Left to Right: Oleg Ivenko as Rudolf Nureyev, Natalia Dudiskaya as Anna Polikarpova
Photo by Larry Horrocks. Courtesy Sony Pictures Classics.
A “white crow” is a Russian idiom meaning a misfit, an oddball, someone who does not fit the mold – a perfect description for ballet star Rudolph Nureyev.
In the 1960s, ballet stars and opera divas were pop culture rock stars, as strange as that might seems to modern ears. One of the biggest ballet stars was Rudolph Nureyev, the Russian dancer who transformed men’s role in ballet from mere props for ballerinas to dramatic, dynamic stars in their own right. But White Crow takes place long before all that, following the life of the young dancer from his hard rural Russian childhood to his tumultuous years training under the Soviet Union system to the edge of stardom while touring with the Kirov Ballet Company in Paris.
Ralph Fiennes directs this gorgeous,...
Photo by Larry Horrocks. Courtesy Sony Pictures Classics.
A “white crow” is a Russian idiom meaning a misfit, an oddball, someone who does not fit the mold – a perfect description for ballet star Rudolph Nureyev.
In the 1960s, ballet stars and opera divas were pop culture rock stars, as strange as that might seems to modern ears. One of the biggest ballet stars was Rudolph Nureyev, the Russian dancer who transformed men’s role in ballet from mere props for ballerinas to dramatic, dynamic stars in their own right. But White Crow takes place long before all that, following the life of the young dancer from his hard rural Russian childhood to his tumultuous years training under the Soviet Union system to the edge of stardom while touring with the Kirov Ballet Company in Paris.
Ralph Fiennes directs this gorgeous,...
- 5/17/2019
- by Cate Marquis
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Defector Becomes Him: Fiennes Revisits the Westernization of Rudolf Nureyev
There’s much to admire in the third directorial outing of actor Ralph Fiennes with The White Crow (the least of which is his impressive navigation of speaking in Russian), a coming-of-age biopic of sorts concerning the golden days of famed ballet icon Rudolf Nureyev and his dramatic defection in 1961. Fiennes’ previous outings include his 2011 tackling of Shakespeare’s lesser known Coriolanus (which features a fantastic Vanessa Redgrave performance) and 2013’s expose of Charles Dickens’ affair with a younger woman (an impressive Felicity Jones). His latest is no less ambitious or inspired, modeled after Julie Kavanagh’s Rudolf Nureyev: The Life, and yet seems to be missing some fundamental energy apparent in his previous outings (as well as a signature standout performance which has marked his previous two films).…...
There’s much to admire in the third directorial outing of actor Ralph Fiennes with The White Crow (the least of which is his impressive navigation of speaking in Russian), a coming-of-age biopic of sorts concerning the golden days of famed ballet icon Rudolf Nureyev and his dramatic defection in 1961. Fiennes’ previous outings include his 2011 tackling of Shakespeare’s lesser known Coriolanus (which features a fantastic Vanessa Redgrave performance) and 2013’s expose of Charles Dickens’ affair with a younger woman (an impressive Felicity Jones). His latest is no less ambitious or inspired, modeled after Julie Kavanagh’s Rudolf Nureyev: The Life, and yet seems to be missing some fundamental energy apparent in his previous outings (as well as a signature standout performance which has marked his previous two films).…...
- 4/26/2019
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
As a director, Ralph Fiennes shows the same alertness for telling details and rich characterization that he does as an actor. And that’s saying something. His talent shines in The White Crow, a look at the early life of ballet great Rudolf Nureyev, up to and including his defection from Russia and the Kirov Ballet at the Paris-Le Bourget airport in 1961. He was 23. The White Crow is not a biopic. It’s an impressionistic glimpse at the forces driving Nureyev — something of a diva even then — to accept no...
- 4/25/2019
- by Peter Travers
- Rollingstone.com
The story of “The White Crow,” Ralph Fiennes’ latest directorial effort, is as topical as anything currently sitting on the desk of a studio head. It tells of a rebellious artist grappling with his sexuality during turbulent political times rife with tensions between the United States and an agitated Russia. But though the upcoming film, which Sony Pictures Classics will release Stateside on April 26, may be weirdly timely, it is actually set nearly 60 years ago and depicts the true tale of late ballet sensation Rudolf Nureyev.
