Product Description: An intimate portrait of a group of pioneering artists - now in their 70s 80s & 90s - who gave birth to modern ballet. Studio: Zeitgeist Films Release Date: 09/12/2006 Run time: 118 minutes
Amazon.com: Part history, part love letter, Ballets Russes may be the most purely delightful documentary in years. The movie follows the birth of the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo in the early 1930s, an event that eventually led--after years of exhilarating experiments, bitter artistic battles, and exhausting tours--to the establishment of modern ballet around the world. Ballet Russes combines astonishing film footage of fantastical ballets (featuring extravagant sets designed by Salvador Dali and costumes by Henri Matisse) and interviews with surviving dancers in their 70s, 80s, and 90s (ranging from Dame Alicia Markova, who was a prima ballerina with the original Ballet Russe under impresario Sergei Diaghilev, to Yvonne Craig, who went on to become Batgirl in the '60s tv show Batman); the result is a breathtaking range of scholarship and depth of feeling. The heart of the film is the dancers themselves, who are sly, thoughtful, gossipy, and amazingly youthful in spirit--even the most difficult times are discussed with humor and honesty. Ballet fans will find this an essential document, while anyone who's never even thought of going to ballet will be completely caught up in these dancers' passion and wonder. A beautiful, entrancing movie. --Bret Fetzer
A Golden Age I saw this company first in 1947, and followed them for about ten years. They were my introduction to ballet, and the dancers I remember were Alexandra Danilova, Natalie Krassovska, Frederic Franklin, and Nicolas Magellanes. Others came -- Ruthanna Boris, Mia Slavenska, Nina Novak -- but my memory of ballet is full of these early performances and those early dancers. It is inspiring to see them in this film, as full of love for their art as they were when performing. There is one area where I disagre slightly. I remember Nina Novak in the chorus, and she had charisma. You watched her. When she was given more important roles, you continued to watch her. What she did in her private life was irrelevant; she drew the eye. This is a must-see for every lover of ballet who is curious about how it started in America, and became the center of interest that it holds today. Baronova is astonishing!
An Insight Into Little Known History A beautifully woven tale of the dancers that shaped contemporary dance performance. I was in awe at the history, ego, and humility of remarkable pioneers.
All Encompassing DVD on the History of Ballets Russes This dvd is wonderfully done documentary about the history of "Ballets Russes". Daniel Geller & Dayna Goldfine do an excellent job of putting an entire history of one of the world's greatest ballet company's to ever exist. We see interviews of the actual dancers talk about themselves as well as the history of Ballets Russes... along with actual footage of them dancing the ballets themselves.
The focus of this documentary also includes other topics as well like the founders of Ballet Russes, the choreographers, the set and costume designers and so on it. This dvd documentary is quite engaging and flows great from start to finish. I highly recommend "Ballets Russes" to all ballet and dance lovers whom want to know more about the major players of the ballet world.
Entertaining, Educational, and Emotional I wasn't sure if I was going to like this DVD or not. The only reason I did was to find out some basic background information which I needed in writing a paper. After it was over, I found myself amazed and wanting to find out even more about the Ballet Russe and wishing I could have seen them at their prime.
The basic components of this DVD are archival footage of the actual Ballets, pictures of individuals involved with them, and interview sessions with a handful, maybe two handfuls, of surviving dancers who are well into their 80s.
Granted, I needed to take a break halfway through because there is a lot to digest in this DVD, as soon as you press play, it is very engrossing. It is amazing to see how passionate these people are about dance, what they had to go through, the ups and downs, the different dance companies. You really find yourself affected by their stories.
It was even more personal to me because I have actually seen and touched many of these costumes. Having worked at a museum there was an entire wall in one of the storage rooms devoted to the Ballet Russe. And just seeing the names of the ballets brought back many memories.
You don't have to be a fan of the ballet to enjoy this DVD. There is so much history and footage, any old movie buff or historian would enjoy it.
ballets russes This is a wonderful film for anyone interested in the origins of modern ballet.The inclusion of interviews with so many of the original dancers and the highlights from various productions over the course of the twentieth century make it a real joy to experience.
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