papeetepatrick

I watched 'Pandora's Box' a few years ago. It's considered a classic, but I don't care for Louise Brooks's performance. It's so wholesome and innocent, more like Liza Minnelli as Sally Bowles or some 'forest creature type' than Lulu. She seems totally unaware of what profession she's in. The period and Pabst's interest in her may have something to do with it, but others would have shown that hard edges always go along with this line of business--as Garbo does in 'Susan Lennox', and Dietrich a lot more so in 'The Blue Angel'. Maybe it's the look that's iconic, and I certainly agree it's a beautiful face, this in itself is very memorable. Interesting about the Anna Karina look, Quiggin, I can see that, although when she's playing a prostitute, you definitely don't get confused about it.

Thank you, Natalia, I follow you now, sometimes on the net it's hard to tell what the tone is. No, I frankly agree with you totally, but have found that it's very difficult to make the case in discourse about 'all-Caucasian' as opposed to 'all-African', because of history. I used to try to do it, and I always was paid no attention to, so I'm glad to see you still have the guts to do it. But frankly, there just are cultural differences, and to give another example, it's hard to imagine 'integrating' a Black Gospel choir with Caucasians and Asians and it still be Black Gospel. But I can see the other side too; the problem is that the historically more fortunate side (the 'ruling class' is usually referenced as this) is always expected to do ALL the compensating very often, not just some of it, or even just most of it.

I'd like to know what you mean about Peking Opera. It's hard to see how that one even enters the picture, but you may mean dancers that could learn it from the expat communities in China, or in Taiwan. As far as singers, I wonder if Caucasians or blacks living abroad in China ever think of training their children in Peking or Shanghai Opera, I rather think (and know, in fact) that they tend to send them to ballet classes. Because to be a real performer in Chinese opera, you have to start in early childhood. Not that I object to it, but China is still a very closed country, despite their economic boom, and I don't see them opening up their traditional cultures yet. All you have to do is read about various crackdowns at the current Expo in Shanghai to know that an unexpected capitalist boom does not mean any interest whatsoever in individual liberties until the state is ready to grant them. I'm glad you brought it up, though, because I wonder if any non-Chinese (other than other SE Asians, perhaps, and probably the rare Japanese) ever have 'made it' in Peking or Shanghai Opera.

Wasn't there, but thought it an extremely balanced review, loves all the dancers, slight criticism of all of them. Although it's got his characteristic superlatives when he's got that many top dancers in a single day, it was also pretty subtle; he describes what Carreno does that Hallberg doesn't, that Aurora is not a 'jump role', that Cojocaru should think of her music more. I'd prefer his praise of Hallberg without the Harry Potter, that goes along with some of the 'children's 'n' Kittles' talk others have noted about the some of the tacky aspects of this production. Oh yes, I'd like to have seen either one of those events. Thought I could remember the variation and see the port de bras leonid was talking about, but then realized I was hearing the Lilac Fairy music, so I guess I didn't picture the port de bras after all. Will have to check this out soon. Didn't someone say that about Veronika Part on this thread? Gotta go look. Yes they had done: Faux Pas had said this. Would be interested to hear viewers compare this scene after pricking the finger among all the ballerinas this week.

I thought this was excellent, brutal but went all the way--the buckets on the kids heads stupendously imaginative. I think that's a hallmark of POB--even though they do rather tedious things like 'Caligula'--to go all the way, they're so thorough yet noble, and that's one of the reasons why they're my favourite company. I'm praying they'll do that 'Wuthering Heights' here--the clip they used to have on the site was sublime. I also liked that pdd, is that the modern R & J? but with effective marriage of choreography and music at certain points--it's been a few months, Aurelie is in that one--there's one startling opened-up moment, almost orgasmic, when the music literally seems to deliver the dancer or vice-versa, it may have been on a big brass note, trombone or tuba.

She's not a mega-star in the practical sense, the American sense. She's a mega-star in the ballet world, and that's not being a mega-star in the world of fame. I never even heard of her till two weeks ago--not that I'm a ballet expert, but just hanging around BT is enough to finally hear of her, and I still don't know what she looks like. And ballet stars don't usually keep dressing as ballet stars when they're offstage; I wouldn't have recognized Veronika Part or David Hallberg an hour after I saw them dance on Saturday, most likely. And guards and police aren't going to know who a dancer is. I don't happen to be suspicious of any of it, she just ran into some random thugs, might indeed have been from the projects, we get more of those types in the West Village, where there are much more recognizable types of celebs living (Hollywood types, Martha Stewart, etc.). The walking alone is probably also personality. Hard to imagine Natalia Makarova not thinking everybody would recognize her back in the day (they wouldn't have--no, I take that back, she was pretty flamboyant and had a lot of projection, but still only balletophiles of lesser or greater magnitude would even know to be looking for her anywhere) but easy to imagine Julie Kent or Gillian Murphy knowing that they're not going to be recognized by most. Nina Ananiashvili also was a mega-star, I bet she was almost never recognized around Lincoln Center once dressed down. I think that was over with Nureyev, Fonteyn and Baryshnikov.

