dirac

And the emphasis is very much on Baryshnikov -- viewers unfamiliar with the ballet might well wonder why it's called "Giselle," rather than "All About Albrecht." (The Baryshnikov-worship peaks under the closing credits, where his solos are repeated in slo-mo.) Priorities, of course, have changed - in both The Turning Point and Dancers, Ross and Kaye are determined to depict ballet companies as hotbeds of heterosexuality, and Baryshnikov's image played into that.

She's back! "Landgraf on Dance" is up and running again. Enjoy! Good News

"Dancers" is now available for streaming on Tubi - it's "free" if you have Comcast. I gave it another try and it actually got worse. As before, plot is unbelievable and not terribly savory -- aging roue's flirtation with a nice young girl helps him get his artistic mojo back when the girl flees in hysterics. Baryshnikov is presented as this irresistible dreamboat, but his blandishments seemed fairly resistible to this viewer. However, the nice young thing is very similar to Emilia in The Turning Point as described by Gelsey Kirkland - an ingenue with nothing between the ears, and in this case childlike to the point of idiocy owing to ployt requirements -- and maybe she would fall for this stuff, especially as this man is the star and big boss. I guess Ross and Kaye thought it would be a good idea to give Misha another such filly to munch on. (Leslie Browne plays one of Baryshnikov exes in the company, which is depicted frankly as a harem for the star.) The young Julie Kent looks exquisite but her nasal whine destroys the effect whenever she opens her mouth. Still nice to see all the ABT personnel of the era, of course.

Thanks for posting this, pherank. I had heard the name but not much else. It sounds to me as if the whole project became a bit too much for her and she probably made the best decision for herself. She sounds exceptionally bright and capable and I'm sure she'll do well in future.

An obituary for Elaine McDonald, who has died at age 75.

You may well be, atm711. Thank you so much for posting, it's always good to hear from you.

If you really want to revel in the ick, check out Astaire’s TV specials with the luscious Barrie Chase, sporting tiny minidresses and wrapping her fabulous legs around her sexagenarian partner. Of course, this was an era when a female star was lucky to survive past age 35 (things have changed – somewhat), and so cultural assumptions about older women as sexual beings, or rather not-sexual beings, come into play. Even Ginger Rogers was a decade younger than Astaire. A dancing male star had more of a shelf life, so as Astaire got older the women inevitably got younger. In a way Caron was sort of MGM’s in-house Audrey Hepburn (Mrs. Mel Ferrer), another gamine type regularly cast opposite male stars many, many years her senior, Astaire included, and Caron even inherited a Hepburn part, Gigi. Three-strip Technicolor has such a strange color palette – perhaps you could say color iconology – that competes neck in neck with the story and songs. Interesting that in that expanded space the Champions do little side-by-side work, something Astaire always liked to do when his partners were good enough to stand the exposure. Marge Champion was a lovely dancer. Thanks for the clip, miliosr.

Osato wrote a fine memoir, "Distant Dances." She also figures in Agnes de Mille's memoirs.

Sono Osato has died at age 99.

I just came across an obituary for Philip Bosco, who died earlier this month aged 88. A great character actor familiar to stage, screen, and TV audiences, including soap fans. RIP. Related.

Nutcracker boo-boos, courtesy of social media.

And for those of you tired of all the happy holiday family get-togethers depicted at this time of year, there's always The Lion in Winter, or A Plantagenet Family Christmas:

I hope everyone has a lovely Christmas day. Here is Yuri Soloviev's Bluebird to start things off on the right foot, as it were. His lady is Emma Minchenok.

Wilkinson also figures prominently in "A Ballerina's Tale."

Apart from Chevalier singing “Thank Heaven for Little Girls,” which probably raised an eyebrow or two even back in 1958, I think that “Gigi” handles the less savory aspects of the story quite well, and I can't say I really feel the ick although I grant you it's potentially there, as the French non-musical "Gigi" with Daniele Delorme demonstrates. It's much franker, or coarser – I recall Gigi’s grandmother squeezing Gigi’s arms like she’s sizing up a melon, and the actor who plays Gaston is, well, not Louis Jourdan, and when he moves in on Delorme’s Gigi it’s really ick time. My opinion of “An American in Paris” and its dream ballet has actually improved over the years -- and even if it hadn’t, the recent Wheeldon staging, which I saw on PBS not long ago, would have improved it for me. Had I seen it live, my fidgety feet might well have fidgeted right out of the theater. But I digress.

