolds
Best Sound: Theodore Soderberg, Paul Wells, Douglas O. Williams, and Jerry Jost

Golden Globe Nominations and Winners:
★Best Picture (Drama)
★Best Director: Herbert Ross
Best Actress (Drama): Anne Bancroft
Best Supporting Actress: Leslie Browne
Best Supporting Actor: Mikhail Baryshnikov
Best Screenplay: Arthur Laurents

Other Awards:
Writers Guild of America: Best Original Screenplay (Drama)
Los Angeles Film Critics Association: Best Director
National Board of Review: Best Picture; Best Actress (Bancroft); Best Supporting Actor (Skerritt)
Permalink Home 1977 ABC Blog E-Mail