Perhaps. As we all know, it's a long trek from the front door to the car the valet or chauffeur has just pulled up. Who, in LA, walks??? We're not talking about where the starlets walk, but rather that they tend to want to drive by themselves, without entourages (they need these to drive them in their cars, not to escort them to their cars--because they've been drinking at the clubs, even if just to slight excess.) It was a parallel to walking here unescorted (though leading to arrest instead of mugging), but there is a lot more walking in LA than the stereotype lets us know (it's acc. to the neighborhood, there's lots of walking in Hollywood and Downtown (where all the high culture institutions are, and which are all close to extremely dangerous neighborhoods, including that vast Skid Row), Chinatown, and lots of walking in the commercial sections of Beverly Hills/Rodeo. It's not nearly all gated. The subway is expanding rapidly, and people walk home from from there (in notorious sections like Compton and other sections served by the Blue Line), the bus system is enormous, albeit mostly those who can't afford cars (or myself, who likes to walk and does so there as well). So that, whether driving unescorted or walking unescorted, many of the younger generations have decided it's more fun to do it 'as if they were purely private persons', and sometimes go to the supermarket alone, and expect fans to leave them alone (fine, but they won't sometimes). In the case of the Hollywood bimbos, they're noticed wherever they do go, in the case of Osipova, the thugs wouldn't have the slightest idea (I wouldn't know her on the street either, and probably not many of the ballerinas I'm more familiar with.) So the problem is that they want to drive their own cars, that they won't use valets or chauffeurs, which led to DUI arrests of Nicole Ritchie, Paris Hilton, lunatic car chases by Lindsay Lohan, and hit and runs by Britney Spears. They're not old-school, and I imagine that ballerinas in New York, at least, would not expect to be or want to be escorted around. That's 'old people' stuff.

At this point, after what happened, Osipova would be escorted back to anywhere at night, but most youngish people don't do that anymore, and it was written about extensively not too long ago that Hollywood starlets, who are much more famous as well as less gifted than Osipova, don't want an entourage--and, as we well know, they in particular need one (at least ONE sober person) to drive them home somtimes so they don't have to do any more time in L.A. County Jail. I think that's basically good, though, and Osipova had been here a few weeks, was only walking a few blocks, and I doubt she wanted to be escorted. I hardly think anyone at all was derelict (outside the delinquents), since this is pretty much the mode by now. I think escorts are mainly for the 'old legend types' in whatever field, but I bet Rosemary Harris walked home from the theater whenever she was in the mood.

The Village Voice had a great investigative piece a few weeks ago. Don't rely on NYC crime statistics, most crime reports are downgraded to be listed as petty offenses by the Powers That Be. They WANT the crime stats to look lower, so the politicians can get re elected by sayng "crime went down under my watch". There are even recordings of precinct meetings where the lieutenants tell the beat cops to "pay the rent" (write more tickets). And yes, they do have quotas. would not surprise me if this is true in most cities. That's about the best the Village Voice can do is such articles, although interesting to see they're still doing the overblown crap now that they barely even exist as a credible journal. To wit, crime statistics are WAY WAY DOWN, and it is in general NOT dangerous to walk at night, not even normally for Osipova. I have lived here for 42 years, and it is nothing like what it used to be in terms of sinister--you have to go and look for it in rough neighborhoods usually. So I consider this an anomaly. Osipova had no reason to fear this might happen, and it's very unlikely in the Lincoln Center area. It's a horrible thing, but she wasn't doing a thing I wouldn't have done, and there is no 'country bumpkin' about what she did. Stray crimes happen all the time, but if you want a much greater likelihood of them happening, Los Angeles still has a lot of the noir feeling, and will often deliver on this sinister sensation. New York is very policed (Europeans always point this out), nearly every street corner. This is purely a freak event, and it is especially unfortunate that it would happen to this obvious genius ballerina, esp,. since this has been the moment of HUGE celebration for her performances in just the last weeks at ABT. But I think it has little to do with New York. It's true that even Lincoln Center is not quite as safe as walking down Park Avenue, but that's beside the point. Nothing is, and Lincoln Center is basically safe. I've been nearly mugged a couple of times back in the 70s, but outran the perps, and also have an ex-gf. who wouldn't accommodate the muggers with her purse either. While I understand those who say that Osipova was smart to not resist her criminals, I equally admire my perfectly catlike ex for refusing to give them any money even at gunpoint! She'll do anything to be disagreeable, and got away with it too. In L.A., even as a visitor, I've been threatened MUCH MORE.

