Ballets Russes

In the Broadway musical smash "A Chorus Line," one of the auditioning dancers sings rapturously of how her real life contrasted sharply and poignantly with the glamorous world of the ballet, where "everything was beautiful." This sensational, down-and-dirty documentary puts that dream-like memory into an altogether different but no less thrilling perspective. More than two dozen of the 20th century's greatest ballet dancers are interviewed and featured in extensive, rare, and breathtaking original period footage that is continuously absorbing and illustrative of the changing styles and influences that resulted from the ersatz "ballet wars" that followed upon the death of impresario Serge Diaghilev at the end of the Roaring 20s. The complex history of competing impresarios and showmen from Massine and Balanchine to Hurok to Da Basil--with a little Agnes DeMille thrown in for good measure--is rich in irony, pathos and, yes--drama! I am not educated about the Dance and so I cannot offer cogent criticism about the myriad issues presented or any of their potential biases/omissions. But I know a ripping good time when I have had one, and this film rates up there with the best documentaries about artists I have ever seen. I never expected a précis of Ballet in America, as one poster indicated; the title is, after all, The Ballets Russes. For this uneducated but interested onlooker, I was mesmerized--not only to see how many of these great artists are still alive (many in their late 80s and early 90s) but to learn from an example they set of how active and vital they remain today--and to see them in antique footage (when some were still teen age "baby ballerinas") is a joy and a privilege. Hearing about the backstage power struggles is juicy fun and endlessly entertaining--all that supposed high brow stuff is really just like watching the intrigues on "Dynasty," but with class, great technique, and charmingly Russian-accented anecdotes. Seeing these personalities in photos and action footage as they interact with the great choreographers and ballet masters is wondrous--and watching the likes of Matisse and Dali designing sets and costumes for their work--sublime. What a rich and rewarding world it was, as well as one of great struggle and sacrifice. We glimpse it all, as well as the shadowing arc of its glorious history.

I could have watched this for another two or so hours without once stirring in my seat. For those who do love the dance, this is a "must-see," and for those with only a passing interest, it cannot fail to capture your attention. This has been a particularly fine year for documentary films and the Oscar voters will have quite a time deciding from the list of deserving nominees. If I were a voting member, I would be checking the box next to this film's title.

I was mesmerized and enthralled by this 2 hour film. I wanted it to just go on and on. What a fabulous look into the beginnings of modern ballet of the 20th century. The archival footage was remarkable. The interviews with the aged dancers were priceless. If this film had not been made now, this fabulous history would have been lost to us forever. Many of the dancers appearing in this film have since passed away. If you love the ballet you MUST see this film! If you know someone who loves the ballet, urge them to see this film. They will be forever grateful to you. I can't wait until Ballets Russes comes out on DVD so I can add it to my library.

As a fan of the ballet who knows virtually nothing about the history of this art form, I found myself fascinated by this documentary, but also saddened. Not in the film-making, for it is a wonderful piece of work. It is great narrative story telling, with well articulated characters, an intriguing plot line and no small amount of conflict. Like most documentaries, it relies on a lot of talking heads, but luckily, most of the people being interviewed have the kind of big, show business personalities that make them actually fun to watch. Even when their Russian accents made them difficult to understand, their star qualities shinned through.

I cannot comment on the accuracy of "Ballets Russes" or whether it adequately tells the story of ballet in the 20th century. Surely, other important things were going on at the Royal Ballet in London and the Bolshoi and with the New York City ballet and that's just to name three other companies. And I even had the feeling that things may have at times been a lot nastier within the Ballets Russes than shown on the screen. There were obviously a lot of very big egos working together in these two companies and that is always a formula for some real fireworks.

But not too long ago Robert Altman, a filmmaker I deeply respect, tried his hand at filming part of a season with Chicago's Joffrey Ballet, even using a fictional plot and characters to heighten the drama value. While the dancing was magnificent, the picture fell flat as a pancake. The almost non existent plot failed miserably. Ballet Russes had far less dance in it, but was a far more satisfying experience.

Still, the picture, while trying to end on a hopeful note, ended on a sad one for me, because the Ballets Russes are no more. And what I learned during the course of this 118 minute long documentary is that it is a complex, highly expensive task to operate a ballet company. Running a ballet company that actually turns a profit may be an almost impossible task. Part of the problem is that ballet is a manpower intensive art form. The kind of big, glamorous productions we are used to seeing must employ a lot of people, both on stage and behind the scenes. And the process of producing dancers capable of the kind of artistry we so love takes years of study, years when the dancers themselves are not generating any revenue.

One of the bitter sweet aspects of this film was listening to the great Maria Tallchief, who I saw when I was very young, talking about her own experiences when she was very young, watching the Ballet Russe and wanting that life so badly. You cannot imagine why any little girl wouldn't want a life that combines glamor and excitement with the poetry of motion that only ballet can produce. But the cold hard facts are that the economics of the marketplace may be killing off this art form, especially in a world where corporate conglomerates now control so much of what we consider "art" and corporate conglomerates focus exclusively on the bottom line.

