Customer Reviews

Balanchine

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4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This dvd, originally seen on PBS, is a great tribute to the Russian-born choreographer George Balanchine, who founded the New York City Ballet and is often creditted with bringing classical ballet to the United States. This documentary focuses almost exclusively on his professional and artistic life, and this is right and proper. There are books, as well as several documentaries ("Dancing for Mr. B," "Elusive Muse") which focus on Balanchine's complicated personal life. Here, we can just look at his great artistic creations.
There;s archival footage of so many great ballerinas and ballet dancers that were Mr. B's inspiration. Tanaquiel le Clercq (who judging from the footage may have been the most beautiful ballerina to ever step onstage), Diana Adams, Maria Tallchief, Edward Villela, Allegra Kent, Suzanne Farrell, Peter Martins, Patricia McBride ... None of the dancers are interviewed, perhaps because of time constraints. But just the footage of the dancing was enough to keep me happy. I was struck by Mr. B's diversity -- there are many clips of his ballets, and it's a testament to Mr. B's genius that I was always upset when the clips ended, because I wanted to see more.
There are also several interviews with Mr. B. His soft, gentle voice and almost childlike enthusiasm are infectious. Particularly amusing are the clips of him and Igor Stravinsky, the composer whose music whom Mr. B set so many of his best ballets (Rubies, Apollo, Agon et al.) Mr. B talks about his love of cats and cooking. So even though the documentary focuses squarely on the artistic, these interviews with Mr. B humanize him. Read the various memoirs and autobiographies for Mr. B's darker, more complex side: he was famously possessive of his ballerinas, and did not think they should have families or even personal lives apart from him. This video focuses purely on Balanchine as a creative artist.
Recently, more extensive dvd's have been released of Mr. B's complete ballets. But this documentary is still a must-see, a wonderful tribute to one of the 20th century's most prolific and remarkable artists.

I saw this documentary when it was on public television, and it was fabulous. I have read a lot about Balanchine and his dancers, and actually seeing them was amazing. There is even footage of Pavlova and Tanaquil LeClerq dancing in their prime. A definite must-see for ballet and Balanchine enthusiasts!

Since I knew little about either the life or the work of Balanchine, I really enjoyed this documentary. I had no idea he was so instrumental in bringing ballet to the United States. My main complaint was that the film was too short. We found out almost nothing about the dancers Balanchine worked with, and we saw only snippets of the ballets. I thought it particularly odd that although Suzanne Farrell appeared in dozens of clips, more than any other ballerina, nothing at all was said about her.

I've never seen a biography that contained less personal information about its subject. This DVD, for example, never mentions Balanchine's marriages to the dancers Maria Tallchief and Tanquil leClerc, or his obsession with the forty-years-younger Suzanne Farrell. These relationships are important for more than just gossipy reasons - all three women had a significant effect on his work. There are some good performance clips on the DVD, but the selection is oddly biased: lots and lots of Peter Martins, but never a glimpse of Edward Villella. A fine "starter CD" for those just learning about Balanchine, but frustrating for fans.

Tons of rare and wonderful dance footage from his ballets spanning four decades and featuring many of his greatest dancers, primarily Suzanne Farrell, his queen. Fascinating, tons of info and beautiful music, definetly an interesting watch even if you're not a ballet fan. Many of Balanchine's dancers are featured in ballets throughout, but none of them are interviewed except Balanchine himself. Instead, the focus is more on the ballets themselves by the narrator. I'm assuming no other interviews besides Balanchine were added because of time limit, but I would have been interested to hear what his dancers had to say about him and their dancing, or how certain dancers inspired him and why, especially his favorite and most impassioned ballerina, Suzanne Farrell. Though there was extensive dance footage of Farrell throughout, I would have loved it if they had interviewed her too (but you can read her book or see her documentary, etc.) and perhaps some other dancers as well. But aside from the lack of dancer interviews, this movie is without question an abolute MUST SEE for fans of Balanchine, ballet, or art lovers in general.

I bought this, knowing nothing about Balanchine, and by the end I was completely hooked on him and everything he did. The whole documentary was beautifully put together, and the dancing was sublime. The best thing about it were the moments when he found a new graceful movement for his dancers out of the traditional forms (Serenade was particularly moving). You have a sense of someone always thinking, always working. The greatest moment I think was the end of the Prodigal Son, so completely unexpected. You come away in awe -- no doubt about his genius, none whatsoever.

This is an exceptional video. I used it in a class I was doing about dance and it was enjoyed by all. The biography on balanchine was very informative and the dancing was very beautiful. I have seen many performances of ballets corographed by Balanchine and enjoyed being able to watch him dance and work with the dancers.

This documentary is must see for anyone and everyone who loves classical and modern ballet choreographed by the master choreographer George Balanchine. It is as much story about his life as it is story about Balanchine'e relationship with composer Stravinsky who arranged many of the modern pieces Balanchine created. It is also a story about creation of the two biggest ballet houses in the United States: American Ballet Theatre and New York City Ballet.

In the course of the documentary there are pieces of some of the most memorable works Balanchine created performed by American prima ballerinas who were his muses, wives and treasure of american ballet history.

Being that ballet is visual art and in a sense pagan since there is no way to "memorize" each movement - one can only improvise on creations of others or create new pieces, this documentary is important document to the legacy of one man's work that created performing art with american tradition.

Balanchine's legacy is passed on through this beautiful historical documentary about one of ballet's greatest choreographers. The scope of his work is amazing.

This is a wonderful biography of the life and works of Balanchine. I teach a class on critical thinking and movement and I use this to show how this man thought and translated thought. There are interviews with Balanchine himself, interspersed with presentations of his ballets, narration and other interviews. Well worth the investment.