My feeling is that it wouldn't be too sober, just because of the way Ashton used Chopin in 'A Month in the Country', as I noted (I think the use of Chopin there is peerless, by the way, definitely up there with the Fokine). It just wouldn't need to be 'waltz-like' or necessarily light. Not all of Schumann's Davidsbundlertanze is light, either, or even much of it, and that's just one of hundreds or thousands. Of course it's not a 'danceable waltz', but there's a big world of movement and music combinations to be tapped out there. The most likely explanation for not using it or more dramatic Chopin (or maybe even any) is that doesn't seem to the fashion any more, does it--you know, the grand Romantic manner which Ashton was still capable of doing, and Balanchine in s different way as well, of course (not necessarily talking just about Chopin, of course.)

I think G Minor Ballade is 6/4, which is somewhat different from 6/8, not often used and I think probably never for fast music (as tarantellas, and much else). I don't know if it's ever been used for ballet or dance. 6/4 would have more to do with phrasing, so that the two groups of 3 are bound together in some sort of kinship; although in some hands, it would sound very much the same if just changed to 3/4. Maybe some think Ballade No.1 could be used as a waltz, I don't think it's possible, although I've no doubt it could be danced to effectively if the right choreographer came along, just as Liszt was to 'Marguerite and Armand', and Liszt wasn't to 'Mayerling'. No, a Mazurka is not the same thing as a waltz. There are many pieces in 3/4, 3/8, and 6/8, and 9/8 that aren't waltzes. It has to do with the character of the work as well as the meter. It may be that there have been some pieces in 3 (all forms of it) that have been choreographed as waltzes, but which weren't intended as waltzes in their original, purely musical form. I could think of a lot of examples along all these lines, but somebody else help me out (historians, please) until the humidity subsides a bit. And although 'A Month in the Country' uses Andante Spianato and Grande Polonaise, that easily demonstrates that any of the ballades could be used effectively, although I don't know if anybody currently choreographing would have the sensitivity for Chopin that Ashton had. The exquisite A Flat Ballade is one of Chopin's most French works (you won't hear the Polish roots in this one), and it seems ideal for use in ballet to me. Edited to add: There are a number of reasons Chopin would choose 6/4 for the ballade, though, one of which is that 3/8 or 6/8 would somehow indicate something slightly more rapid, whereas the quarter notes (of the 6/4, or even if it was written in 3/4) give the notes a weight that eighth notes just don't have. And that first section (after the muscular intro) is nothing if not sober and very serious. Not that writing in 3/4 always makes conductors keep from speeding up to way beyond any 3/8 or 6/8 we're used to. The Nutcracker I saw at NYCB in 2006 had Waltz so speedy it was quite absurd, and that's quarter notes. So glad I got to see Ms. Mearns as Odette/Odile after that yeomanry as DewDrop: after that, there was no way I could ever dislike Ms. Mearns as Odile (even though you're supposed to): She is a good sport.

Thanks for posting this, dirac. Argerich is such a character as well as fiery and brilliant artist. I hope I get a chance to hear this.

She was just channeling other Sondheim songs, to show her Daniel Day-Lewis comprehensive research, i.e., "Sometimes I stand in the middle of the floor Not going left - not going right". Artistic way to 'thank Sondheim'. I bet that just came naturally. Sounds horrible to me, but she'll bring in the bucks a while longer. Was she really? I doubt it's that big a deal, as George Sand would say. Did anybody see Rosemary Harris in 'The Royal Family'? One of my favourite actresses, and did the daughter in mid-70's to Eva LaGallienne's Fanny. This time she was Fanny, bound to have been great. Glad to know Scarlet Johannsen has some real acting chops, but I wish Rosemary had gotten it anyway, and I do wish I'd been paying attention and gone to see it.

