canbelto

I wonder how the NYCB boards would even let this happen. "All Balanchine" programs seem to consistently sell out the house, and programs with a popular Balanchine ballet guarantees a full-house too. But I mean, seriously, when was the last time anyone went to a NYCB program just to see a Martins ballet?

As I've watched more and more ballet, I've noticed that Russian-trained dancers, as a whole, are inexplicably weak turners. There are exceptions of course (Nina Ananiashvilli, Tatiana Terekhova, Mikhail Baryshnikov) but the ballerinas especially are in general inconsistent or weak turners. Their pirouettes often end sloppily. Their fouettes don't have the snap and confidence of a Gillian Murphy or Cynthia Gregory. They consistently seem to run out of steam. It seems strange to me that Russian academies, which are notoriously vigorous, would produce ballerinas that are technically amazing in every other way (beautiful jumps, gorgeous posture) but are weak or ho-hum turners. I guess I mention this because of Svetlana Zakharova's Swan Lake. It was technically amazing in every way, except when she had to turn. Then she inexplicably seemed weak and flawed. But I've seen this with other Russian-trained ballerinas too. Does their training simply not emphasize top-like turning?

Ok I got the Swan Lake and reviewed it for Amazon. Here's what I wrote:

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This new dvd from La Scala Ballet is notable for two things: 1. It's the famous Vladimir Bourmeister production, which the Paris Opera Ballet used for years prior to Nureyev's production; and 2. it preserves Svetlana Zakharova's Odette/Odile on film.

Bourmeister's production differs from most Western productions of Swan Lake in several respects. One is that, like the Soviet productions, there is a prominent role for a Jester in Acts 1 and 3. The Jester in this case is Antonino Sutera. Personally I find the Jester distracting, but that's just my bias.

The second major difference concerns the music used for the "Black Swan" pas de deux. To explain this a little history is needed: the original music for the Black Swan pdd was lost. In the famous 1895 Petipa/Ivanov production, some music Tchaikovsky had composed for Act 1 was used in the Black Swan pdd. This has become the "traditional" Black Swan music that is used in the majority of Swan Lake productions. Bourmeister decided to use music Tchaikovsky later composed for the Black Swan pas de deux. For balletomanes this music should be instantly familiar because George Balanchine used this music for his "Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux" which remains a favorite showpiece for dancers. Personally, I prefer the "traditional" Black Swan pdd music even though the Bourmeister choice may be more authentic. The traditional music with sounds more sinister and predatory, while the music used in the Bourmeister production sounds too lush and romantic. But still it's a very nice tune, and I don't mind it being used. Bourmeister puts some of the "traditional" Black Swan pdd back into Act 1 as a solo for Siegfried.

The third major difference is that Bourmeister's production has a Soviet-style happy ending, with Siegfried defeating Rothbart and Odette transformed back into a human. I personally prefer the ending of Odette and Siegfried dying and being pulled by a Swan Boat into heaven.

What about the dancing? The Siegfried in this production has relatively little actual solo dancing. But Robert Bolle is handsome, and is a sensitive partner for Zakharova. And how is Zakharova's Odette/Odile? I'm going to admit a personal bias -- I think Russian-trained ballerinas simply make better Odette/Odile's. The strong curvature of their spine, plus their emphasis on fluid arm and back movement, simply makes them more convincingly swan-like. Zakharova (formerly of the Kirov, now of the Bolshoi) is no exception. Tall, long-limbed, extremely flexible, and possessing great physical beauty, Zakharova is a regal, tender Odette and a sexy, alluring Odile. I've seen Zakharova both live and on video and she always struck me as a beautiful but somewhat cold dancer. But not here. Her Odette touched me greatly. Like most Russian ballerinas she takes the White Swan pdd at an exceedingly slow pace, so that each movement and pose takes on an almost statuesque majesty and beauty. Zakharova also unfortunately displays some weaknesses that are typical of Russian training. Like many great Russian dancers (Rudolf Nureyev, Natalia Makarova come to mind) Zakharova is an erratic turner. In Odette's Act 1 variation Odette has to do a series of fast pirouettes ending with an arabesque on pointe. Zakharova runs out of steam, and kind of cheats her final pirouettes (you have to see the video to see what I mean). In the third act, Odile has to do the traditional 32 fouettes. Zakharova starts out strongly, even throwing some double fouettes into the mix, but at about 25 suddenly Siegfried walks behind her and her remaining fouettes are supported. I've never seen this before -- Zakharova must have signalled to Robert Bolle that she needed help. Still, these weaknesses do not detract from the overall beauty and majesty of Zakharova's Swan Queen.

