Gaité parisienne

In filming Massine's Gaite Parisienne with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo,director Jean Negulesco chose the shots and edited the film beautifully. Dance is very hard to film effectively. Also, Massine adapted his famous dance wonderfully for film and what a treat to see him dance The Peruvian, his own creation! The famous dancers of the early 1940's makes a breathtaking cast list: Frederic Franklin, Krassovska,Eglevsky--everyone dancing and looking marvelous. They just threw off the choreography with no effort whatsoever. Thanks to Turner Classic Films for bringing these Negulesco shorts to light. All of them well acted, nicely designed and written. The costumes perfect. Not that garish mess of costuming a few years ago for American Ballet Theater. What a thrill to know Gaite Parisienne has been caught forever on film and so well. The addition of the sound of Massine's footsteps in his allegro pas and other slight sound additions an important element of making the ballet seem alive and not just a silent dance filmed to recorded music. And what about those musicians coming in while playing the beginning of the Barcarolle? Shela Xoregos