Lwindreich-1

This remarkable film recreates a 30-year period in ballet history by presenting rare archival imagery from the past and recently filmed discussions of a great era by people who participated in it. What comes across strongest is the affection that directors Dayna Goldfine and Dan Geller felt for their subjects, the majority in their 80s, and for their fascination for the great work the brilliant dancers accomplished in the period 1932 to 1962.

I saw the film at the 2005 Vancouver International Film Festival, where it played to a packed auditorium. It's safe to assume that the majority of viewers were not balletomanes but simply addicts of the motion picture medium. (Some were seeing up to five films each day). Respectful silence was maintained throughout, with healthy laughter for the humorous content of the film. At the end there was applause, with several viewers standing to show their approval.

This film is a paean to humanity, the human spirit and the beauty that artists create for the world they serve.

I saw this film in the early 1950s, I believe, and I have never forgotten it. I can't find a listing of it as a video production in any format and wish that it could be restored and shown again. It is a touching story of an aristocratic woman and a working-class tough who die and meet in the afterlife. They fall in love and apply to a registry to get a second chance at life on earth. The conditions being that they stay together and make a success of their union. I particularly remember the depiction of the afterlife, which is populated with people costumed from several past eras, who stroll unseen in the contemporary world. A haunting visual experience and a touching drama.

Poking clean fun at just about every aspect of American life (small town life, high school miseries, fast food, nerdy kids, social misfits) it manages to be touching and fun to watch, despite the absence of dramatic substance. There is no sexual content whatsoever in the depiction of teenagers, and this is refreshing as the interest is sustained by the deadpan performances and the constant surprises. All of the characters are losers, with nowhere to go. Casting was excellent, and Jon Heder's performance as Napoleon is a triumph of understatement. In the pre-election scene at the high school auditorium his dance reveals him as a performer with great comedic skill and a remarkable coordination. I'd like to see him in another role.