Ballets russes (2005)

Directors:

Daniel Geller
Dayna Goldfine

Writers:

Daniel Geller
Dayna Goldfine
(more)

Release Date:

19 April 2006 (Belgium)

Genre:

Documentary | History | Music

Tagline:

Fame, glamour, ego, politics, money, war, love . . . and dance.

Plot:

Ballets Russes is an intimate portrait of a group of pioneering artists -- now in their 70s, 80s and 90s -- who gave birth to modern ballet.

Plot Keywords:

Ballet | 1930s | Theatre | 1940s | Dance

Awards:

2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Irina Baronova	...	Herself
Yvonne Chouteau	...	Herself
Yvonne Craig	...	Herself
Frederic Franklin	...	Himself
Alan Howard	...	Himself
Nathalie Krassovska	...	Herself
Alicia Markova	...	Herself (as Dame Alicia Markova)
Milada Mladova	...	Herself (clip "Escape Me Never") (archive footage)
Nina Novak	...	Herself
Marc Platt	...	Himself
Wakefield Poole	...	Himself
Tania Riabouchinskaya	...	Herself (as Tatiana Riabouchinska)
Marian Seldes	...	Narrator (voice)
Mia Slavenska	...	Herself
Tatiana Stepanova	...	Herself
Maria Tallchief	...	Herself
Tamara Tchinarova Finch	...	Herself
Miguel Terekhov	...	Himself
Nini Theilade	...	Herself
Raven Wilkinson	...	Herself
Rochelle Zide	...	Herself
George Zoritch	...	Himself

Directed by
Daniel Geller
Dayna Goldfine

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Daniel Geller
Dayna Goldfine
Celeste Schaefer Snyder
Gary Weimberg

Produced by
Jonathan Dana	....	consulting producer
Daniel Geller	....	producer
Dayna Goldfine	....	producer
Robert Hawk	....	producer
Celeste Schaefer Snyder	....	associate producer
Douglas Blair Turnbaugh	....	producer

Original Music by
Todd Boekelheide
David Conte

Cinematography by
Daniel Geller

Film Editing by
Daniel Geller
Dayna Goldfine
Gary Weimberg

Art Department
Heather Shirkey	....	photo retouching

Sound Department
Todd Boekelheide	....	sound re-recording mixer
Dayna Goldfine	....	sound
Philip Perkins	....	premixes
Philip Perkins	....	sound editor

Editorial Department
Nathaniel Dorsky	....	consulting editor
Elizabeth Finlayson	....	additional editor

Music Department
Todd Boekelheide	....	orchestrator
David Conte	....	orchestrator
Brooke Wentz	....	music supervisor

Other crew
Christopher Stowell	....	ballet consultant
Christopher Wheeldon	....	ballet consultant
Mickey Cottrell	....	publicist (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Geller/Goldfine Productions

Distributors

• Zeitgeist Films (2005) (USA) (all media)
• Capri Films (2005) (Canada) (all media)
• Hopscotch Productions (2005) (Australia) (all media)
• Cinemien (2006) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• MFA Filmdistribution (2007) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Phantom Film (2007) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Homescreen (2006) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Lightning Entertainment (2005) (non-USA) (all media) (sales)
• Revolver Entertainment (2005) (UK) (all media)

Runtime:

USA:118 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Australia:G | UK:PG | Netherlands:AL | Germany:o.Al.

Company:

Geller/Goldfine Productions

Movie Connections:

Features Ballerina (1937)

Glorious

I walked into this film knowing very little about the history of ballet in the 20th century, and though those more knowledgeable than I may quibble with facts or omissions, I can't imagine anybody who loves dance, music, or human beings walking away from this film unsatisfied.

Much of the archival footage is thrilling to watch--much of it, to be honest, is also a little bland and hard to distinguish. Nonetheless, the film as a whole is very well edited and makes wonderful use of music. Its true glory rests, however, in the beautiful, opinionated, eccentric personalities that emerge, personalities so vibrant and colorful even at 80, 90 years of age that they make the living people around one (God forgive me for saying this) seem like tattered scraps of ashen cardboard. Dance must be some kind of fountain of youth. That so many of the people central to the history of these two companies should not only still be alive, but also be SO ALIVE, is nothing short of miraculous.

The film half-heartedly tries to end on a note of hope for the future of ballet, but let's not kid ourselves: this is an elegy for an art-form that will never again be quite what it once was. And actually, the film is all the more poignant for that. A beautiful and unforgettable film.