Video Search: Nijinsky in L'apres-midi D'un Faune

[Guest bugsy]

:gossip: Does anyone know where I can find the full video performance of Nijinsky in L'apres-midi D'un Faune (Afternoon of a Faun)? The format doesn't matter, although I would prefer DVD. Thank you!

[Mme. Hermine]

Unless memory serves me wrongly, there are no films of Nijinsky at all. I think at one time there was a film of Nureyev available with Joffrey in that ballet, but I don't know if it's available now. Someone else might know more?

[Mel Johnson]

I think you're right, Mme. Hermine. I recall a sequence of Edward Muybridge-like sequential photographs of a dancer supposed to be Nijinsky in "Le Dieu Bleu" and lots of stills from "Faune", but no motion pictures. Hardly surprising, as his last performance was in 1919, and he left the Diaghilev company in 1916.

[Mme. Hermine]

actually i think that if you wanted to be completely correct, there is one tiny film of nijinsky that does not show him dancing, alas, in the library. this is the listing:

Newsreel containing various items on events following World War II. Vaslav Nijinsky appears in the segment titled "Allied powers occupy Vienna," beginning at ca. 8:30 min. into the tape. In ca. 10 sec. of footage, he walks down a street in what the narrator describes as his first public appearance in 27 years of mental illness.

[Mel Johnson]

He actually gave a couple of interviews after 1945, and his demeanor was so very somber, that it gives modern psychologists some reason to believe that he actually had bipolar disorder, rather than schizophrenia, with which he had been diagnosed. There is a rather funny, but pitiful picture of him jumping during one of these interviews, standing against a wall and jumping straight up, with his feet flexed.

[rg]

if your post means to ask if there is a video of nijinsky's L'APRES-MIDI D'UN FAUNE, the answer is that there are few versions on commercial video, none, however, to the best of my knowledge on dvd.

if you search for 'in tribute to nijinsky' or just search, someplace like amazon for 'nureyev' 'nijinsky' you should find this commerically released tape of nureyev in 3 nijinsky roles, including 'faune' with the joffrey ballet.

also there is (or was) 'paris dances diaghilev' in which the paris opera ballet co. performs four diaghilev-era works, including 'faune'.

as for a ANY films of nijinsky in anything, that's been a burning question for decades now, and no definitive film has been discovered.

as i say, i'm rather certain the nureyev/nijinsky video is still on the market, amazon should be a good place to start.