Pas de deux

It's really hard to describe this work of art, so I'm not going to try. Suffice to say that whether or not you are a fan of ballet, I doubt you will be able to watch this without becoming enthralled. Monochrome throughout, and using some very effective stop-frame photographic techniques, we follow Margaret Mercier and Vincent Warren's gorgeously choreographed duet take shape. The panpipes from Dobre Constantin are hauntingly effective at enveloping this inspired presentation of symmetry and imagery and it's simplicity has got to be a key to it's success. Give it ten minutes, you will enjoy it.

Wow, am I glad I decided to give this animated short feature a second look. I only last two minutes the first time and thought to myself, "Unless you are ballet dancer or big fan of ballet, this film would be almost impossible to like and sit through." Watching 13 minutes of two silhouetted-illuminated ballet dancers do their thing against a black background would be unbelievably boring.

Well, I was wrong.

Norm McClaren proves once again you don't need bold colors to make an incredible visual feast. This is black-and-white and words almost are too difficult to come by in trying to explain, without getting technical, how beautiful this film looks.

One female dancer morphs into two and then back to one several times. After about five minutes, she is joined by a male dancers and the images really get wild. I don't think I've seen two more graceful figures than these two.

I admit my mind wandered off track a couple of brief times but for most of this, I was totally mesmerized. This movie was part of the DVD "Leonard Maltin's Animation Favorites From The National Film Board Of Canada.

This term could sound strange. a ballet show, mixture of white and black, an impressive director, inspired choreography. what could surprise ? at first sigh - nothing. in essence - something who is a sort of version of pure magic. not for technical solutions. not for the meet of silhouettes. but for a reason escaping from a precise definition. because it is one of animations who are more than a simple experience. but a comprehensive explanation of every day beauty of life.

Stunning, enthralling, captivating, breathtaking.

A visual masterpiece composed from two dancers, clever back-lighting, a pan-pipe and some stop motion/multi-exposure effects. Proof that in the hands of an artist the sum surpasses the parts, must be seen to be believed! The progression from the simplest expression of human motion into a cascade of frames and forms draws the viewer from first to last image. The beauty of the initial simplicity turns into a delicious betrayal of epectations as subtle new effects are thrown into the mix. The music, passionate and stark, is a perfect match and even the synchronizing between aural and visual ebbs and flows is impeccable. Should be seen by anyone who enjoys film as art.

This one is hard to describe, Two ballet dancers perform a piece while various visual effect are added to augment the performance. Some of the effects are stunning, while others are very jarring and don't quite work. Intriguing idea that works most of the time. If you've seen "A Chairy Tale" or "Neighbours" and enjoyed them, you'll like this. But it is unusual and somewhat off-kilter at times. Recommended for those who like the unusual or special photographic effects. Bear in mind that it is over 30 years old.