ivyvaine23 Posted March 14, 2017 Author Share Posted March 14, 2017 Wasn't The Adjustment Bureau a thriller movie? I believe it wasn't a dance movie entirely, but I might be mistaken. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted March 14, 2017 Share Posted March 14, 2017 Oh yes, it's certainly not a dance movie per se. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivyvaine23 Posted March 14, 2017 Author Share Posted March 14, 2017 Is it still worth watching? Oh, I forgot one movie I absolutely loved watching as a kid and haven't seen since: Billy Elliot. I remember watching this on repeat when I was younger, but I have absolutely no clue what I would think of it now as a 23-year old adult. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taxi4ballet Posted March 14, 2017 Share Posted March 14, 2017 Am I alone in hating Black Swan? I don't think it did the world of ballet any favours, providing a very jaundiced view of what life is like in a ballet company. No you aren't; I hate it too and so do just about every dancer and ballet fan with whom I have discussed it! I found one at a car boot sale, watched some of it, and chucked it in the wheelie bin. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A frog Posted March 14, 2017 Share Posted March 14, 2017 I recently bought I Was An Adventuress with Vera Zorina, I haven't seen it yet but the back cover pictures show some ballet poses so it might fit. It was £3 at Fopp in Seven Dials, the promotion might still be on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivyvaine23 Posted March 17, 2017 Author Share Posted March 17, 2017 I recently bought I Was An Adventuress with Vera Zorina, I haven't seen it yet but the back cover pictures show some ballet poses so it might fit. It was £3 at Fopp in Seven Dials, the promotion might still be on. Sounds interesting! If you plan on watching it, please share your opinion on it afterwards! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Two Pigeons Posted March 17, 2017 Share Posted March 17, 2017 (edited) I have only ever seen Black Swan once and I got really impatient with it (for all that Natalie Portman was extremely good). I thought it was beyond ludicrous but then an ex BRB dancer friend of mine put a comment on Facebook that it did make him think of some of the ballet Mums he had met over the years and he didn't think it was quite so exaggerated after that. Edited March 17, 2017 by Two Pigeons 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bridiem Posted March 17, 2017 Share Posted March 17, 2017 I have only ever seen Black Swan once and I got really impatient with it (for all that Natalie Portman was extremely good). I thought it was beyond ludicrous but then an ex BRB dancer friend of mine put a comment on Facebook that it did make him think of some of the ballet Mums he had met over the years and he didn't think it was quite so exaggerated after that. I watched it (eventually, on TV) under the misapprehension that it was a 'ballet film'; it took me a lot longer than it should have to clock that it was in fact a kind of shlock-horror black psycho drama (comedy?) about an increasingly disturbed individual and it wasn't really about ballet at all. In so far as it was serious at all, it seemed to me to caricature and ridiculise (if there's such a word) mental health issues, and although the setting bore a superficial resemblance to the real world of ballet it could in fact have been set in any milieu where demands are made on people or people compete with each other. But mercifully I've now forgotten the details (Blacked out this Swan). 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivyvaine23 Posted March 21, 2017 Author Share Posted March 21, 2017 I watched it (eventually, on TV) under the misapprehension that it was a 'ballet film'; it took me a lot longer than it should have to clock that it was in fact a kind of shlock-horror black psycho drama (comedy?) about an increasingly disturbed individual and it wasn't really about ballet at all. In so far as it was serious at all, it seemed to me to caricature and ridiculise (if there's such a word) mental health issues, and although the setting bore a superficial resemblance to the real world of ballet it could in fact have been set in any milieu where demands are made on people or people compete with each other. But mercifully I've now forgotten the details (Blacked out this Swan). I feel the exact same way about this movie. You took the words right out of my mouth. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quintus Posted April 5, 2017 Share Posted April 5, 2017 Here's a trailer for Russian film 'Bolshoi' launching in May.. Seems to follow the usual arcs, but looks quite fun. https://www.facebook.com/class.ballet.school/videos/1848892545350674/ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quintus Posted January 7, 2018 Share Posted January 7, 2018 I was watching the film 'Passion' the other day and was very pleasantly surprised to find a lengthy sequence where they split the screen between events in the film on the right, and a performance of Afternoon of a Fawn on the left. I lost track of the what was going on in the film itself as I was engrossed in watching the stunning Polina Semionova. The ballet sequence is on Youtube - I'd advise against watching the whole film as it's otherwise rubbish! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BMC Posted January 7, 2018 Share Posted January 7, 2018 I think Vivienne Leigh was a ballet dancer in Waterloo Bridge - a favourite film of my dear, long departed, Mum - and a good old fashioned black and white tear jerker if you're in the mood for that sort of thing on a rainy Sunday afternoon. Hated Black Swan! 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna C Posted January 8, 2018 Share Posted January 8, 2018 On 07/01/2018 at 18:29, BMC said: I think Vivienne Leigh was a ballet dancer in Waterloo Bridge - a favourite film of my dear, long departed, Mum - and a good old fashioned black and white tear jerker if you're in the mood for that sort of thing on a rainy Sunday afternoon. Hated Black Swan! Nobody ever airs Waterloo Bridge any more; such a shame! It's so sad, but a classic weepie. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MargaretN7 Posted January 8, 2018 Share Posted January 8, 2018 I found "The Intelligence Men" on Talking Pictures TV (Freeview 81) the other day. Morecambe and Wise caught up in a performance of Swan Lake, hilarity and real ballet combined. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted January 9, 2018 Share Posted January 9, 2018 I don't think I've seen that one in decades ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharon Posted January 10, 2018 Share Posted January 10, 2018 At the moment my favourite is Ballerina (2016). A delightful cartoon. I bought it for my niece and ended up loving it myself. A lovely fairytale of a poor orphan wanting to join the Paris Opera School. I know, I know - but at least it's not pretending to be a serious ballet film. 😉 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petperj Posted January 10, 2018 Share Posted January 10, 2018 On 24/02/2017 at 13:36, Grand Tier Left said: Dramatic licence gets in the way of crediblity in so many, I think you would have to look for a documentary - try Frederick Wiseman's 2009 "La Danse", beautifully filmed over a long period at Paris Opera Ballet. He also did a wonderful documentary about the American Ballet Theatre in the mid 90s. A fascinating look at both the artistic, and practical side of the life of a ballet company. And some extended clips of their performances in a Greek outdoor venue. Director Frederick Wiseman seems to have a genuine love of dance. His documentary about the National Gallery also includes scenes of ballet performed with the Titian exhibition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aruna S Posted January 10, 2018 Share Posted January 10, 2018 Thanks to this thread I discovered the 1966 film Ballerina and have just finished watching it on YouTube.Very enjoyable. I quite liked the recent cartoon too, but I found it annoying that the final big performance ostensibly at the Paris Opera had some rubbishy pop music. Surely it couldn't have hurt to put in some Delibes/Tchaikovsky/any real ballet music? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Newcombe Posted January 10, 2018 Share Posted January 10, 2018 On 08/01/2018 at 23:24, MargaretN7 said: I found "The Intelligence Men" on Talking Pictures TV (Freeview 81) the other day. Morecambe and Wise caught up in a performance of Swan Lake, hilarity and real ballet combined. Even today, I find it difficult to get that film out of my mind when the cygnets dance in any performance of Swan Lake. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted January 10, 2018 Share Posted January 10, 2018 There was a significant bit of ballet at the start of a film I saw a couple of years ago (featuring some ex-ENBs, I seem to recall): I'm trying to remember what it was. I was wondering if it was a James Bond, because the (Russian) family came out after the performance and drove home and most of them got assassinated by gunmen en route. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amelia Posted January 10, 2018 Share Posted January 10, 2018 If someone loves ballet so much that is even ready to watch a foreign film without English subtitles, here is a link to the 1946 film “A Ballet Soloist”. There is plenty of dancing there: performances, rehearsals, etc. Somewhere between 7-12 min. Ulanova is dancing Adagio from Swan Lake: Click the black rectangular box in the top right corner and enlarge:https://yandex.ru/video/запрос/сериалы?redircnt=1471035939.1&reqid=1515619497671860-644493050455008364716745-man1-3586-V&top=0&letter=М&letter_page=6&text=солистка балета фильм 1947&source=relquery&autoplay=1&forcePlay=1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odyssey Posted January 10, 2018 Share Posted January 10, 2018 Just recapping this thread and to my surprise there's no mention of The Red Shoes, the greatest film made about ballet IMO. So beautifully crafted and the themes still resonate today. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shya100 Posted January 10, 2018 Share Posted January 10, 2018 On 08/01/2018 at 21:02, Anna C said: Nobody ever airs Waterloo Bridge any more; such a shame! It's so sad, but a classic weepie. I am sure it saw it on TV maybe 10 years ago. Very few black and white films on now anyway. When Feud started all my friends were excited and I was just oh I have seen all those films when I was small. No movie or tv ever captures anything accurately because its a snaphoot of life and therefore is doing well if it gets the essense across. No one wants to see courts ajourned for points of law to be discussed, or see surgerys last 18 hours, or teachers doing paper work etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quintus Posted January 11, 2018 Share Posted January 11, 2018 16 hours ago, alison said: There was a significant bit of ballet at the start of a film I saw a couple of years ago (featuring some ex-ENBs, I seem to recall): I'm trying to remember what it was. I was wondering if it was a James Bond, because the (Russian) family came out after the performance and drove home and most of them got assassinated by gunmen en route. That’s ‘Our Kind of Traitor’; Bella Brouwers was one of the dancers - I remember it taking me by surprise! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trog Posted January 11, 2018 Share Posted January 11, 2018 Suspiria is a wonderful film about a ballerina - not much dancing though! I has just been re-released in a limited edition box set, which is supposed to be very good. Argento has remade it and the new version should be out this year. I can't see how he can improve on perfection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAB Posted January 13, 2018 Share Posted January 13, 2018 The Man Who Loved Redheads was on telly last night starring Moira Shearer in a number of roles. In one sequence she plays a Russian dancer and you get to see her dance Sleeping Beauty Act III pas de deux almost in its entirety. It is less than perfect as Florimund clearly isn't the best of partners and the errors suggest just one take, however Ms Shearer is breathtakingly beautiful as Aurora, the ultra fast tempo of the ensemble number must shock modern day ballet goers though. I think a DVD might exist. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loveclassics Posted January 13, 2018 Share Posted January 13, 2018 (edited) What channel was it on, please? Was it Talking Pictures (Sky 343)? I often watch this. Most of the films are in black and white and reflect a totally different, much gentler, UK back in the 50s. They showed one recently about a dancer torn between her career and her husband and daughter. Wish I could remember the title. Linda Edited January 13, 2018 by loveclassics Punctuation 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RHowarth Posted January 13, 2018 Share Posted January 13, 2018 I’m disappointed to miss this; I’ve wanted to watch it for years but can’t find it on catch-up. There is a DVD; I seem to remember the film was remastered a few years ago. I hope they repeat it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAB Posted January 13, 2018 Share Posted January 13, 2018 It was on London Live, they show a lot of old films. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna C Posted January 13, 2018 Share Posted January 13, 2018 My daughter went to watch "The Greatest Showman" recently and came home rather outraged at the ballet element. I haven't seen it yet but apparently Barnum's daughter was desperate to dance ballet, so Barnum bought his daughter her first pair of ballet shoes, which were pointe shoes. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicola H Posted January 13, 2018 Share Posted January 13, 2018 On 2/24/2017 at 13:58, zxDaveM said: NOTHING is portrayed accurately in movies (or TV for that matter) when looked at through anything approaching expert eyes. Sport is at times laughable, ballet as we know is lamentable, science gets mangled (CSI - hang your head in shame!), police/hospital procedures make the professionals wince and many won't watch, etc etc. To anyone that doesn't know anything about whatever being shown, it probably looks fine and helps the story along. or when they start out as good and accurate , but lose their accuracy as new producers marginalise the role of the expert advisors ... the reason early Charlie Fairhead in Casualty is deemed so accurate is that Charlie is for the first 15 or so years of casualty a thinly disguised version of Peter Salt who was the original Nursing and A+E dept advisor to the series - and the original production team ( inc Geraint Morris ) spent months following Pete at work and then once they realised they needed to do research o n the ambulance stuff following Clive Hadrell ... while there aren;t the named Names to Link the Police advisors and LFB advisors to the The bill and London;s Buring respectively - again the respect they had within the relevant professional communities was because the producers listened to ' this is how we HAVE to do it becasue the of the law ' ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now