The production (produced by former Paris Opera Ballet etoile Florence Clerc) is beautiful, with lovely costumes. The La Scala Ballet corps can't match the Kirov or Paris Ballet in uniformity, but they are certainly not to be sniffed at either. I have a real problem with the way this performance was filmed. The cameramen seemed not to know what the "big moments" of Swan Lake were, and let the camera wander. One particularly egregious example was at the end of Act 2, when Odette is transformed back into a swan. She bourrees offstage, and flaps her "wings" (arms) bonelessly like a bird. This is a Big Moment in Swan Lake, but the cameramen don't show Zakharova's exit. Instead they focus the camera on Bolle, who's not doing anything. This isn't quite as bad as the 1957 Bolshoi film of Swan Lake that cut away from Maya Plisetskaya's ENTRANCE as Odette, but still it's annoying. One last thing: this Bourmeister production (unlike the recent American Ballet Theatre slash-job) is not cut. Act 4 (which was butchered in the ABT video) remains intact, which is important to me, because otherwise, where is the emotional impact of Odette's forgiveness?

Helene, but don't you find Cecilia Bartoli's method of singing Handel and Vivaldi and Scarlatti very distracting? For me those pieces need absolutely even, perfectly articulated scale-work. Bartoli's vocal method includes a lot of fast aspirating to get through any scale-work, and although I enjoy the lovely richness of her voice, as well as her effervescent stage presence, the aspirates get less and less tolerable, IMO.

I also enjoy both dvd's, although if forced I'd have to say that Zakharova/Ruzimatov are the superior pairing. Both dvd's also have interesting Firebirds: Ananiashvilli on the "Return of the Firebird" and Diana Vishneva on the "Kirov Celebrates Nijinsky." I wouldnt be without either firebird, although Vishneva's interpretation is a little more untraditional.

I ordered this but it hasnt arrived yet. How is Zakharova?

I forgot to mention: another successful crossover artist was the incomparable Ezio Pinza. I still think his "Some Enchanted Evening" is the loveliest version ever recorded. (Pinza is an artist I have conflicted feelings about. I think he had the most beautiful basso voice ever and used it in the most musical way. OTOH I read his autobiography and he sounds like an arrogant SOB who trashes his first wife in a way I really found distasteful. Oh well. No saying that great artists have to be great people.)

I'd argue that "crossover" started when the very first '78 recordings were made.

Prior to recordings, there was no such thing as singing for one ear only. Singers had to fill the muisic halls with sound, which meant an operatically trained voice. You could say that music halls back then were often smaller, but still.

But with the first '78, singers had to make the distinction between singing for thousands of people and singing into a big horn. The technique was different -- that's why the "first generation" of '78 singers often sound dreadful. Marcella Sembrich, for instance. Huge opera star, critically acclaimed everywhere, but the recordings are pretty excruciating to listen to. You could say she was past her prime, or that her technique was faulty, but I'd venture to guess that she simply could not scale down her voice for the big horn.

As the Victors and Gramophone industries grew, there began a breed of singer that was completely absent pre-78s: operatically trained singers whose recordings showed a real affinity with "pop" music. As a rule these singers tended to have small voices, and were famous for their recitals. Tito Schipa, John McCormack, Amelita Galli-Curci, Lily Pons. They were probably the first real cross-over artists. They couldnt match a Caruso or a Ponselle in the opera house, but they sounded lovely on a Victor.

Since then I think it's been a crapshoot, who can do the crossover stuff and who can't. For instance Giuseppe di Stefano remains a gold-standard for Italian and Neapolitan songs. Especially his recordings when he sang as "Nino Florio" -- you can hear his young tenor voice enchantingly caress the catchy and often sad little songs. Renee Fleming can't.

Nioradze I've seen and I can't say I'm curious to see her again. But Somova, Novikova, and Osmolkina I am curious about. Anyone seen them? Have any recommendations?

If Vishneva is not dancing in Detroit, any idea on who would replace her?

If this is true, then it's a real nasty bait-and-switch on the part of the Kirov. They probably knew well in advance that Diana could not dance in Detroit, but put her name up anyway to sell tickets Diana was the reason I really wanted to see the Kirov, as Sleeping Beauty really isn't my favorite ballet, and I don;t like the Sergeyev production. But Diana is a goddess. Anyway I'm sorry that once again the Kirov announcements have proved to be worthless.

Ok I saw Queen Christina tonight and really enjoyed it. The movie moves along at a remarkably fast clip, and I like the pre-Hays code raunchiness (Garbo kissing another woman on the lips, Garbo and Gilbert sharing a bed in the inn). If one can ignore the fact that John Gilbert is about as Spanish as ... well, an egg roll, then the romance between Christina and the Spaniard is very enjoyable. I love the scene when Garbo lies down, chomping on a cluster of grapes.

