Ballets Russes

The documentary film Ballets Russes sets out to explore the two Ballets Russes, Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo and the Original Ballet Russe, both created after the Diaghilev era, who died in 1929. The San Francisco Bay Area based filmmakers Dayna Goldfine and Dan Geller interviewed many dancers who were involved, including Alicia Markova, Frederic Franklin, Maria Tallchief, and many, many others. The interviews are intercut with many pieces of archival footage. One can enjoy this film while at the same time be aware of its faults.

It was not an easy task to organize all the material, as it is apparent that the filmmakers struggled and did not always succeed in maintaining the film’s flow, which should unfold in an interesting and not too difficult to follow manner. The good thing is that we can see so many of the former companies’ dancers and hear their vivid stories about themselves and both companies. But too often the film slips into gossip and cute stories, and fails to give proper attention to, for example, the Diaghilev era as – at least – an educational introduction to these two Ballets Russes, and then it completely neglects to analyze the structures and different qualities ...