Enjoy the dance, and melodrama?

DVDs:


	• White Nights Mikhail Baryshnikov, Gregory Hines Sony Pictures, 2006 average customer review:based on 61 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

highly recommended

Enjoy the dance, and melodrama?

Taylor Hackford took the premise of juxtaposing two premiere dancers and their two differing styles and made a taut little melodrama that explores the theme of freedom of expression in art, relationships and politics. Is ballet more free than tap? Does Hines have an 'open' marriage with Isabella Rosselini in the film? And what about those Soviets, and the funders for dance companies in the west, controlling who does what? But to return to reality, freedom could also apply to the wonderfully fluid camera used to record the dance sequences.
Enjoy the view of Roland Petit's "Le Jeune Homme et La Morte" and Baryshnikov's famous "pas de deux with a chair" (finally captured on film)as an almost participant, and the two self-choreographed studio sequences of Baryshnikov and Hines with a camera that moves as quickly over, below, and above the dancers as the dancers themselves. Having seen Baryshnikov live several times (once with the Kirov, then ABT, and from backstage wings once or twice), I had no problem guessing the outcome of that ruble/pirouette bet. So glory in the dance sequences and the views of two masters at work, and an enterprising and creative director with a political heart. (Who later did a similar romantic triangle in politicized setting with "Proof of Life".)

RE ACTING: Since Baryshnikov was playing elements of his past, it was not too big a stretch. (He scared his young daughter, Alexandra, when she viewed the airplane crash scene.) But the sequence where he visited the dance school and they had no idea who he was because the Soviets tried to make sure newer generations forgot, was a real worry at the time. Luckily, Baryshnikov's artistry lives on in several films/tapes so younger generations can see what the legend is all about. How many past performers/performances miss out that chance at a posterity other than words. Live is nice, but capture the great at least once on film/tape for future generations please.

Hines and the supporting cast had all acted much before, and again had no problem. Interesting comment about the foreign accents, Smolinowski is Polish I believe, and Helen Mirren (though of Russian extraction and able to speak the language) is English--and later the wife of director Hackford.

LOCATION: Portugal subbed for inside the Marynski Theatre. Finland for Hines' russian hometown and some exteriors. And stock footage of course for St. Petersburg. Wonderful editing with that on the drives through the city, and of course, in the dance sequences.
Overall, smile at the plot, and enjoy the dance.

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Still worth watching...

I saw this movie again (after 16 years) with my Russian girl friend. Amazing that only a very few actually could speak Russian. Several so called Russians in this movie had such a bad foreign accent that she could hardly understand anything what they were saying... I guess back in those days in the cold war (1985) it was hard finding really good Russian actors.

In any case, I have always liked the tension in this movie, the struggle to be free and the dancing as a way to demonstrate all the forbidden thoughts and feelings. Baryshnikov and Hines were great dancing partners. Actually, just the dancing alone is worth watching this movie.

As a curiosity, I can add that the end scene (will not go into details here) seems to have been more or less copied in the latest James Bond movie.

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every thing

the beauty,grace, and syncronozation of these two men dancing from such different backgrounds and styles was magnificent. The love, trust, and faith under such difficult situations was indescribable. The story with its action and psychological background kept me riveted to the screen (5 OR SIX TIMES OR MORE!) When do I order my dvd?!!!

Eleven pirouettes!

Baryshnikov does eleven pirouettes straight. What more can you ask for? Anyway, the movie was very good. It was a dark, communist Soviet Union film, with a lot of tension. But most importantly, Gregory Hines and Mikhail Baryshnikov were fantastic. It is superhuman what they can do.

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Breathtaking!

Wonderful dancing, great story, good music too and Barisnikov back to his roots. Altough the Kirov scenes were filmed in Portugal. Opening scene is lovely.....

reviews: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, page 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13

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