LA DANSE THE PARIS OPERA BALLET (Frederick Wiseman) Rating: NNNNN
After fixing his all-seeing, non-judgmental eye on hospitals, schools and other institutions in classics like Titicut Follies, High School and Law And Order, veteran documentarian Frederick Wiseman turns to the world of ballet. The result, as one of the crusty old French dance masters in the film might mutter, is “superb.”
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La Danse takes us deep into the world of the Paris Opera Ballet, sitting in on rehearsals, marketing meetings, wardrobe fittings and even the quiet re-plastering of one of the many labyrinthine hallways in the palatial building.
As usual, Wiseman works without titles or obvious narrative arcs, and at two and a half hours, the film could frustrate viewers used to reality-show editing. But he and cinematographer John Davey build their own rhythms, finding precision not only in the intricate choreography of the classical or contemporary works, but also in the beading of a detailed costume or in various sales pitches about how best to treat a group of rich American donors.
Dance aficionados will love rehearsals of chestnuts like Paquita and bold new works by Mats Ek and Angelin Preljocaj, with a range of approaches – practical, poetic and philosophical – on view. And even if you don’t know your plies from your jetes, you’ll be astonished at the technique of a dancer like Marie-Agnes Gillot.
If there’s a central figure in the film, it’s elegant artistic director Brigitte Lefevre, who’s seen reassuring older dancers, thanking patrons and, in a lovely sequence near the end, giving advice to a new dancer that could apply to artists of any age, in any field.
Opens Friday (April 2) at the Royal. See listings.
