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Ballets Russes (2005)
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Reviews Counted:55
Fresh:50
Rotten:5
Average Rating:7.6/10
Consensus: Even if you know little about ballet, there is much to love about this documentary's captivating archival footage and its interviews with elderly former dancers who have much to share.
Theatrical Release:Oct 26, 2005 Limited
Box Office: $60
Synopsis: Unearthing a treasure trove of archival footage, filmmakers Dan Geller and Dayna Goldfine have fashioned a dazzlingly entrancing ode to the revolutionary twentieth-century dance troupe known as the... Unearthing a treasure trove of archival footage, filmmakers Dan Geller and Dayna Goldfine have fashioned a dazzlingly entrancing ode to the revolutionary twentieth-century dance troupe known as the Ballets Russes. What began as a group of Russian refugees who never danced in Russia became not one but two rival dance troupes who fought the infamous "ballet battles" that consumed London society before World War II. BALLETS RUSSES maps the company's Diaghilev-era beginnings in turn-of-the-century Paris—when artists such as Nijinsky, Balanchine, Picasso, Miró, Matisse, and Stravinsky united in an unparalleled collaboration—to its halcyon days of the 1930s and '40s, when the Ballets Russes toured America, astonishing audiences schooled in vaudeville with artistry never before seen, to its demise in the 1950s and '60s when rising costs, rocketing egos, outside competition, and internal mismanagement ultimately brought this revered company to its knees. Directed with consummate invention and infused with juicy anecdotal interviews from many of the company's glamorous stars, BALLETS RUSSES treats modern audiences to a rare glimpse of the singularly remarkable merger of Russian, American, European, and Latin American dancers, choreographers, composers, and designers that transformed the face of ballet for generations to come. — Sundance Film Festival 2005 [More]
Director: Dayna Goldfine, Dan Geller
Director: Dayna Goldfine, Dan Geller
Studio: Zeitgeist Films
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Reviews for Ballets Russes
Chock-a-block with invaluable footage of historical performances and reminiscences by eminent survivors, gorgeous and awe-inspiring in their unquenchable life force.
The talking heads, clips and photos are all so warm and dynamic that they make for quite a watchable film.
An informative, insightful glimpse into the ballet company that made an impact on the development of the dance form...a history lesson and an unforgettable close up encounter with some of its artists
An uplifting and deeply satisfying meditation on the passage of time and the resilience of the human spirit.
Misses out on a chance for wider appeal by mixing approaches, dryly unloading lots of inside-baseball information about a ballet company that went kaput more than 40 years ago.
Never fully explores the stubborn, arduous passion of ballet, [but] . . . skips along pleasantly enough from pointed anecdotes to historical footage before closing with a stirring final flourish.
A casual interest in dance is all it takes to enjoy Ballets Russes, an enchanting new documentary about the famed French ballet company.
... a heartening affirmation of the spirit that helped many dancers to thrive in their heyday more than half a century ago and to survive as teachers, dance devotees and priceless raconteurs.
Even non-ballet fans can find something captivating in this multifaceted portrait of enormous artistry, elite talent and fierce rivalry, all set against the unique permutations of 20th century history.
Deftly mixing talking-head interviews, archival footage, and sly musical cues, Ballets Russes impressively catalogues 30 years of the companies’ triumphs and failures, and does so in a way that a dance neophyte can easily absorb ...
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