capybara Posted December 29, 2015 Share Posted December 29, 2015 If you put those search words in Google you will find it on a different video sharing website. Vimeo. Which search words, please? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwissBalletFan Posted December 29, 2015 Share Posted December 29, 2015 (edited) For anyone interested to watch "The Bolshoi Babylon" The film is on youtube Am I allowed to post the link? Just in case, type in GOOGLE search "Bolshoi Ballet Documentary Filin Urin Tsiskaridze Alexandrova" and ... enjoy! These ones Enjoy. Edited December 29, 2015 by SwissBalletFan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted December 29, 2015 Share Posted December 29, 2015 Thank you Swiss Ballet Fan. I'll try to watch it later on Vimeo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Posted December 31, 2015 Share Posted December 31, 2015 So far two friends have seen this film. A maker of British arts documentaries, who saw the pirate version on Vimeo (warning, it's filmed off a monitor so the sound is poor) says there are no great revelations and an awful lot is left unsaid; dancers complain about their lot, but are cautious enough not to express any opinion about their bosses; ultimately all very frustrating. Whereas a ballerina friend who saw the film on tv in the US says she enjoyed watching it and of course all can't be revealed yet. To go behind the scenes at the Bolshoi and not try to cover up the truth even if not fully sharing is, she says, very brave. So no doubt, as so often, it depends which end of the telescope one looks through. Meanwhile here is the background to the film, for those who didn't read this New Yorker article at the time:- http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2013/03/18/danse-macabre Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pulcinella Posted December 31, 2015 Share Posted December 31, 2015 This will also now be showing at the following Cineworld cinemas: Aberdeen - Union Square Ashford Birmingham - Broad Street Bolton Braintree Cheltenham Chichester Didsbury Eastbourne Glasgow - Renfrew Street Isle of Wight Solihull Witney Yeovil Hope this may of be some help to some people. It certainly was for me as previously there wasn't anywhere at all near to me to see it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted December 31, 2015 Share Posted December 31, 2015 I've now watched this film online. It is interesting, of course, but, as the ground covered is much the same as that reported by Ismene Brown in her blog (see LINKS), I'm not sure that I would have wanted to pay to go to see it in the cinema. I had no difficult with the vimeo link at all. The picture and sound were both good and the subtitles succinctly covered what was being said. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted December 31, 2015 Share Posted December 31, 2015 http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/jul/17/digital-piracy-film-online-counterfeit-dvds 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toursenlair Posted January 1, 2016 Author Share Posted January 1, 2016 Thank you so much for posting that article about video piracy, alison. I think we should all read it. we all want people to produce more films about ballet, which is VERY much a niche market, and we should be willing to pay for those films. http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/jul/17/digital-piracy-film-online-counterfeit-dvds 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jodie Posted January 1, 2016 Share Posted January 1, 2016 (edited) For those in London the live Q&A session with the filmmakers and Bolshoi principle dancer Anastasia Meskova and historian Simon Sebag Montefiore will take place at Bertha Dochouse in Bloomsbury on the 10th January at 3pm from where it will be streamed to the other cinemas taking part. I will be attending and I'm happy to ask questions on behalf of other forum members if you would like! However, It's a lovely cinema if you are tempted to attend yourself. More info and booking here: http://www.dochouse.org/cinema/screenings/bolshoi-babylon-live-qa Edited January 1, 2016 by Jodie 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted January 1, 2016 Share Posted January 1, 2016 Hello Jodie and welcome out of the lurking shadows! Thanks so much for the information about the live Q&A. It would be great if you could report back for us! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted January 1, 2016 Share Posted January 1, 2016 Thank you so much for posting that article about video piracy, alison. I think we should all read it. we all want people to produce more films about ballet, which is VERY much a niche market, and we should be willing to pay for those films. I have read the article and I stand admonished! However, I think that Bolshoi Babylon is the first film that I have ever watched on my PC and I am only an occasional used of YouTube 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jodie Posted January 1, 2016 Share Posted January 1, 2016 (edited) Hello Jodie and welcome out of the lurking shadows! Thanks so much for the information about the live Q&A. It would be great if you could report back for us! Many thanks Janet, I thought I would raise my head above the parapet! Happy to report back. Edited January 1, 2016 by Jodie 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted January 1, 2016 Share Posted January 1, 2016 I love most of the Curzon cinemas but haven't been to Bloomsbury one yet! What a good idea though to have a cinema showing largely documentaries!! Unfortunately I can't make the 10th.....Sod's law am up the following