There are actually TWO spoilers in this review; one for the reviewed movie and one for the movie "Eight Men Out".
This movie is probably THE definitive biography of the renowned ballerina Tanaquil Le Clercq. She was the last wife of George Balanchine; the legendary ballet master of the New York City Ballet, and was professionally active from just after WWII to one night in Copenhagen, Denmark in 1956. A very beautiful woman; her body type became the prototype of the Balanchine dancer.She married Mr. B in 1952, shortly after his marriage to Maria Tallchief ended. There was a 25 year difference in their ages. She was the prime ballerina of the NYCB. She made one mistake before leaving with the NYCB on a European tour; she did not take her polio shot. Murphy's Law took effect and a few weeks later she came down with a very severe case of polio. The doctors did not expect her to live, but she fooled everybody and did. However, she was left with a bad case of paralysis and never walked, let alone danced, again.
The director of this film, Nancy Buirski, did a great job in obtaining archival footage of Le Clercq and later still photographs and even home movies of the ballerina in her later years. She also obtained recent interviews of individuals who had known Le Clercq and even danced with her. Tremendous insight into the relationship between Jerome Robbins and Le Clercq is obtained in the interviews and letters of Robbins himself. This is a fine movie and worth seeing.
The only criticism I have of it is the length of time used in portraying her post illness life. She never walked again; let alone danced. She did teach and there are a few photos of her in a dance studio in her wheelchair, but I think too much time (about half the entire film) was devoted to her life afterwords. I am thinking of the movie "Eight Men Out"; which has a dreary and sad ending. The last few minutes of that movie are a classic as it shows men whose professional lives are ruined and there is no real hope of them ever getting their careers back.
That movie performed a fantastic feat in showing a scene that epitomized a feeling or mood. I wish this movie had truncated most of the post polio struggle with a scene of that sort; perhaps emphasizing one interviewee who stated that Le Clercq left George Balanchine as she wanted him to have his freedom back; so he could on with his life (he had taken excellent care of her for some years after her paralysis set in-probably vainly hoping she would make more of a recovery than she did). There was no reason to continue to state the obvious; she was (like the ballplayers in Eight Men Out) at the top of her career and profession when she lost everything -like they did. Both films are tragedies; tragedies of people who made one mistake and lost more than most of us will ever have.
This movie is probably THE definitive biography of the renowned ballerina Tanaquil Le Clercq. She was the last wife of George Balanchine; the legendary ballet master of the New York City Ballet, and was professionally active from just after WWII to one night in Copenhagen, Denmark in 1956. A very beautiful woman; her body type became the prototype of the Balanchine dancer.She married Mr. B in 1952, shortly after his marriage to Maria Tallchief ended. There was a 25 year difference in their ages. She was the prime ballerina of the NYCB. She made one mistake before leaving with the NYCB on a European tour; she did not take her polio shot. Murphy's Law took effect and a few weeks later she came down with a very severe case of polio. The doctors did not expect her to live, but she fooled everybody and did. However, she was left with a bad case of paralysis and never walked, let alone danced, again.
The director of this film, Nancy Buirski, did a great job in obtaining archival footage of Le Clercq and later still photographs and even home movies of the ballerina in her later years. She also obtained recent interviews of individuals who had known Le Clercq and even danced with her. Tremendous insight into the relationship between Jerome Robbins and Le Clercq is obtained in the interviews and letters of Robbins himself. This is a fine movie and worth seeing.
The only criticism I have of it is the length of time used in portraying her post illness life. She never walked again; let alone danced. She did teach and there are a few photos of her in a dance studio in her wheelchair, but I think too much time (about half the entire film) was devoted to her life afterwords. I am thinking of the movie "Eight Men Out"; which has a dreary and sad ending. The last few minutes of that movie are a classic as it shows men whose professional lives are ruined and there is no real hope of them ever getting their careers back.
That movie performed a fantastic feat in showing a scene that epitomized a feeling or mood. I wish this movie had truncated most of the post polio struggle with a scene of that sort; perhaps emphasizing one interviewee who stated that Le Clercq left George Balanchine as she wanted him to have his freedom back; so he could on with his life (he had taken excellent care of her for some years after her paralysis set in-probably vainly hoping she would make more of a recovery than she did). There was no reason to continue to state the obvious; she was (like the ballplayers in Eight Men Out) at the top of her career and profession when she lost everything -like they did. Both films are tragedies; tragedies of people who made one mistake and lost more than most of us will ever have.