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Ballet

  • 19951995
  • 2h 50m
IMDb RATING
7.6/10
79
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • IMDbPro
Ballet (1995)
  • Documentary
A window into New York City's prestigious American Ballet Theatre-its relentless rehearsals, its administrative gears, the lives of its dancers and instructors, and finally, its public perfo... Read allA window into New York City's prestigious American Ballet Theatre-its relentless rehearsals, its administrative gears, the lives of its dancers and instructors, and finally, its public performances.A window into New York City's prestigious American Ballet Theatre-its relentless rehearsals, its administrative gears, the lives of its dancers and instructors, and finally, its public performances.
IMDb RATING
7.6/10
79
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Frederick Wiseman
  • Stars
    • Mitchell Bloom
    • Julio Bocca
    • Brenda-Li
Top credits
  • Director
    • Frederick Wiseman
  • Stars
    • Mitchell Bloom
    • Julio Bocca
    • Brenda-Li
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 2User reviews
    • 1Critic review
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Photos

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    Top cast

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    Mitchell Bloom
    • Selfas Self
    Julio Bocca
    • Selfas Self
    Brenda-Li
    • Selfas Self
    Ulysses Dove
    Alessandra Ferri
    Alessandra Ferri
    • Selfas Self
    Susan Jaffe
    Susan Jaffe
    • Selfas Self
    Irina Kolpakova
    Amanda McKerrow
    • Selfas Self
    Michael Somes
    • Director
      • Frederick Wiseman
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Storyline

    Edit
    A window into New York City's prestigious American Ballet Theatre-its relentless rehearsals, its administrative gears, the lives of its dancers and instructors, and finally, its public performances.
    • independent film
    • Plot summary
    • Add synopsis
    • Genre
      • Documentary
    • Parents guide
      • Add content advisory

    User reviews2

    Review
    Top review
    9/10
    Amazing documentary about American Ballet Theatre
    Ballet (1995) was directed by the amazing documentary director Frederick Wiseman. This four-hour film gives us a sense of what it's like to be part of a ballet company and school when the theater is closed and the lights aren't on. (Near the end, we do see some footage of actual performances, but most of the film takes place--literally--behind the scenes

    We all know that what ballet dancers do is perform feats for which the human body is not designed. We also know that it's immensely difficult to achieve what we see on stage at a ballet performance. What we don't know is just how hard it is to teach even these immensely talented people how to achieve a great performance.

    Wiseman's method is to shoot endless hours of film, and then take bits and pieces of what he has and splice them together. Some scenes last for 15 minutes, but some last for 15 seconds. There's really no plot. We walk with Wiseman into the rehearsal room, or the break room, or the business office, and we watch with him to see what happens next. (What happens next is often very surprising.)

    Wiseman is a genius, and, if you watch this long movie, you'll know a lot more about ballet than you probably knew before. What struck me most is that the ballet instructors are not the most verbal of people. They say things like, "Give me a little more shoulder." The dancers never say, "I don't understand what you mean." They nod, and then they give a little more shoulder. They are physically the cream of the cream, but their careers will always depend upon their ability to understand and then perform what is expected of them.

    The film has some flaws. For example, there's too much footage at the beach and the Tivoli gardens during the ABT's European tour. And, as I wrote earlier, if you're looking for a ballet performance film, this isn't it. However, if you're interested in ballet, and you're interested in watching a great documentary director's excellent film, Ballet is the right movie for you.

    The film will probably work better on a large screen, but we saw it on DVD, so we could watch it over two nights. I'm glad we took the time and made the effort. It's really worthwhile.
    helpful•3
    0
    • Red-125
    • Dec 7, 2014

    Details

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    • Release date
      • March 22, 1995 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • Official Facebook
      • Official site
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • BALLET アメリカン・バレエ・シアターの世界
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 50 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono

    Related news

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    Jan 1The Guardian - Film News
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    Sep 21Indiewire

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