Known for performances that were sinewy and sensual, Nureyev inflamed Cold War tensions when he became one of the first megastars to defect from the Soviet Union in 1961. Once in the United States, the ballet and contemporary dancer and choreographer became a household name, partnering with Margot Fonteyn in acclaimed productions of “Giselle” and “Swan Lake,” appearing on “The Muppet Show” and playing Rudolph Valentino...
Known for performances that were sinewy and sensual, Nureyev inflamed Cold War tensions when he became one of the first megastars to defect from the Soviet Union in 1961. Once in the United States, the ballet and contemporary dancer and choreographer became a household name, partnering with Margot Fonteyn in acclaimed productions of “Giselle” and “Swan Lake,” appearing on “The Muppet Show” and playing Rudolph Valentino...
- 4/18/2019
- by Matt Donnelly
- Variety Film + TV
This retelling of Rudolf Nureyev’s escape to the west survives some flat acting thanks to David Hare’s nuanced script
The White Crow is a watchable, serviceable movie telling the story of ballet legend Rudolf Nureyev and his sensational escape to the west in the early 60s at the age of 23, while on his first European tour. Dance is represented as a transcendental experience of success, of leaving behind the past and reinventing the future. Like Billy Elliot’s defection from his working-class childhood, Nureyev’s flight involves crises of loyalty with family and community. These struggles are, however, a little enigmatic and opaque with Rudolf, as portrayed by the Ukrainian ballet star and first-time actor Oleg Ivenko. Ralph Fiennes directs and gives a performance of spaniel-eyed sadness as Nureyev’s dance teacher and mentor Alexander Pushkin, with whose wife Xenia (Chulpan Khamatova), Nureyev is to have a sentimental education.
The White Crow is a watchable, serviceable movie telling the story of ballet legend Rudolf Nureyev and his sensational escape to the west in the early 60s at the age of 23, while on his first European tour. Dance is represented as a transcendental experience of success, of leaving behind the past and reinventing the future. Like Billy Elliot’s defection from his working-class childhood, Nureyev’s flight involves crises of loyalty with family and community. These struggles are, however, a little enigmatic and opaque with Rudolf, as portrayed by the Ukrainian ballet star and first-time actor Oleg Ivenko. Ralph Fiennes directs and gives a performance of spaniel-eyed sadness as Nureyev’s dance teacher and mentor Alexander Pushkin, with whose wife Xenia (Chulpan Khamatova), Nureyev is to have a sentimental education.
- 3/20/2019
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
Ralph Fiennes brings the story of Rudolf Nureyev’s defection to the West to the big screen in The White Crow. He stars and directs the film, which is an adaptation of Julie Kavanagh’s Rudolf Nureyev: The Life. It stars Oleg Ivenko, Louis Hofmann, Adele Exarchopoulos, Sergei Polunin, Raphael Peronnaz and Chilpan Khamatova.
Attending the premiere were director/actor Ralph Fiennes, Oleg Ivenko, Louis Hofmann, David Hare, Gabrielle Tena and Ben Eshkeri.
Colin Hart and Scott Davis were on the red carpet and conducted these interviews.
The film arrives in cinemas in the UK on the 22nd of March, 2019 and the Us on the 26th of April, 2019.
The White Crow Premiere Interviews
Plot:
The dramatic real life story of Soviet ballet and contemporary dancer and choreographer Rudolf Nureyev and his defection to the West.
The post The White Crow Premiere Interviews: Ralph Fiennes, Oleg Ivenko & more appeared first on HeyUGuys.
Attending the premiere were director/actor Ralph Fiennes, Oleg Ivenko, Louis Hofmann, David Hare, Gabrielle Tena and Ben Eshkeri.
Colin Hart and Scott Davis were on the red carpet and conducted these interviews.
The film arrives in cinemas in the UK on the 22nd of March, 2019 and the Us on the 26th of April, 2019.
The White Crow Premiere Interviews
Plot:
The dramatic real life story of Soviet ballet and contemporary dancer and choreographer Rudolf Nureyev and his defection to the West.
The post The White Crow Premiere Interviews: Ralph Fiennes, Oleg Ivenko & more appeared first on HeyUGuys.
- 3/13/2019
- by Jon Lyus
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Ralph Fiennes returns behind the camera (and in front) for his third directorial effort as he brings audiences the provocative story of Rudolf Nureyev, played by newcomer Oleg Ivenko. The film conveys the tale of Nureyev’s defection from the Soviet Union, his trajectory in Paris with the current political climate boiling over, and to his eventual rise to become the Lord of the Dance, ultimately being the greatest male ballet star of his generation.