Was surprised that Kristen Chenoweth was not even nominated, but agree with Brantley she's all wrong for Fran Kubelik--way too Midwestern and without a trace of irony or cynicism (and she's sometimes boring because of that, despite her great voice). Just found his review, I agreed with most of it except about the score, which is not like 'elevator music', unless every other B'way show ever written is as well. Extraordinary they added 'I Say a Little Prayer' and 'A House is Not a Home', dreadful idea. However, I'd rather Ms. Chenoweth in almost anything than Ms. Zeta-Jones, I've never once seen the appeal of the latter, and clips of Sally Ann Howes singing 'Clowns' makes you never want to hear Ms. Zeta-Jones sing another note. Had just been thinking that B'way shows are always emphasizing the verb 'to fly' in some form or other, it's getting a bit much by now. 'Come Fly Away' a dreadful title IMO, and there are tons of examples of songs about 'flying', and Hollywood musical endings like 'Pa-pahhhhh....I can FLYYYYYYY!' Oh dear..I hope they realize that this is pretty corny at some point, along with 'dream'.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/13/magazine...ml?ref=magazine I doubt I'll read this, but just thought I'd post it in case anybody wants to work this business some more, or just get an 'official review'. In PRINT!

That's cool. And I remember reading Pierre Boulez, who said no artist should be concerned by any other assessment of his work beyond his own. Of course, one takes that with a grain of salt (and PB is very free with his demolition of others' works), but it definitely defines a position one ought to be able to occupy from time to time, at least temporarily. And humility is no more a prerequisite for an artist than arrogance. There are examples of great artists who or either and, in fact, some people simply prefer a humbler personality, but there are others who really go for the arrogant types, and neither of these qualities determines the artistic excellence of the artist, at least not nearly always or one more than the other. 'Great artist' is morally neutral, and Picasso was not humble. Which doesn't mean I think 'great artist' is the ultimate thing to be, either. There are many worthy modes of being. But I always keep Boulez's over-the-top pronouncement in mind: If you don't care only about your own opinion at least some of the time, you won't ever find your own particular voice. Which also doesn't mean you shouldn't go to 'masters', and that is nicely covered by that slightly pop psychologist Ellen Langer, in her 'Mindful Learning' series. What difference, really, than the constant criticism we all endure in real life? At some point, we may decide that some of it is totally unjustified, and we are all the more strengthened by the fact that we had to surmount the crap and go ahead with what our own vision is. Over Xmas I had precisely this, some absolutely scathing criticism that infuriated me, but actually spurred me on to do a much sharper job at something than I had expected to (I didn't know it would be important.) But I don't appreciate that critic, because I know he did not mean in it in a benevolent way, he meant it to be destructive--and I also consider that it was false. But still, it is possible to use even the meanness of the true destroyers, much less a mildly critical NYTimes critic, and go ahead and do something better than what it would have been before. In this case, it made me burn with rage and do something that I consider good, although I may or may not have done as well without it (this kind of thing is hard to assess.)

'Birthday Offering' has a lot of charm, and reminded me of 'La Valse', but I don't like it nearly so well. The chief delight was discovering that my favourite Glazunov Waltz was used at the beginning and end, although I enjoyed all the clever dancing, to be sure. I think it's D Major, I remember first just hearing it maybe 30 years ago on WQXR and think it the best Glazunov piece I know. I don't think this is any masterpiece though--each variation has its delights, but the structure as a whole is pedestrian. 'Awakening' was especially elegant, but you definitely want to see the whole ballet, and with principals like that, it's hard not to want them to be able to be more expansive, despite their beautiful feet (both). I didn't know Ashton made such exotic pieces as the Thais PDD, but it is extraordinary. Everything worked in it, the lighting and costumes, sometimes Vishneva looked literally ethereal. Faeries and sprites are all throughout ballet history. They very often seem earth-bound, though. Is Ashton somehow able to make them seem truly ethereal (I use this word again on purpose), more than almost any choreographer? Because they were coming across like that as 'The Dream' intensified. And did they ever make the mists work well, it was truly pretty. Agree with Colleen on this: That chemistry that these two had was indeed extraordinary, and the whole ballet came to life as they were airborne, which is what they were. Was startled at the sparse attendance. Miliosr said 'summer programming', but this is still early summer before festivals, and I think people don't go to ABT to see this sort of program, and also probably just don't have the money they did a few years ago even, for this sort of thing. Most who go to ABT want to see the full-length works, and that's understandable.