So see this documentary while its still around, and while ballet itself is still around. Neither may be here that long.

This wonderful film is a needed record of the famous Ballet Russes, an essential piece of 20th century dance history. Though there may be critics who feel that many details are left out, one never feels the lack. The filmmakers' careful attention to detail and editing crafts a clear, inspiring, and engaging story. Interviews with some of the greatest dancers of the century recall the colorful history of two ballet companies, The Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo directed by Massine, and the Original Ballet Russe, led by Colonel de Basil. The first Ballet Russe had been founded by Serge Diaghilev.

If you know dance history you will be satisfied with the remarkable archival footage, and if you don't know your dance, you will come away entertained, amazed and edified. The directors make brilliant use of interviews with some old but remarkably vivacious dancers. Their oral histories are filled with intrigue, bravado, and passion. These are not folks who have slipped quietly into old age. Despite the fact that many are in their late 80's (in the case of Frederic Franklin an active and svelte 90) all the enthusiasm, artistry and love for dance are fully alive in their eyes, and in the witty and insightful stories they tell. The account of these two companies is tied together with amazing clips of the classic dances, which makes the history delightfully clear. Although the clips are silent the filmmakers are faithful to the original scores that were used, something that does not always happen in such films. Nothing feels arbitrary or gratuitous. In fact, all the editing – particularly the cross cuts from the faces the dancers today to images of their beautiful youthful selves adds poignancy and timelessness.

More than just a film about art history, "Ballet Russes", reminds us that the arts may be ephemeral, but that they have an enduring and timeless value. Those who dedicate themselves to the arts, whether through their minds, imaginations, bodies, hands, or words, have much to tell us and teach us. These artists have the great fortune to have led lives, often at the cost of personal or material sacrifice, that are both unique and source of continual inspiration. Ballet Russes catches that inspiration.

I noticed how positive some of the comments here were and I was struck by how many people writing comments stated they were not real big ballet fans or knew much about ballet history. I am a big fan of the ballet and of ballet history and while I liked this film very much, I am afraid it was a bit shaky in some aspects of authentic ballet history. First, the history of the original Ballet Russes as formed by Diaghliev and which starred such immortals as Nijinsky, Pavlova, Karasvina, etc was given short shrift and I was really surprised the film focused only on the companies called Ballet Russes after 1922. Any serious discussion of the history of the Ballet Russes and it role in inventing modern Ballet has to include a discussion of the Diagliev years--his company, not the copycat versions of De Basil and Denham, was the actual source of what we know as modern Ballet in the 20th century. Be Basil and Denham were only trying to preserve what Diaghliev had started. If you watched this film you would not know that Massine was the choreographer for Diaghliev's Ballet Russe after Nijinsky or that Nijinska or Balanchine were also first employed by Diaghliev.

You would also leave the film thinking that Freddy Franklin was Markova's principal partner but that was not true--Anton Dolin was her main partner for years and he also was discovered by Diaghliev. Anton Dolin and Markova both taught for years and years and they were some of the people instrumental in founding the Ballet Society which grew to become the American Ballet theater(ABT) in New York. Dolin's omission and that of ABT were particularly curious in a film on ballet history.

While the film tried to portray New York City(NYC) ballet as the main rival in New York, it was the ABT that posed the biggest rival to the Ballet Russe company. The ABT still maintained the star system(and still does to this day)--particularly foreign stars--and NYC did not. The ABT did some of the classical ballets--NYC did not as a rule--the NYC specialized in the abstract ballets of Balanchine. The ABT toured and NYC did not as a rule. Many of the stars of the Ballet Russe defected to ABT over time.

Another big reason for the decline of the Ballet russes that was not discussed in the film was the competition Sol Hurok began to bring over in the form of foreign tours like the Royal Ballet and the Bolshoi in the late 40's and 50's. These foreign companies brought over full length ballets that neither ABT or NYC or the Ballet Russes were doing at the time and this further contributed to the decline of the Ballet Russe. However, this was not mentioned and you could leave the film thinking the touring tradition for ballet companies died with the Ballet Russe--which was far from the case.

Another very curious omission was showing some of the Hollywood films the Ballet russe starred in and not mentioning the Red shoes!! This was a seminal work about the ballet and was widely seen in the 40's and starred Massine and other members of the Ballet Russe like Toumanova as well. The Red shoes also starred some dancers from one of the rival companies challenging the Ballet Russe listed above--Moira Shearer and Robert Helpmann from England's Royal Ballet.

I could go on and on about other omisions and subtle distortions of ballet history but I do not want to nitpick. This film is great on its own merits as cinema and hopefully, people who see the film might look up the real history of the ballet on their own--most of the books on ballet history have a lot of the intrigue and personality conflicts only alluded to in this film.