The Phoenix Network:
 
 
About  |  Advertise
Adult  |  Moonsigns  |  Band Guide  |  Blogs  |  In Pictures
 
Features  |  Reviews
FIND MOVIES
Find a Movie
Movie List
Loading ...
or
Find Theaters and Movie Times
or
Search Movies

Review: Ballerina

A baby-steps ballet documentary
By JEFFREY GANTZ  |  April 28, 2009
2.0 2.0 Stars


VIDEO: The trailer for Ballerina

The subject of Bertrand Normand's 2006 French-television documentary is actually five ballerinas from the Mariinsky Ballet of St. Petersburg (better known here as the Kirov Ballet, but now looking to revert to its original name): Uliana Lopatkina, Evgenia Obraztsova, Alina Somova, Diana Vishneva, and Svetlana Zakharova.

Diane Baker, a treat way back in Marnie, supplies the English-version voice-over narration, where clichés compete with platitudes (while some names get butchered), and the dancers themselves aren't much more revealing in their brief interviews.

You do appreciate how hard these women work every day, and the sacrifice their calling demands, and there are a few precious extended clips, notably Lopatkina in Balanchine's Diamonds and Obraztsova in Romeo and Juliet. But this is a baby-steps ballet doc, especially next to Ballets Russes, which spends its entire two hours proudly on pointe.

Related: Scenes from the city, Not quite Nina, Tragic tropes and anti-tropes, More more >
  Topics: Reviews , Entertainment, Dance, Performing Arts,  More more >
  • Share:
  • Share this entry with Facebook
  • Share this entry with Digg
  • Share this entry with Delicious
  • RSS feed
  • Email this article to a friend
  • Print this article
Comments

ARTICLES BY JEFFREY GANTZ
Share this entry with Delicious

 See all articles by: JEFFREY GANTZ

MOST POPULAR
RSS Feed of for the most popular articles
 Most Viewed   Most Emailed 



  |  Sign In  |  Register
 
thePhoenix.com:
Phoenix Media/Communications Group:
TODAY'S FEATURED ADVERTISERS
Copyright © 2009 The Phoenix Media/Communications Group