I really enjoy the documentary about Sylve, especially because it contains clips of her dancing Dewdrop and Swan Lake. But she surprised me -- offstage she doesn't have the kind of graceful femininity I associate with ballerinas. In one scene she wears stonewashed jeans and these rather mannish boots.

As for DVD extras, the Nureyev film of Don Quixote has a mini-documentary about the filming of DQ (in an airplane hanger!).

Dirac, I think the "Lubitsch touch" ironically was his lack of sentimentality. I've noticed this in his other films too. He films romance with a cool clinical eye, and that's part of the charm. For instance, in "Shop Around the Corner" Kralik (James Stewart) and Klara (Margaret Sullavan) aren't secretly adorable bunnies. They are quite insufferable and pretentious. In contrast, "You've Got Mail" strives hard to make Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan super-cute, which is why it's an inferior movie.

In "Ninotchka," what I see is an admittance that both the super-shallow Frenchmen and the dour Russians can learn from each other. Leon (Melvyn Douglas) is attracted to Ninotchka not only because she, well, looks like Greta Garbo (who wore no makeup in her early scenes) but because he sees in Ninotchka what is lacking in the French bimbos. Namely, intelligence and depth. But mostly I just think Garbo's performance is divine. I love the little touches -- the way she shakes her head at the French hat. The way during the diner scene she repeatedly dips her bread into the soup. How she shakes the hands of the three Russian dudes, each with a closed, clipped, "Comrade." Garbo in real life was really a pretty dull woman, and sometimes I think she hid her dullness behind the famous reclusiveness. But like Marilyn Monroe or James Dean she quite literally lights up the screen. Ninotchka was the first film I saw of Garbo, and right away I understood the magic.

The only actress today that comes close to Garbo's radiance is Zhang Ziyi, who's also a natural scene-stealer. I just saw "2046" and without Zhang Ziyi I think the movie would have been simply a rather shallow movie about emotional emptiness. But Zhang Ziyi made it about so much more. Her heartbreak broke MY heart.

I saw both Ninotchka and Camille, and must admit that while Ninotchka lived up to expectations, Camille was a disappointment. I think at that point in time George Cukor simply wasnt a very skilled director -- all his scenes go on for too long, and the way he keeps the camera fixated on Garbo during nearly every shot gets tiring. I mean, she's beautiful, but the soft-focus fixation ruins any momentum or tension in the film. Particularly snail-paced are the country-side scenes. And then there's Robert Taylor. Oh, the poor guy. Looks good, can't act out of a paper bag. I think the only really good scenes are ironically between Marguerite and the Baron -- the scene when they laugh hysterically as they play the piano, or the scene when she flatly asks him for money and he slaps her across the face, and she smirks. I think Garbo's good in this film, but the film overall reeks of MGM artificiality.

I think my new favorite Hays code line (as it only could have been dreamed up under the Hays code) is Ninotchka's "Chemically we are already quite sympathetic."

I saw Ninotchka last night and think it was just absolutely charming and romantic. Some of the lines are priceless:

Ninotchka: I am interested only in the shortest distance between these two points. Must you flirt?

Leon: Well, I don't have to, but I find it natural.

Ninotchka: Suppress it!

Ninotchka: The whites of your eyes are clear. Your cornea is excellent.

Ninotchka: Chemically, we're already quite sympathetic.

I was shocked at how adorable and radiant Garbo was as Nina. I always thought of her as being slightly remote and forbidding, but even as a dour Russian emissary she was adorable. I loved the way she shook her head at the French hat.

One thing I noticed about code movies is the odd fetishes that pop up. For instance, all femme fatales will have flowing, wavy tresses. When two characters do not like each other, they will inevitably chain smoke and blow it in each other's faces. "Good" girls will be dressed in white or blue or other neutral tones. "Bad" girls are dressed in red or black. Studying Code movies is almost like studying a whole new language.

I've been watching a lot of old movies recently and I've been wondering whether the Hays code ironically made movies better, sexier, and more daring than they are today. The code was in many ways ridiculous (no kiss longer than 3 seconds, no "taboo" subjects such as homosexuality, adultery had to be punished, etc.). But in a way I think it made directors and actors think "outside the box" (pun intended). Movies in the Hays code era seemed to rely more on body language, witty repartee, and vague suggestions that are still shocking today. For instance I was watching East of Eden, and the famous Ferris wheel scene. Abra gives this speech about how much she loves Aron, but you can see her inching closer and closer to Cal until she's practically sitting in his lap. When they finally kiss I dare say it's hotter than Michael Douglas and Sharon Stone writhing in "Basic Instinct."