Sunday on 17th Cannot see a Brighton showing for this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted January 5, 2016 Share Posted January 5, 2016 From this week's Links, a review from the Guardian: http://www.theguardian.com/stage/dance-blog/2016/jan/04/bolshoi-babylon-film-ballet-acid-attacks-sergei-filin-russia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melody Posted January 5, 2016 Share Posted January 5, 2016 I'm glad to see that Guardian review mentioning that the film didn't really make clear the battle between the conservatives and modernists (although they aren't all that modernist!), because that stuck me too while I was watching it. It seems to be one of the main reasons for the existence of the faction headed by Nikolai Tsiskaridze, so I thought it would get more of a mention. I was left wondering whether it's a good thing or a bad thing that Vladimir Putin doesn't take much of a personal interest in ballet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Q Fan Posted January 5, 2016 Share Posted January 5, 2016 I wonder if perhaps the Bolshoi isn't too big for its own good. It must be harder to get harmony with larger numbers. As for video piracy well perhaps if they didn't charge so much for DVDs in the first place that would be a start....laughable/ironic that I bought Royal Ballets Osipovaa/Golding Swan Lake DVD for less at the Dutch National Ballet Shop than I could buy it at ROH/Royal Ballet shop!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Posted January 6, 2016 Share Posted January 6, 2016 Just for information: those in the UK who can't get to a cinema, or would like to watch this film at home for free without any question of piracy, need only be patient. The BBC are co-producers and the film will be shown as part of the Storyville strand, which is usually on BBC4. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quintus Posted January 6, 2016 Share Posted January 6, 2016 Just watched it on Vimeo. I'm surprised it has a cinema release - it is a straightforward TV documentary with no cinematic qualities whatsoever. I wouldn't buy the dvd either - it's not something you'd watch more than once. - I'd advise waiting for the BBC showing. Some interesting moments but overall rather disappointing and drawn out. I was impressed however by the audience member who has been going almost every night for years! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted January 6, 2016 Share Posted January 6, 2016 Well, there are quite a few of those at the ROH, too 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toursenlair Posted January 6, 2016 Author Share Posted January 6, 2016 I was impressed however by the audience member who has been going almost every night for years! I read somewhere that that person is actually a claqueur. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 Just watched it on Vimeo. I'm surprised it has a cinema release - it is a straightforward TV documentary with no cinematic qualities whatsoever. I don't agree. Apart from anything else, there is not much logic in watching a pirate copy on video and then saying it had "no cinematic qualities whatsoever" (someone who saw it in the cinema is surely better placed to make that comment). It would be a shame if someone who has been looking forward to seeing this in the cinema is put off by this comment. Leaving aside problems with the Vimeo copy (some of which are discussed above) this is not a "straightforward TV documentary": it is feature-length, for one thing (television slots being primarily 30 or 50 minutes). And the fact that the film was co-produced by the Storyville team is a strong indication of its genesis as a cinema project, Storyville being the BBC's showcase for the best theatrical documentaries from around the world. No, it is not shot on film (not much is these days and anyway the film-makers would probably not have got the remarkable access they did if they had been shooting film) nor is it a Wiseman documentary. But it is a lot better, more interesting and more layered than some piece of tv hack work. I have already posted the conflicting views of two friends who came at this film from opposite perspectives. To an extent what you get from it will depend on what you want from it. But whatever ones final judgement this film deserves better than the comment above. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quintus Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 I don't agree. Apart from anything else, there is not much logic in watching a pirate copy on video and then saying it had "no cinematic qualities whatsoever" (someone who saw it in the cinema is surely better placed to make that comment). I disagree with the logic of that assertion. I could watch a clip of Gone With the Wind on my mobile phone and conclude that it has strong cinematic properties. It is clearly designed to exploit the visual scale of a cinema screen. Conversely I don't have to wait for Crimewatch to be shown in a cinema to conclude that it is televisual rather than cinematic. This documentary makes very little use of the screen 'real estate' available in large format; it does however make heavy use of 'talking heads', a classic TV approach. Some of the content is interesting - someone deeply interested in the management politics at the Bolshoi would find it fascinating, and there is some revealing insight into the degree to which the Bolshoi is entrenched in the fabric of Russian society. My point was that it does not need a cinema, and the associated cost, to do what it is trying to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quintus Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 