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A collation of reviews from Broadway World.

Thank you for reviving this thread, AlbanyGirl. If you saw her in the middle-late 80s, that was when her hip injury was really starting to affect her performances, I understand. I agree the footage of Meditation, and particularly Don Quixote, is astonishing stuff. It was also touching to see Balanchine goofing off for Farrell's home movies. However, in some ways Elusive Muse gives rather short shrift to the post-Bejart years at NYCB (and not only in terms of film footage), relying mainly on the familiar Dance in America videos. Perhaps this was in part out of necessity - I remember reading that Anne Belle couldn't include any excerpts from Mozartiana, for example, because of issues over permissions. Still, the movie's narrative is heavily weighted toward the pre-Bejart years (so was Farrell's book).

I took a special interest in this NYT article, as I had a relative who used to raise angora rabbits. Those rabbits never aspired to or achieved the baroque poofiness of these, but they contributed the base materials for plenty of knitting. Their babies were also absurdly cute. I took the rabbit ethics test. I am Terri's Prince Charming.

Thanks for posting, miliosr. As I wrote on the thread devoted to the Peter Pan broadcast, I applaud in principle the return of live theater to network television. Unfortunately, I have yet to be able to sit through the finished products.

A dancer's life is short. Copeland would do well at this point in her career to consider exploring stage or film possibilities. It's not impossible that Robert Fairchild, Megan Fairchild, and/or Tiler Peck might find that their Broadway gigs lead to something else, possibly even movie roles. It would be very reasonable if they at least thought seriously about any such offers. Natalia, please do tell us about the performance!

Indeed we do.

Sure. We should still refer to racism if it seems to be called for, though. I've often noted in stories and interviews not aimed at a ballet-specific audience that any ballet dancer of any rank is called a "ballerina" or even a "prima ballerina," when they want to be really flattering. Mostly it's pardonable, but in this case I'm glad Rehm corrected herself - it's an important distinction to make here.

Fortunate indeed, atm711. Morison really does look and sound wonderful.

Huge thanks for posting this, volcanohunter. Ah, if only we could have had Morison in the movie instead of Kathryn Grayson (more vole than shrew). Many happy returns of the day to Ms. Morison! More: From the LA Times:

Very true. Black Narcissus is wonderfully overwrought, what with David Farrar in his shorts sending the local nuns into erotic tizzies, and Jean Simmons as a saucy native wench. The color photography, as has been widely noted, is ravishing. (It, too, has some horror elements.) All of these movies used regularly to appear on public television years ago. In a sense these and other old movies are actually less immediately accessible than they used to be, an apparent paradox given the availability of DVD and select cable channels. It used to be that you couldn't avoid old movies on television, as they were frequently used as filler for late nights and afternoons. Now you generally have to seek them out -- a task that is now much easier, of course. Blimp has always been a favorite of mine. A sweet movie, and it stars Roger Livesey, another favorite of mine. Another Powell-Pressburger picture I've always liked is the romance I Know Where I'm Going, with Wendy Hiller and Livesey.

It appears to be available on Amazon, and I've seen it elsewhere.

The first half hour of Psycho is virtuoso stuff. You also have to give Hitchcock credit for being the first director to figure out what to do with that off-kilter quality of Tony Perkins. In fact I was sorely disappointed by Peeping Tom - Scorsese's eternal enthusiasm is endearing but it can also be misleading, and like you I have small taste for the genre. Moira Shearer is in it, looking more or less ageless, and does a little dance, so that's a plus. Powell is over-the-top, and I'm not sure if I could actually sit through ToH without Shearer and Ashton to look at. I suppose the artifice of The Devil is a Woman is at least as suffocating, but it's more fun.

I do see your point, but De Palma and Coppola have also cited the Archers as an influence, and of course "The Red Shoes" has been widely influential. It is true that several of their pictures qualify as curios, although not necessarily in a bad way. "Peeping Tom," directed by Powell but not written by Pressburger (that was Leo Marks), was the "Psycho"-like movie whose reception, particularly in Britain, more or less put paid to Powell's career. Certainly Hoffmann and Shoes both contain horror elements as well. I actually find it to be less distasteful than Psycho, although it's not as good, or let's say effective, a movie. Scorsese has championed Powell's but in doing so I don't believe he's attempting to rewrite history but rather to bring attention to a filmmaker who was not only a great influence on him but with whom he had a personal connection - as noted above, his longtime editor, Thelma Schoonmaker, is Powell's widow. I tend to share Scorsese's admiration, so I have that bias. I hope anyone who attends the Film Forum showing will tell us about it!