I love how directors suggested the taboo with a choice line here or there. Only in the Hays era could you have a character as subtly gay as Captain Renault, who says he "would be in love with Rick." Or the wide-eyed adoration Sal Mineo shows towards James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause.

Profanity was also outlawed, and so I love the insults old Hollywood came up with. "You're like a leaf blown from gutter to gutter." "You despise me Rick." "If I gave you any thought I probably would." "She's my idea of nothing." "She can't act, she can't sing, she can't dance. The triple threat."

I still love movies that are made today, but as I watch old movies I'm often jolted out of my complacency by how imaginative the directors and screenwriters were back in the day. I love their use of phallic symbols, particularly their use of cigarettes.

Anyone else have a favorite "Hays code" moment?

I love many moments in "Singin' in the Rain." I love the "dignity, always dignity" montage, and Lockwood and Lena "acting" (the repeated "I love yous"), I also love lines like "She can't sing, she can't dance, she can't act". And of course I love Gene Kelly splashing through the rain in sheer exhuberation. But "Make 'Em Laugh" never makes me laugh -- in fact I think it's one of the most irritating musical numbers ever. Ditto for "Moses S'poses." And there's something very annoying about Debbie Reynolds.

The reason I put "Sideways" above "Million Dollar Baby" was that in Sideways, I didnt have the feeling I was being manipulated. Alexander Payne presented Jack and Miles, warts and all, and filmed their adventures. I thought it was funny, although I know a lot of people who thought that the duo were just tiresome and unpleasant. (And as someone who pops a xanax before going into a restaurant, I can identify with Miles ) But the movie offered a slice of life, and I liked it. Plus the gentle ribbing of wine snobs -- my boss at work is a wine snob, and ... he's exactly like Miles.

MDB, otoh, I thought was blatantly manipulative and overplayed the sentimentality factor. It's not enough that Maggie is 30 and still a waitress -- her mom has to be a greedy, unpleasant welfare queen. The film just piled on misfortunes for poor Maggie, and with each misfortune I drew further and further away from the picture. I thought Hilary Swank's performance was overrated -- it's a one-note caricature of Appalachian hillybilly. And why this apparently sweet young woman would want so desperately to punch the living daylights out of someone else is something I didnt really get. The only thing I enjoyed about the picture was the always wonderful Morgan Freeman.

As for a defense of Titanice, here goes: Kate Winslet and Leonardo di Caprio. They save this film. Winslet is her luminous self, and Rose's spunkiness is a joy to watch. Likewise, di Caprio is one of the few young actors of today who can convey joie de vivre effortlessly (you'd see that in the underrated Catch Me if You Can).

Another film I thought was overrated was "The Hours." Meryl Streep has an inexplicably poor, unconvincing hour as Clarissa. I didnt for a moment believe her "breakdown." Nicole Kidman put on a fake nose and lowered her voice a few octaves, and ... that's about it. She was much, much better in Moulin Rouge or To Die For.

I'm going to REALLY get in hot water over this, but I find three Ingmar Bergman films overrated: Scenes from a Marriage, Wild Strawberries, and Cries and Whispers.

I've never seen the full television mini-series that Scenes from a Marriage was based on, but the resulting film feels distinctly underwhelming. Maybe it's because the issues of that film (wife/mother finds her own personality, faithless husband is humbled) seem trite today.

Same with Wild Strawberries. The symbolism is about as subtle as a sledgehammer, the issues also seem trite and overfamiliar, and I wonder if it would be the "classic" that it is today without Bergman's patented gloom-and-doom style.

And Cries and Whispers? I just couldnt sit through that one.

Ok I just saw a real "dark" romance: Out of the Past. The movie is sublime. Everyone in this movie is pitch perfecet, from Robert Mitchum to Kirk Douglas to the underrated Jane Greer.

Wow, how lovely! Looks like she has the lightest feet -- she must be one of those ballerinas that seem to float through the air like a cloud.

Let me add, I also think "On the Waterfront" is overrated. It is basically saved by Brando and Eva Marie Saint -- rarely has a movie relationship been as achingly tender and poetic. Brando's performance is of course unforgettable. It also has many good moments -- nearly everyone loves the scene at the bar, or the "I coulda been a contender" scene. I do too. But overall the picture gives me a nasty taste -- after all, it's Elia Kazan justifying his chicken#$%! decision to name names at the HUAC. I thus hate the smarmy subtext behind the picture. Father Barry may also be the single most irritating character in movie history.

Another overrated movie I think is Godfather II. Some critics said it was better than Godfather I, and I heartily disagree. Godfather II has some memorable moments (like the final scene with Michael sitting in front of the lake) and is a very very good movie. But it's nowhere near as memorable as Godfather I. For one, Michael is such a single-sided monster in Godfather II -- you forget how complex this character was in I.