- There were two brothers - two dancers - in Communist Hungary. One defected, the other stuck it out. One gave his soul to commerce, the other to the Party. After twenty years, they meet again. And the dance begins.
- When Steve, a dancer-turned-impresario, returns to his native Hungary after a 20-year absence, he finds many things different. The Communist regime that expelled him is gone, life has changed for the better and his former apparatchik father had retired in disgrace. But his brother, Gyula, whom he used to idolize, hasn't changed one bit. He still works in the same run-down studio with the same cash-strapped dance company they both started out in - and he is married to Steve's former sweetheart, Mari. The two men's rivalry is triggered instantly, but Mari challenges them to pool their considerable experience and talent to revive their last success together, a dance piece based on the ballad, "The Maiden Danced to Death." If Gyula can make it to Steve's exacting standards, Steve agrees to promote it for a world tour breathing new life into the sagging careers of both brothers. As the rehearsals progress, the brothers' opposing sets of standards and values clash right away, testing their willingness to adjust or fight. The situation is complicated by Gyula's affair with the company's young starlet and Mari 's reviving affection for Steve. And Steve has not let on the real reason for his return: to reveal and bring to justice the person who, as he perceives, had caused his expulsion and robbed him of his life and future two decades earlier - his own brother. The production turns into their personal duel and soon their entire life, past, present and future are transferred into the play. "The Maiden Danced to Death"—Casablanca Film Production
- In Budapest, married Gyula and Mari Udvaros lead the Udvaros Dance Ensemble which specializes in Hungarian and Slovenian folk dances, the latter stemming from Gyula's ethnic background. Cash strapped, the ensemble largely rehearses and performs one offs as opposed to full productions. After a twenty year absence, the ensemble's founder unexpectedly returns: Gyula's older brother, István Udvaros, who had defected from what was then Communist Hungary and has since been living in Toronto. His whereabouts and activities have been unknown to the family, which includes István and Gyula's parents, their father who is still angry in how the defection has affected their collective lives. Beyond Mari having been István's girlfriend at the time he left, his return leads to some additional strain when Gyula and Mari learn that he has changed his name to Steve Court, he of Steve Court Enterprises, a successful promotions company, as they had written letters to the company in hoping it would act as the management for the ensemble. Although he doesn't tell them why he has returned and why at this time after largely being silent for twenty years, Steve, in always looking for a money making opportunity, what he now does best, does offer to help look for financing for the ensemble to mount a full touring production of an old folk tale, "The Maiden Danced to Death", it all formal between the brothers in the two signing a contract laying out responsibilities in the venture between them. What happens with the venture is affected by Steve's life in Canada, the unspoken issues between the brothers and with Mari, and mostly the truth behind Steve's "defection".—Huggo
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By what name was The Maiden Danced to Death (2011) officially released in India in English?
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