Going to the palais: a social and cultural history of dancing and dance halls in Britain, 1918 1960
The 1950 feature film Dance Hall is one of Ealing Studios lesser known releases. Crafted around the lives of four working class women played by Natasha Perry, Petula Clark, Jane Hylton and Diana Dors the narrative shifts between the spaces of factory work, domestic life and commercial leisure. The most significance location is, however, the Chiswick Palais de Danse. Throughout the film dancing is embedded in everyday and community life. The dance hall itself provides a forum within which contemporaneous themes are addressed: Americanisation, consumerism and relationships between men and women are amongst the most notable. The dance hall also acts as an arena within which young women's post war dreams can be voiced and pursued. Seen through the eyes of the film's key protagonists, the Palais de danse has significance beyond its primary function.