In defense of the late Princess, Margaret's unfrivolous choice as a young woman was a war hero equerry some years her senior, and the male contingent of the Princess Margaret Set tended to pursue her rather than vice versa. (In later years she did, unfortunately, acquire a certain reputation, but I'm not sure "boy-crazy" is the way to describe it.....)

Teenagers are indeed still kids in a sense, and that is a useful thing to bear in mind, but referring to athletes in their teens and early twenties by first names as a way of "keeping them kids" seems a bit questionable....

The President's statement. Note the part about big ears. From the NYT obit: Stanley? Really? Oh, if I could have been there....

Spock would deplore such a display of emotion. Thank you for posting this, Drew. I liked Nimoy's creepy therapist in the 70s remake of "Invasion of the Body Snatchers."

This is fabulous indeed (I'd like to be The Venerable for a day) but according to my sister (who works box office) there's another one with many more military designations -- Rear Admiral, anyone? Hmmm: I tend to think of titles more as a status distinction? Aux armes, citoyens!

In modern American culture they actually aren't used that much - in social situations it's customary for people to move to a first-name basis immediately or almost immediately, even in many situations that would traditionally call for formality. However, they do serve as social guideposts - we don't have any distinction in English between the formal and the familiar, as the French do, for example. (The idea behind "Ms." as discussed earlier in the thread, was to dispense with the notion of defining women socially in terms of marital status.)

I like mine better. But I'd say all wives are the same people, regardless of surname, no?

I would think using initials and surnames would be cumbersome in an aural context and also potentially confusing, since if you aren't listening alertly you could easily miss the initial. It's fairly unusual for professional women who've already established a public identity to assume a husband's name for professional purposes, although of course it does happen (so that even if you weren't following Sean Penn and Robin Wright's marital issues, you could keep track of things by noting when Robin Wright Penn went back to plain Robin Wright in the movie credits). The second name thing is kind of cool, though. "Hi. I am keeping my maiden name, for lo, I am a free and independent woman. However, I thought I'd tag his name on there to let everyone know, just as helpful information, that I did catch a husband."

Much depends on context. In sports, for example, when men are referred to by first name only, it's relatively unusual and generally a sign of affection and respect (e.g. "Tiger," "Michael," "Peyton"). Referring to female athletes by first name is a little more fraught, and historically it has sometimes been an indicator of condescension. The Williams sisters are often called Venus and Serena to make sure listeners are clear on which Williams is under discussion, just as the Manning brothers are often Peyton and Eli. I don't think it's a big deal for fans to refer to dancers by their first names in casual contexts. As a rule it is a sign of the affection and respect mentioned above and no harm done. Just as in opera "Renata" was always Tebaldi and not Scotto. It's a status thing. In the British theater of the mid-20th century, if you heard a theater insider refer only to "John" it meant Gielgud and "Larry" was Olivier, regardless of any other Johns or Larrys lying about.

I thought Johnson's dress was much better than Pike's, though. Pike's lacy look struck me as a trifle Victoria's Secret. It is hard indeed to understand why Moore, in particular, didn't go for more color. (She did provide a little when she reminded everyone that her husband is a hunky younger guy.) Julie Andrews was elegant in black. Academy voters love a showy illness, especially if it's a famous person's illness. In the case of royalty,they'll settle for a stammer.

I remember a discussion on Eugene Onegin translations from long ago on this board, but I searched for it and it doesn't look as if it has survived.This non-Russian speaker/writer likes the Charles Johnston translation, MakarovaFan. Here's an old article on getting to know Pushkin in translation. The Nabokov translation was controversial. Haven't read it myself.

Lady Gaga did well with The Sound of Music medley, although the tattoos kind of spoiled the effect somewhat, and it was a nice moment when Julie Andrews came out of the wings to greet her. It is too bad Fiennes did not get a Best Actor nomination. I don't see the movie working at all without him. The Best Actor category is often the most competitive because there are more Oscar-type roles out there for men, and almost every year somebody deserving is left out. (Jake Gyllenhaal, too.)