Nureyev

Sad to say, but this doc was a bit of disappointment. For someone as flamboyant and fascinating as Nureyev, and who was such a larger than life character with so many potential stories to be told, I would have expected more than this confused muddle of a film. It had no cohesive message, was stylistically all over the place and then ended with a clarion call to action about fighting AIDS, which, while admirable, was only a cursory element of the story that unfolded. I emerged from the film not knowing a hell of a lot more about Nureyev than I did going in, only having my interest piqued and then cruelly unsated. As is all too often the case, the more interesting the topic, the less compelling the documentary.

If you aren't into ballet this is a big bore.

Very difficult to sit through and way too long for me.

Nureyev was crashing bore.

This documentary brings much information mainly about the poor origin of the one who would be the greatest dancer of his time. Brave as the documentary explains the sad consequences of his flight to the West to his friends and relatives. Also excellent for narrating carefully the affective relations with other men, something that is generally ignored (that he was gay), being that many think that Nureyev was the husband of Margot Fonteyn. The only big mistake of the documentary is to make Nureyev an artist more connected to Rock (Beatles) than to classical composers. In most of the film the music you hear has nothing to do with the music that the dancer danced. Nureyev will always be associated with the music of Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev, Minkus and Adam, among others classical composers. To complete: Very moving Nureyev's reunion with his first teacher of Ballet,over one hundred years old, when Perestroika allowed his return to Russia. A pity that in Nureyev's time there was no treatment for AIDS. Very sad to see the images of him destroyed by illness. In summary: With lots of information and bad soundtrack

I saw this movie last night at a packed house in NYC. As one who started following ballet very closely during this time period, I was spellbound throughout. The unseen footage alone was worth the price of admission. I was fortunate to see almost all of these dancers in my youth. The movie covers as much of his life as one could expect in two hours. Aside from showing his sine qua non love of dance, there are insights into his romantic relationship with Erik Bruhn, a Danish contemporary who preceded him in death, and even deeper insights into his love for Margot Fonteyn, whose death two years prior to his own simply devastated him. There are brief and poignant poetry quotes throughout that are lifting and on point. There are also aspects which cover his Russian youth, his defection, his relationship with his mother and his untimely death from AIDS. The movie is to be applauded for it's handling of this final chapter of his life. It is matter-of-fact told with great sensitivity, yet not turning the subject matter into a political commentary. In the mid 70's there were one or two classical dancers who, if based on an Olympic scoring system, actually would have scored a point or two above Nureyev on a technical scale. This was not mentioned in the movie nor should it have been. It didn't matter. There was no contest when they took the stage. While other men danced the roles to perfection, Nureyev made love to and devoured them at the same time. When he took the stage, you knew it. It was like no one else. The movie was not without faults. The sound quality was south of acceptable and at other times when there was narration over footage, the music did not match up with the piece being shown. This was somewhat annoying. Nonetheless it touched me in a way I find hard to explain. That was 18 hours ago. If the documentary ran that long, I would still be in the theater.

As for non-ballet watchers, this may be a bit long. If you have any interest in ballet or GLBTQ this will engage you.

The assembly of this documentary is one of the most artistic ever produced. Where no film footage exists of all actual life events, the producers employed an interesting ballet featured interpretation of the events to keep the focus on ballet in the world of its subject matter.

It allowed a positive overview of what was probably an oppressed existence to come alive through the art form of which Nureyev lived. In some ways it might be overly positive but the essence is still maintained throughout.

While we may like geniuses, in real life, they can be difficult to know personally. This movie does convey that very well. Friendship with Nureyev had its costs.

This is one of those moments where one needs to look beyond the artist to appreciate the work. While this movie shows the cracks behind the facade of an artist,, like many other artists, the work transcends the artist who may have been a good or bad person. One must learn to separate the art from the artist if one finds the artist to be unpalatable. This is true not just in the ballet world but many other aspects of life.

Therefore, I rate this highly. Having remembered his death splashed across the newspapers, the intrigue of this artist, who had no political interest, seeking to further his art without oppression is an honest portrayal of someone being true to himself.