“There are many biographies of Nureyev, but I became acquainted with a biography by Julie Kavanagh written in 2007,” stated Ralph Fiennes. “I read the first six chapters, which dealt with Nureyev’s student years, leading up to the moment of his defection in 1961. I have to say that I had no interest in ballet as such, but what this biography introduced me to was the force and the spirit of this young artist from this poor background,...
“There are many biographies of Nureyev, but I became acquainted with a biography by Julie Kavanagh written in 2007,” stated Ralph Fiennes. “I read the first six chapters, which dealt with Nureyev’s student years, leading up to the moment of his defection in 1961. I have to say that I had no interest in ballet as such, but what this biography introduced me to was the force and the spirit of this young artist from this poor background,...
- 1/25/2019
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
HanWay inks further territories on Rudolf Nureyev drama.
Studiocanal has bought UK rights for The White Crow, Ralph Fiennes’ thriller about Russian ballet star Rudolf Nureyev’s defection to the West at the height of the Cold War.
HanWay Films is handling worldwide sales and co-financed the feature with BBC Films and Rogue Black. The film recently premiered at Telluride and will play as a Gala at the BFI London Film Festival next month.
HanWay has also struck a raft of new territory deals on the title: Alamode (Germany), DeAplaneta (Spain), E1, Praesens (Switzerland), Nos Lusomundo (Portugal), Odeon (Greece), Discovery...
Studiocanal has bought UK rights for The White Crow, Ralph Fiennes’ thriller about Russian ballet star Rudolf Nureyev’s defection to the West at the height of the Cold War.
HanWay Films is handling worldwide sales and co-financed the feature with BBC Films and Rogue Black. The film recently premiered at Telluride and will play as a Gala at the BFI London Film Festival next month.
HanWay has also struck a raft of new territory deals on the title: Alamode (Germany), DeAplaneta (Spain), E1, Praesens (Switzerland), Nos Lusomundo (Portugal), Odeon (Greece), Discovery...
- 9/26/2018
- by Tom Grater
- ScreenDaily
Why did world-famous Russian ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev defect? That’s the question I found myself Googling immediately after seeing Ralph Fiennes’ lovely, elegant, and curiously opaque “The White Crow,” an impressive, dance-heavy biopic which focuses on Nureyev’s childhood, training, and life-changing visit to Paris as part of the Kirov Ballet, culminating in his decision to seek asylum in France. For all its pleasures — among them generous helpings of dance and a true-life East-meets-West intrigue to rival fictive Cannes favorite “Cold War” — the film remains maddeningly ambiguous about his motives for cutting ties with the Soviet Union.
Of course, some things we can never know, although in this case, it feels like more of a creative choice than a historical one, leaving culture-savvy art-house audiences something to ponder after a classy — and respectfully sexy — night at the movies. Such crowds are presumably familiar with the reputation Nureyev made for himself over the subsequent decades,...
Of course, some things we can never know, although in this case, it feels like more of a creative choice than a historical one, leaving culture-savvy art-house audiences something to ponder after a classy — and respectfully sexy — night at the movies. Such crowds are presumably familiar with the reputation Nureyev made for himself over the subsequent decades,...
- 9/4/2018
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Laurent Lafitte, Raphaël Personnaz, Louis Hofmann also board project.
Ralph Fiennes has joined the cast of The White Crow, his project about Russian ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev.
Fiennes will play Nureyev’s teacher and mentor, Pushkin, who helped launch Nureyev’s career out of St Petersburg, and will also direct the feature.
As previously reported, professional dancer Oleg Ivenko will play the lead role of Nureyev, while fellow dancer Sergei Polunin, Blue Is The Warmest Colour star Adèle Exarchopoulos and Russian actress Chulpan Khamatova are among the cast.
The production has now also attached Elle star Laurent Lafitte, The French Minister star Raphaël Personnaz, Personal Shopper actor Calypso Valois and Land Of Mine star Louis Hofmann ahead of its summer 2017 shoot in St Petersburg and Paris, with locations including the Mariinsky Theatre and the Palais Garnier.
Two-time Oscar-nominee David Hare (The Hours, The Reader) has adapted the screenplay from Julie Kavanagh’s book Rudolf Nureyev, which...
