Le Bal - Der Tanzpalast

This movie is absolutely magical - taking place in a French ball room, it takes you through time. Year in year out, the music, the dances, the style and fashions change. We see the characters' hopes, fears and desires, we watch their interactions. We see how changes in the outside world affect them. Ettore Scola does this without letting his characters speak.The music, the cinematography, the dancing and interacting are the elements which let us experience the intensity of the voyage through time. Scola does not need language for this. However, this movie should not be mistaken for a kind of dancing medley. It is a keen observation of human behavior, accompanied with deep insight and empathy.

I'm not one to use the term "brilliant" when describing a film, but LE BAL certainly merits it. It sounds so dry when you tell people the plot: a bunch of people in a timeless (in more ways than one) dance hall in Paris, with a series of vignettes that give the viewer a history of not only France but Europe (and in some places, the world) from the late 20s to the mid-80s. And yet that's what it is and what makes it so incredibly brilliant. The director uses each time's music and dance to make a statement about life as it was, whether during the Occupation or the 60s era student riots. His performers are all, to a man/woman, spot on with their characterizations: the man who's more concerned about his perfect hair than the safety of his dancing partner, the controlling woman who rhythmically waves her hands to keep her men at a suitable distance, the near-sighted wallflower who IIRC never gets on the dance floor. Even the buffoons are so elegantly shaded that you find yourself rooting for them in the end.

This little masterpiece is now almost impossible to find, so grab it when you do see it. Trust me, you will not be disappointed. Yes, it is that good.

This movie without any verbal dialogue enchants you from the very first moment. About twenty people meet one night at a dance-party... As they begin to dance, they (and the audience with them) live through the modern history of their country. The music naturally plays the central role in this film. The film is grotesque, funny, and moving at the same time, full of nice quotations from the cultural history of the 20th century. Absolutely great performances from the actors (all of them are more than good, but I would give Marc Berman the loudest applause)- they surely had fun doing this movie. This is a film to be purchased on video and watched again and again, with reasonable intervals - you can't really get fed up with it.

A movie that carves its own niche in film history in the most delicate, ephemeral way imaginable. The cast is among the finest ensemble gatherings I have ever seen, and the combined efforts of all concerned seems to add up to far more than seems possible for what is basically a silent film. It reminds me a bit of the magical transformation Altman managed to create on the set of McCabe and Mrs. Miller, as if all the actors were put under the same spell, and responded to the challenge with a uniform brilliance.

The camera work in Le Bal is just as nuanced and evolved as the work of the actors, but it never feels forced or artificial. All of the actors I have seen in many other films, and they seem so much more self-aware than many of the actors you see in the states. There is a feeling from this film as if the actors themselves created it, for which the director deserves my highest praise. And the subtle way the film morphs from black and white to a hand tinted look to modern color throughout is also so masterful that you almost don't notice it.

This is NOT A FILM FOR PEOPLE WHO DON'T LIKE DANCING!!! It is a film for people who like to watch an exquisite evolutionary process. I liken it to an orchid, in that you learn a special kind of patience from waiting for it to bloom, but the blooms are always worth the wait, and last in the mind forever. I pray that a behind the scenes DVD will be released soon, as do many others, and recommend this highly.

This piece is brilliant and it's tragic it's not more widely available. I just saw it for the first time in several years and was blown away at how perfect it was. Any dialogue would have ruined it, actually, because it was the finest example of European physical theatre I've ever seen. The casting was inspired. I am not in the habit of raving about films without qualifiers, but this one deserves it. The characters develop in such subtle ways, that it reminds me that this is not only a history of a ball room but of a person's life itself and the persistence of memory. It lends itself to so many layers of meaning, but still, it can be enjoyed just for itself...