Isadora

IMDb RATING

6.8/10

2.8K

YOUR RATING

A biography of the 1920s dancer Isadora Duncan, who forever changed people's ideas of ballet. Her nude, semi-nude, and pro-Soviet dance projects as well as her attitude and lifestyle shocked the public of her time.

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A biography of the 1920s dancer Isadora Duncan, who forever changed people's ideas of ballet. Her nude, semi-nude, and pro-Soviet dance projects as well as her attitude and lifestyle shocked... Read allA biography of the 1920s dancer Isadora Duncan, who forever changed people's ideas of ballet. Her nude, semi-nude, and pro-Soviet dance projects as well as her attitude and lifestyle shocked the public of her time.A biography of the 1920s dancer Isadora Duncan, who forever changed people's ideas of ballet. Her nude, semi-nude, and pro-Soviet dance projects as well as her attitude and lifestyle shocked the public of her time.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.8/10

2.8K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 3 wins & 6 nominations total

Videos1

Trailer 2:24

Official Trailer

Photos76

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User reviews22

6.82.7K

Featured reviews

10mfbruck1

Vanessa Redgrave triumphs as "Isadora"

Why this excellent film is not available on DVD is beyond me. I just recently watched the film on an old VHS tape borrowed from the library. It was well worn and faded, but I was riveted by the amazing performance of Vanessa Redgrave as the famous dancer Isadora Duncan. I would love to see the original 168 minute film released (I viewed a cut version) in all it's intended glory. Ms. Redgrave was nominated in 1968 for her role in this film, but lost to Barbra Streisand and Katherine Hepburn. It was obviously a very strong category that year for best actress. However, this performance by Ms. Redgrave should be available to see today on Blu Ray. In my opinion, it is not to be missed. Film fans take note! If you have not seen this film, search it out. Check your local library for the VHS tape if you still have a VCR for it is well worth viewing the wonderful performance by the legendary Vanessa Redgrave.

skunk-9

View the original version.

There are several versions of this film. The original is rather long, but well worth the time spent viewing it. The subsequent edited versions -- even the so-called "director's cut" -- omit small but crucial events in Isadora's life, without which it becomes more difficult to understand how Isadora sublimated her angst into her art.

9Swifttraveler

Under-appreciated director, and undervalued screenplay,

Over the past weekend, I viewed a VHS of Isadora. Throughout the movie (and I assume this was in the script), the motif of the scarf is repeated in various ways showing that she loved scarves and billowy fabric; even if she didn't in real life, the reinforcement of the scarf (as well as her pursuit of the man driving the Bugatti), gives her death a logic and finality that "real" life cannot. Surely, Isadora's death must have been so fictional as not to be believed, as well as the fate of her children. Film-makers must craft a film in such a way that the viewer believes that every moment is true. Compare this screenplay with what Robert McKee says about writing screenplays in his incomparable book, Story, and you'll agree that the Isadora screenplay is undervalued. Also, Redgrave's performance is surely one of the finest of any era--and should have gotten the Oscar, but thankfully won at Cannes (outside the Hollywood political machine). The length of the film, to me, was no problem; the life of Isadora Duncan, could not have been shown in less. The stage scenes of her dancing were perfectly directed and illustrated how she could fill a theatre while also being rejected.

7MOscarbradley

Redgrave is simply stunning.

One of the better biopics thanks in large part to a stunning performance from Vanessa Redgrave in the title role of "Isadora" and meticulous direction from Karel Reisz who obviously knew what he was doing and displayed an obvious affection for his subject. It's intelligent and it looks great and there's a fine supporting cast so with all this going for it why does it feel like a very high-class soap opera? Perhaps because all biopics can finally do nothing but reduce their subject's lives to a series of melodramatic incidents or 'highlights'. Perhaps because most famous people's lives are dull most of the time and it's only the melodramatic incidents that people are interested in. This one spins out a series of dances, (very well recreated by Redgrave), and romantic encounters with sufficient aplomb to give it an edge over most biopics. It isn't quite in the same class as Ken Russell's shorter, rawer television version but it comes close.

7jotix100

The scarves of Isadora

The bigger than life Isadora Duncan, a dancing legend, is the focus of this film. "Isadora", which came out in 1968, came and went without much fanfare. The opportunity to watch it again came when it was shown on a cable network recently. The main attraction is Vanessa Redgrave's take in the subject matter.

The biopic, directed by Karel Reisz, follows aspects of Ms. Duncan's life. One thing comes across: she was a woman ahead of her time! Her disregard for classical dance made her famous, although as shown in the film, one wonders what liberties the filmmakers took in Ms. Redgrave's renditions of works created by the famous artist.

Another thing that is clearly evident in the movie is the unhappy life of Isadora. She had no luck with anyone of her lovers. The most famous one was Paris Singer, the son of an American millionaire which ended tragically as their son and her daughter with another man drowned, something that weighed heavily on this tormented woman.

Vanessa Redgrave at the height of her beauty was magnificent in her interpretation of the troubled Isadora. Jason Robards is seen as Paris Singer, the American heir that fell in love with the dancer, but didn't seem to have much in common with her.

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Storyline

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Trivia
When filming "the Russian dance sequence" in a theater filled with unsuspecting extras, Dame Vanessa Redgrave duplicated a real-life incident in the life of Isadora Duncan by ripping off the top of her dress and dancing bare-breasted. The extras were not told that she would do this, thus providing the desired audience-aghast reaction shots that director Karel Reisz wanted.

Quotes
Isadora Duncan: A man's looks have nothing to do with his success as a lover.

Alternate versions
NBC broadcast the complete roadshow version over two nights twice in the early 1970s. While that broadcast was missing (1) the Intermission music, (2) the lovemaking scene between Redgrave and James Fox, and (3) a snippet of nudity in the "Marche Slav" sequence, much new footage was added. Karel Reisz's 153-minute Director's Cut from 1987 is very close to what was seen on NBC. What is missing are some early establishing scenes of:
The Duncan Family taking a transatlantic cattleboat to Europe in dreadful weather.
The Duncan Family checking into Claridge's Hotel as "The O'Gormans" and sneaking out the next day without paying the bill
-Young Isadora and her brother Raymond improvising dances in autumn leaves in Kensington Garden -Many of the Jason Robards/Paris Singer sequences were longer and a tad more intricate. The later trimmings tightened things up a bit. -One additional dance performance sequence The Roadshow's intermission came after Isadora reveals the circumstances involving the death of her children, coming at the 2-hour mark. Russia and her death in Nice followed the Intermission and made up the film's last hour. Generally, the roadshow version differs from the Director's Cut in the overall rhythmic feel of the film. The Riviera/Nice sequences were more of the film's "spine" and the hallucinations of Isadora's children and their funerals begin as a mystery. They intersect more frequently, only very gradually revealing themselves to the viewer. By the time Isadora sits down to document her loss in the harrowing centerpiece, the audience has begun to put the puzzle pieces together.