That's more than many musicals can offer. Lili certainly looks good and is well done, but I've always found it unpleasant viewing. Caron, a teenager from the country, shows up in town after the death of her father to find that the family friend who would have taken her in has died. Because of a timely interruption by Aumont's Marc, she narrowly avoids rape at the hands of a repulsive old man who offers this helpless girl food, shelter, and work. (When Lili is fired from her waitressing job because she can't focus on anything when Marc is onstage, he casually suggests she go back to this man for a job, saying "he wasn't a bad sort.") Thereafter Lili is maltreated by all the men in the film save Kurt Kasznar. When Ferrer catches her in Aumont's trailer, he jumps to the wrong conclusion and hits her. This is the guy she's going to spend the rest of her life with. Some happy ending.

I'm not sure why they wouldn't (?) It's been broadcast on PBS in my vicinity several times, for one thing.

Thank you for this, pherank. Still have not had time to watch, but I mean to get to it. Nice that Amanpour's show is making some room for arts and culture interviews. I was worried about that when Rose went off the air. Not that he didn't have it coming, of course, but you couldn't get an hour with Cartier-Bresson anywhere else on TV.

I also saw Meet Me in St. Louis recently and had pretty much the opposite impression. I agree that without the Garland magic it’s not the same picture and it is her vehicle, but it also works as an ensemble piece; you really do feel that you’ve gotten to know this family. (Garland hardly appears in what is arguably the most celebrated portion of the film, the Halloween sequence with O’Brien and the other children.) And there are the gorgeous Minnelli colors to revel in and the casual virtuosity of the camera work in the “Skip to My Lou” number….so many pleasures. The score is wonderful. I just love Tom Drake in this and his line readings (“The welsh rarebit was ginger peachy.”) Also Garland’s red party gown. There is also Robert Montgomery's "Lady in the Lake" if you're in the mood for some Christmas noir. There's a gimmick - the camera eye is also Marlowe's perspective - so you never see him and the actors act directly to the camera. It doesn't quite come off for me, but it's an interesting try. The movie also features one of the great ladies of noir, Audrey Totter.

It seems to me that videos and other footage made of the live performer during that person's life are in a different category from digital exhumations of that performer. I'm not sure I'd ever be tempted to try it, myself, but plainly there's a market for it, and if people get something from it then I'm happy for them. Thank you for starting the topic, Mashinka, and telling us your impressions.

***SPOILER ALERT*** You are right about All That Heaven Allows. The holiday season is a big part of the story – I think Wyman sees Hudson again after their breakup when she’s buying a Christmas tree And it’s Christmas when her kids, having guilted Mom into giving up the best sex she’s ever had, give her a television set as a consolation prize. (Of course, Hollywood had other reasons at that time to deprecate the TV watching habit). Sirk’s visuals make much of the changing of the seasons. Leisen’s Midnight is one of my favorite movies. I have not seen Remember the Night. Sturges and Billy Wilder both wrote Leisen pictures. I remember reading that both of them took some issue with how he shot their scripts but I’m unable to recall why. I don’t know who directed Garland’s Christmas show but I’m certain it wasn’t Fosse. Norman Jewison was at one point one of the show’s (several) producers, although he might have been gone by the time the Christmas show rolled around – her series was canceled not long afterward, I believe.

Thanks, miliosr. I need to see this again. It's been a long time and I've actually never seen it in its entirety.

Just signing on to this, since Drew has said it so well.

Well, if it’s part of your personal tradition to watch Valley of the Dolls every Christmas, I guess we can include it, but it’s a stretch. Reminding me somewhat off topic that the Judy Garland Christmas special with Liza, Lorna, Joey, and Mel Torme in support is available on YouTube. I remember in particular a gaggle of chorus boy Santas barging into Judy’s house, which is where the show is supposed to be taking place – it’s a bit scary, because you don’t know what the Santas are going to do and for a minute you wonder if it’s going to be like the home invasion in “A Clockwork Orange.” Later in the show the Santas reappear just as abruptly and form a kickline. It’s really quite something. Last year the GetTV channel showed Judy’s special and a lot of other old holiday specials (Mac Davis, anyone?) Also - are there any Christmas movies or movies regularly shown around the holiday season that you can't stand? Share your animus here!

Bumping up this thread for the season. Any new titles to add to our list? Comments on old ones? I saw Eyes Wide Shut again recently, and while I wouldn't recommend it for family viewing around the fire on Christmas Eve, its Christmas season feel is striking in its way.