Yes, and lots of artists don't read their reviews. These are probably the strongest of all. Also, viewers who read reviews ought to know how not to take them so seriously. I don't pay that much attention to most critics in determining the value of someone or something, unless it shores up my own opinion, and even then I don't think it necessarily means something profound; I tend to pay more attention to them when they write something which really does begin to open up a work in the review itself, as a recent movie review I linked here (and that's indeed rare, I don't find many movie reviews worth a hill of beans.)

The Ashton Show gorgeous, will report tomorrow, Thais PDD like a dream with Vishneva, although 'The Dream' is a marvelous piece. I wish they'd lose the Oberon cape, it makes any dancer who wears it look fleshy till the dancing gets really virtuosic. 'Birthday Offering' charming, but more rigid and academic than the others. Was glad to see Part and Hallberg at last, she's beautiful and musical (he's marvelously lean and pointed), but would rather have seen them in something bigger, that was the least interesting piece, and the Thais was glorious and exotic even though brief. 'Dream' seems like it's going to be boring and conventional for 15 minutes, but then becomes all energy with Oberon and Puck. Hot stuff that. Orchestra sounded like in a different universe from what you hear at the Koch, and I don't even know whether they played that much better. The acoustics at the Koch are a disgrace, esp, if you haven't been to the Met in awhile, and hear what sublime acoustics it has and always has done. I mean, the two orchestral sounds are not even in the same league, I never want to hear NYCB orchestra again in that theater after hearing how much better this sounded, and I rarely think of the orchestras for ABT as anything special (maybe the orchestras aren't themselves, but I only heard one bad French horn note, by way of comment on the playing, which didn't seem half bad.)

Perfect example for different perceptions of the same thing. I didn't think it was witty, nor did I laugh. I guess I'd agree it was typical Rivers, though, and her self-loathing, total sell-out mentality is not hard to fathom. I also liked Dargis's final paragraph, where she talked about the face being made up and 'coming together' and that 'her gaze was disconcerting' and whether she was 'daring us to look or begging us' and the filmmakers 'weren't saying'. Yes, they lucked up with the timing. In the old stand-up days as far back as the 60s, she quipped 'anybody that'll gimme a buck'. I don't know if that was a Freudian slip, though. If she'd won the Donald Trump Apprentice thing in time, she likely wouldn't have done this, which may yet be her one authentic work, even if she's just the paid object. I sort of like the idea of PBS showing it as one of their Nature series, or maybe 'Frontline'.

Martine Van Hammel with ABT, she was great.

I could be wrong, but I thought Dargis was just saying that they were trying to be objective , much as she talke about their 'entertainment industry outsider status', and the 'sympathetic...but not fawning'. I thought she just meant that insiders automatically would feel that they had to make her 'look good', rather than just document her. It reminds me a little of the Riefenstahl documentary 'The Wonderful, Horrible Life of Leni Riefenstahl', which even contains critique in the title (I don't happen to care for making an apology in a title personally.) Dargis also might have used that particular phrase because Rivers has spent a lot of time making people look pretty bad, most famously Liz Taylor, and also in making herself look good--literally (whether or not you think she succeeded.) I should add that people at BT have mentioned Dargis over the years many times, and she may or may not be that impressive to everybody, I just went on about her because I thought she covered the film in an exemplary way, I don't know...I thought it gave you more to go on in making up your mind to see it or not than most reviews do. There may be many who have read her over the years who don't think she's anything extraordinary.

http://movies.nytimes.com/2010/06/11/movies/11joan.html?8dpc I had no idea this was in process of coming into being or something like it ever could (there are even slightly crass reasons why it was possible for the filmmakers to get it done, which goes with the subject more than the creators.) But, while it doesn't quite make me want to see it, it does sound quite extraordinary. And, since we've been discussing journalism in the Arts in other threads (ballet ones, that is), I was also very impressed with this review. It's one of the best-written movie reviews I remember. There's something altogether unexpected about the whole enterprise, and that's part of what comes across; Dargis is very detailed and comprehensive. It sounds like a fine film if you can be around the subject that long, and this excerpt from the review demonstrates why it might be so exceptional: Manohla Dargis can definitely write.

The Waltx from Serenade is divine. Darci was totally inside this music the several times I saw her do it.

Fascinating, and Bax is certainly worthy of respect and was a major composer, but I wouldn't be interested in a new Tristan und Isolde ballet that didn't use Wagner. Although it's indeed regrettable that the Bax/Ashton was lost, that I would be interested in.