Pointytoes22 Posted August 15, 2012 Share Posted August 15, 2012 Completely ballet mad so even when I'm 'resting' need to be involved with ballet! Does anyone know of any good films about/involving ballet available in the UK? Maybe newer ones than the traditional Billy Elliot, Ballet Shoes etc. I tried watching Black Swan but had to turn it off half way through 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted August 15, 2012 Share Posted August 15, 2012 Well I would recommend Mao's Last Dancer if you have got a machine that is capable of playing it. Just looked at Amazon UK and it is available on Blu-ray and as an imported Region 1 DVD. I also very much enjoyed a film from the 80s called White Nights starring Baryshnikov and Gregory Hines. Not ballet but the dance scenes in Strictly Ballroom are enthralling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toursenlair Posted August 15, 2012 Share Posted August 15, 2012 Don't know if these are available in the UK but you might like Robert Altman's The Company. Also Centre Stage. An oldie-but-goodie is The Turning Point if you haven't seen it, and it's got Baryshnikov so what's not to like? Unfortunately I think White Nights DVD was discontinued some years ago. On the documentary front, I really liked Etoiles about the Paris Opera Ballet (more than the more recent La Danse, actually). Also, Ballerina, about 4 Russian ballerinas (Lopatkina, Vishneva, can't remember the other two). A very recent documentary with a lot of human interest is First Position which follows 6 participants in the Youth America Grand Prix. Not sure if it's been released on DVD yet but doubtless soon. I would second Janet's recommendation of Mao's Last Dancer, and I know she's not just recommending it because she's crazy about Chi Cao ! I also really liked Strictly Ballroom. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drdance Posted August 15, 2012 Share Posted August 15, 2012 I love centre stage, and the company is supposed to be good although I haven't watched it myself. I can't wait for First Position to come out on DVD and I'm currently loving US tv series' such as Dance Moms, Bunheads, Breaking Pointe and Dance Academy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taxi4ballet Posted August 15, 2012 Share Posted August 15, 2012 I tried watching Black Swan but had to turn it off half way through I didn't even get that far! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anjuli_Bai Posted August 15, 2012 Share Posted August 15, 2012 Completely ballet mad so even when I'm 'resting' need to be involved with ballet! Does anyone know of any good films about/involving ballet available in the UK? Maybe newer ones than the traditional Billy Elliot, Ballet Shoes etc. I tried watching Black Swan but had to turn it off half way through I, too, - and my ballet loving husband - just couldn't take Black Swan. There are two films from many years ago which I have and adore: "Children of Theatre Street" and "Backstage at the Kirov" - both wonderful. In one of them I saw an exercise in class that my Russian (pre-Vaganova) teacher used to give us. It was taught to her by Alexandra Baldina and Theodore Koslov - both members of the original group of dancers who came to France for that first season with Diagelev. I have a huge collection (one of the largest in the country) of ballet tapes and DVD's and so most of what is mentioned above I have. As for the film "Turning Pointe" - the producers made a real effort to tape the leading dancers of the day - and the movie is worth watching just for that. Unfortunately, Gelsey Kirkland who was supposed to star opposite Baryshnikov could not - but her replacement, Leslie Browne, is wonderful. Antionette Sibley is in it, too - and there is comparatively very little of her dancing recorded on tape - so this bit is quite to be treasured. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trog Posted August 15, 2012 Share Posted August 15, 2012 An old one that I adore is Black Tights which cost me a whole £3 on DVD. Zizi Jeanmarie, Cyd Charise and Moria Shearer - what's not to like! If you fancy a mix of horror and ballet, Suspiria is the way to go. I for one will not be watching the remake which is due next year. Speaking of Moria Shearer, Channel 4 have been known to show The Man Who Loved Redheads and Peeping Tom and of course there is always The Red Shoes. Finally there is Save The Last Dance 2 which is a much better film than the first installment, and has more dancing too - ballet and hip-hop. Don't forget the "Step Up" series, although I don't like these as much as other dance films. I concur with Janet about Mao's Last Dancer and Strictly Ballroom. I quite like Flashdance too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted August 15, 2012 Share Posted August 15, 2012 Pointytoes, I've moved this into the main part of the forum in the hope that it'll get you a wider range of replies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irmgard Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 For documentaries, there is "Ballets Russes" and the DVD contains lots of extra material which is almost better than the film itself! For those who haven't heard, the British Film Institute is running a series of films about or featuring Anna Pavlova over the next two weeks. Ticket price per film is £10 - rather a shame they are only showing one film per day for those of us who have to add on the cost of travelling into London. