Isadora Duncan, the Biggest Dancer in the World (1966)

The outrageous life of the American dancer of the 1920s, Isadora Duncan, whom Ken Russell described as "part genius and part charlatan".

Director:

Ken Russell

Writers:

Ken Russell (scenario), Sewell Stokes (scenario)

Stars:

Vivian Pickles, Peter Bowles, Alexei Jawdokimov

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Vivian Pickles	...	Isadora Duncan
Peter Bowles	...	Paris Singer
Alexei Jawdokimov	...	Sergei Yessenin
Murray Melvin	...	Photographer
Jeanne Le Bars	...	Wilma
Alita Naughton	...	Journalist
Sandor Elès	...	Bugatti

Storyline

The outrageous life of the American dancer of the 1920s, Isadora Duncan, whom Ken Russell described as "part genius and part charlatan".

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Plot Keywords:

reenactment | dancer | character name in title | 

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Genres:

Documentary | Biography

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 September 1966 (UK)

Also Known As:

Isadora

Company Credits

Production Co:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

65 min 63 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to Eric Idle, he and two other future members of Monty Python (Terry Jones and Michael Palin) are among the band members on top of a hearse in an early scene. This occurs approximately a minute and thirty seconds into the film and only lasts for a moment.

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Connections

Edited from Olympia Part One: Festival of the Nations (1938)

User Reviews

Low rent Isadora far better bargain.

Made two years before Karel Reiz's polished, lengthy (168 minutes) larger budgeted film, Isadora, featuring Vanessa Redgrave, Ken Russel utilizing the same writer (Sewell Stokes) made this modestly budgeted, coarser work with doughy for a dancer Vivien Pickles. Received well in its day, the Reiz work is impressive in look and performance but the grit, bite and audacity in Russell's in under an hour's running time offers a far better ride.

Opening with a brief outline of the subject Russell quickly amps up the energy as Isadora moves from one lover, school and cause to the next that takes her from the US and Europe before embarking for communist Russia to open a new school. A life filled with controversy and tragedy Russell fills the biography with provocative imagery, conveying much of it with a lively burlesque that moves things along at a brisk pace.

Far from having the gamine like grace and equiline features of Redgrave, Vivian Pickles offers a somewhat slovenly and abrasive interpretation of the dancer that is perfectly suited to convey Russell's darkly humorous sensibility.