BALLETS RUSSES (2005)
December 6th 2008 09:37
Category: No Category
The famous 'baby ballerinas' of Ballets russes
What makes the film special is the sense of humour and natural appeal of the charismatic personalities on display, to name a few: the incorrigible flirt Nathalie Krassovska, the egomaniac Mia Slavenska, who - while wearing an undoubtedly authentic museum piece of an eye-popping art deco outfit – exhibits an altar she has created in her own honour, or the brilliant gossip Frederic Franklin. Many of the dancers went into teaching, wanting to pass on the magic to a younger generation. Even Wakefield Poole, who made it into the Ballets corps but found the bus journeys too tiresome, went on to gain fame and acclaim as…the director of high art gay adult films!
Directed by documentary filmmakers Dayna Goldfine and Dan Geller, who have previously collaborated on Isadora Duncan: Movement from the Soul (1989), the film is carefully researched and jam-packed with archival footage from public and private collections, interviews and, amazingly, even tongue-in-cheek dance demonstrations by its almost centenarian subjects. The filmmakers tend to walk on tiptoe (pardon the pun) around major scandals, and avoid dwelling on the more controversial issues at all costs. A nostalgic celebration of the rich cultural heritage of ballet, Ballets Russes does however recapture for us some of the pivotal yet ephemeral moments of dance history.
Review by Patricia Bieszk
© Copyright P. Bieszk 2006.
Originally published on The Scene.
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