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jm365 Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 Not ballet - and DVD acquired via Amazon France - Le Roi Danse - about Louis XIV and Lully - quite a bit of baroque dance and the most fantastic costumes. Directed by the same man who made the film about the castrato singer Farinelli. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Mallinson Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 …and one might give another mention to the season of Pavlova films at London's BFI. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elliepops Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 Don't know what certificate it will be but I think "Love Tomorrow" is out soon, with Cindy Jourdain, Arionel Vargas and Begona Cao. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aurora Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 I really enjoyed Centerstage, quite a bit of dancing in that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toursenlair Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 Not ballet - and DVD acquired via Amazon France - Le Roi Danse - about Louis XIV and Lully - quite a bit of baroque dance and the most fantastic costumes. Directed by the same man who made the film about the castrato singer Farinelli. Yes I liked that one too. An insight into the origins of ballet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aruna S Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 I loved The Turning Point and Flashdance too. Also the original Beatrix Potter film with Ashton dancing the part of Mrs Tiggywinkle. I remember a French film about a young dancer, with Maina Gielgud also, I think, but it was so long ago that I have no idea what it was called. And there was a Russian film about a Japanese ballerina from Hiroshima getting into the Bolshoi ballet, no prizes for guessing where the plotline went, but I remember it had some quite beautiful dancing from Romeo and Juliet. All that Jazz is another dance-related classic that never grows old, IMO. Black Swan is such a hideous travesty, I couldn't get through it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pointytoes22 Posted August 16, 2012 Author Share Posted August 16, 2012 Thank you, loads of great suggestions! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loveclassics Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 If you have SKY then a documentary called A Beautiful Tragedy is regularly shown. It's about a student at the Perm Ballet school. It's not THAT tragic as she makes the grade at the end but it's really engrossing and seems a realistic portrayal of the sacrifices required to succeed in the profession. I loved The Turning Point too and never tire of watching the Red Shoes, particularly in the new re-mastered print which does justice to the fantastic colour. Also, there's a mock ballet in the recent DVD of the Phantom of the Opera which features Sergei Polunin, late of the RB. Following the scandalously successful Black Swan I am waiting for someone to film Rebecca Horsfall's Dancing on Thorns - it would make a nice change to see a film featuring the struggles of a male dancer. If you run out of films, then there are loads of interesting dance biographies as well as novels with ballet as a theme. Try finding a copy of any of the comic novels about the Ballet Stroganoff, especially A Bullet in the Ballet. It always cheers me up on bad days. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa O`Brien Posted August 20, 2012 Share Posted August 20, 2012 Not ballet,but the film,A Chorus Line,with Michael Douglas is good. There is a black male dancer in it,and he does a solo,both singing and dancing called "surprise". Wow,what a dancer,what a singer.! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toursenlair Posted August 20, 2012 Share Posted August 20, 2012 Bringing Balanchine Back, about NYCB's 2004 tour to Russia, is also good. Includes footage of Robbins' Glass Pieces which isn't available on video. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toursenlair Posted August 20, 2012 Share Posted August 20, 2012 also, Making Ballet with Karen Kain documents the creation of James Kudelka's The Actress. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anjuli_Bai Posted August 20, 2012 Share Posted August 20, 2012 I have on VHS and DVD - taped from TV - a documentary that came out on Suzanne Farrell in 1990. It is one of the most poignant documentaries I've seen. As she relates her experiences with Balanchine , some parts of it are literally heartbreaking - almost like a beautiful moth caught in a web. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted August 20, 2012 Share Posted August 20, 2012 Which one's this, Anjuli? I've got one Farrell documentary, but can't remember the title at the moment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anjuli_Bai Posted August 20, 2012 Share Posted August 20, 2012 (edited) Which one's this, Anjuli? I've got one Farrell documentary, but can't remember the title at the moment. It's called "Suzanna Farrell - Elusive Muse" - it's about her dancing - but watching her tell the story and the pain all these years later gives a real insight into what her world was like. The dancing and the tears cannot be separated. Edited August 20, 2012 by Anjuli_Bai 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Wall Posted August 20, 2012 Share Posted August 20, 2012 (edited) I agree Anjuli - The documentary on Ms Farrell does great honour to her book. In that regard it is a great rarity in my experience. (Not that I am suggesting that you should see the one without reading the - principal - other.) Edited August 20, 2012 by Meunier Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anjuli_Bai Posted August 20, 2012 Share Posted August 20, 2012 It's called "Suzanna Farrell - Elusive Muse" - it's about her dancing - but watching her tell the story and the pain all these years later gives a real insight into what her world was like. The dancing and the tears cannot be separated. Her name, of course, is "Suzanne" not "Suzanna" - as I typoed - and came back too late to edit that particular error. Sorry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stirrups36 Posted August 21, 2012 Share Posted August 21, 2012 (edited) Here's one it seems almost no-one has seen. From Russia in 2011, it's semi-autobiographical and features boys dancing in the Bolshoi School. However, it's more Billy Elliot during Perestoika than documentaryl. It's called Moi Papa Baryshnikov, which translates as My Dad's Baryshnikov. The story though is not at all 'Elliotish'. Take a look at the trailer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMQhl2C00cA And also the pretty good review from Variety - http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117945570/ Edited to add- there are some BE similarities, pirouettes in the bathroom anyone? Edited August 21, 2012 by Stirrups36 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stirrups36 Posted August 21, 2012 Share Posted August 21, 2012 And this just appeared on my twitter feed https://www.facebook.com/AllIAmFilm All I Am - featuring Soares and Nunez with choreo by Scarlett and filming now for release in 2013 - one to look forward to maybe? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted August 21, 2012 Share Posted August 21, 2012 It's called "Suzanna Farrell - Elusive Muse" - it's about her dancing - but watching her tell the story and the pain all these years later gives a real insight into what her world was like. The dancing and the tears cannot be separated. Oh yes, that's the one I've got. Very good, I seem to remember, although I haven't watched it since I put it onto DVD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loveclassics Posted August 21, 2012 Share Posted August 21, 2012 (edited) Re: the Balanchine film about the NYC in Moscow: what ruined it for me was Kevin Kline's pompous and portentous commentary - it wasn't the the end of the world that Ansanelli didn't get to do Serenade that one time! Edited because the post didn't appear where I thought it would! Edited August 21, 2012 by lbeard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Wall Posted August 21, 2012 Share Posted August 21, 2012 I still find that documentary about the two young dancers from Rio (one who ended up with ABT II) very touching ... Such a wonderful portrayal of the two sets of parents ... so, so very moving ... without being sentimental ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beryl H Posted August 22, 2012 Share Posted August 22, 2012 Re: the Balanchine film about the NYC in Moscow: what ruined it for me was Kevin Kline's pompous and portentous commentary - it wasn't the the end of the world that Ansanelli didn't get to do Serenade that one time! I like Bringing Balanchine Back, although I thought Peter Martins was very tough with Alexandra Ansanelli, it's so lovely to see a bit of Balanchine on film, Serenade, Western Symphony, Glass Pieces, Agon are some of the highlights. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boomer Posted January 27, 2013 Share Posted January 27, 2013 It's called "Suzanna Farrell - Elusive Muse" - it's about her dancing - but watching her tell the story and the pain all these years later gives a real insight into what her world was like. The dancing and the tears cannot be separated. I have tried to find this one and the few I have seen are a fortune- something like $100! I do hope it will be available somewhere in a reasonable price range... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted January 27, 2013 Share Posted January 27, 2013 Hello Boomer. Welcome to the Forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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