Well, there are quite a few of those at the ROH, too I read somewhere that that person is actually a claqueur. Well if the ROH is willing to fund a claqueur, sign me up 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Macmillan Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 Further to an earlier post, the Picturehouse chain will be showing the documentary on Sunday afternoon, 3pm, at 17 of its locations around the UK. Details in the dropdown box here: https://www.picturehouses.com/film/bolshoi-babylon?button=1&_m_utk=7a12ef839608eec81ae57629ef92c932 I don't believe this has been mentioned before but a promotional email this morning also reveals that Deborah Bull will be joining the Q&A afterwards. No sign, however, of Ismene Brown, who has made the goings-on at the Bolshoi something of a specialty over the past two years or so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farfallina Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 Well if the ROH is willing to fund a claqueur, sign me up There is another forum in here called "Clapping" which discusses Mr. Abramov's activities. We have watched him operate the Bolshoi's floor and he is, well, how to put it best, odd. He would bring in one couple to "his" seats and after the break they were not seen again - just him escorting the next pair of two to the very same seats. I think you will find he is not quite the idealistic balletomane as you were thinking - they could have mentioned the role of the claqueurs while they were at it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jack.b Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 The claque is a group of people who are paid to clap for certain artists ,this mainly happens in France or Italy . 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fiz Posted January 8, 2016 Share Posted January 8, 2016 Claqueurs were common in English theatre during the 18th and early 19th centuries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Q Fan Posted January 8, 2016 Share Posted January 8, 2016 i had to look up "claquer" too!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quintus Posted January 8, 2016 Share Posted January 8, 2016 the Nytimes article about Abramov and his claque which is linked on the Clapping thread is very interesting indeed - I knew of claques historically but had no idea this was still a practice. It must only work if done very subtly however; if the artist's aspiration is to impress their director by the volume of applause they generate and hence get more castings/promotion, then it's surely going to be counterproductive if their applause is evidently claque-led! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAB Posted January 8, 2016 Share Posted January 8, 2016 It must only work if done very subtly however; if the artist's aspiration is to impress their director by the volume of applause they generate and hence get more castings/promotion, then it's surely going to be counterproductive if their applause is evidently claque-led! Subtle it isn't. I had a first hand experience of one of those goons when he burst into the box I was sharing with two of my friends to noisily start cheering a very indifferent mezzo soprano. He was totally deaf to our protests and continued to make a racked until she finally finished her bows to otherwise lukewarm applause. Bolshoi performers are likely to have their performances disrupted if they refuse to supply tickets/pay their fees. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loveclassics Posted January 8, 2016 Share Posted January 8, 2016 (edited) In one of the 'Ballet Stroganoff' novels of Caryl Brahms and S J Simon, the enterprising ballet impressario has difficulty in persuading a certain prima ballerina to join his company so signs up her claquer instead. Problem solved! In real life however I can remember claques supporting the Russian competitors being all too present at international figure skating events in the 70s. They would stamp their feet and chant something that sounded like 'Mar Lar Zie' which someone translated for me as meaning 'Not too bad'. Seems a little lukewarm but it was certainly very loud. Perhaps someone could translate? Linda Ed. for clarity. Edited January 8, 2016 by loveclassics 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Macmillan Posted January 10, 2016 Share Posted January 10, 2016 For what it's worth, I thought it worth seeing this afternoon, if only to hear much of what we already knew more directly from a number of those involved. And the Q&A was also fairly useful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jodie Posted January 10, 2016 Share Posted January 10, 2016 Bar the hugely irritating woman sitting next to me who showed up 10 minutes late, trod on my feet whislt getting to her seat and then chewed her fingernails the whole way through it, I throughly enjoyed the documentary! As some have pointed out it doesn't really reveal anything new, but the access the filmmakers got was truly unprecedented, I think it is quite telling that Russian TV plan to show it as well considering it's not a vanity piece. The documentary is very well filmed, I love seeing footage from the wings of a performance and some of the rehearsal clips were super. My favourite bit of the evening however was when Nick Read was asked if we could expect a sequel, he responded that it was unlikely as a film he produced about 260 of Russia's most dangerous criminals from a prison was an less stressful experience! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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