Ralph Fiennes has joined the cast of The White Crow, his project about Russian ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev.
Fiennes will play Nureyev’s teacher and mentor, Pushkin, who helped launch Nureyev’s career out of St Petersburg, and will also direct the feature.
As previously reported, professional dancer Oleg Ivenko will play the lead role of Nureyev, while fellow dancer Sergei Polunin, Blue Is The Warmest Colour star Adèle Exarchopoulos and Russian actress Chulpan Khamatova are among the cast.
The production has now also attached Elle star Laurent Lafitte, The French Minister star Raphaël Personnaz, Personal Shopper actor Calypso Valois and Land Of Mine star Louis Hofmann ahead of its summer 2017 shoot in St Petersburg and Paris, with locations including the Mariinsky Theatre and the Palais Garnier.
Two-time Oscar-nominee David Hare (The Hours, The Reader) has adapted the screenplay from Julie Kavanagh’s book Rudolf Nureyev, which...
- 5/3/2017
- by tom.grater@screendaily.com (Tom Grater)
- ScreenDaily
Ralph Fiennes will direct The White Crow, a biographical drama about Russian dancer Rudolf Nureyev.
The new project by Fiennes, whose previous directorial efforts are Coriolanus and The Invisible Woman, will be based on Julie Kavanagh's book Rudolf Nureyev: The Life.
David Hare, nominated for Oscars in the best screenplay category for The Hours and The Reader, will write the script.
The White Crow is being developed by the BBC Films and produced by Oscar-nominated Gabrielle Tana through Magnolia Mae Productions, with Francois Ivernel through the French branch of his company Montebello Productions.
"This is a story of an uncompromising...
The new project by Fiennes, whose previous directorial efforts are Coriolanus and The Invisible Woman, will be based on Julie Kavanagh's book Rudolf Nureyev: The Life.
David Hare, nominated for Oscars in the best screenplay category for The Hours and The Reader, will write the script.
The White Crow is being developed by the BBC Films and produced by Oscar-nominated Gabrielle Tana through Magnolia Mae Productions, with Francois Ivernel through the French branch of his company Montebello Productions.
"This is a story of an uncompromising...
- 2/20/2017
- by Vladimir Kozlov ,Nick Holdsworth
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Blue is the Warmest Color star Adèle Exarchopoulos is staying busy, having finished a highly-anticipated film and joining another. First up, she’s starring alongside Matthias Schoenaerts in Michaël R. Roskam‘s The Drop follow-up Racer and the Jailbird, recently picked up by the newly-launched distribution company Neon. Likely stopping by Cannes, check out the first look above and synopsis below for the French-language, Belgian-set romantic thriller from the director of Bullhead.
The drama takes place in the fast-paced world of racing, and centers on a story of love at first sight when gangster Gino aka ‘Gigi’ (Matthias Schoenaerts) meets Benedicte aka ‘Bibi’ (Adèle Exarchopoulos), a wealthy and fearless racing driver. Gigi and Bibi fall madly in love, but with fate stacked against them their loyalties will be pushed to the limit. How much can their love endure to save what may already be lost?
In other news, Screen Daily...
The drama takes place in the fast-paced world of racing, and centers on a story of love at first sight when gangster Gino aka ‘Gigi’ (Matthias Schoenaerts) meets Benedicte aka ‘Bibi’ (Adèle Exarchopoulos), a wealthy and fearless racing driver. Gigi and Bibi fall madly in love, but with fate stacked against them their loyalties will be pushed to the limit. How much can their love endure to save what may already be lost?
In other news, Screen Daily...
- 2/8/2017
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
Exclusive: Adèle Exarchopoulos and dancers Oleg Ivenko and Sergei Polunin will star in The White Crow; HanWay to handle world sales.
Blue Is The Warmest Colour star Adèle Exarchopoulos, Russian actress Chulpan Khamatova (Good Bye Lenin!) and dancers Sergei Polunin and Oleg Ivenko are to star in Ralph Fiennes’ Rudolf Nureyev drama The White Crow.
After an extensive search the production has settled on Russian dancer Ivenko to play iconic dancer Nureyev in the feature, which Fiennes will look to shoot on location in St Petersburg and Paris, including the iconic Mariinsky Theatre and the Palais Garnier, in summer 2017.
David Hare’s (The Hours) script, based on the biography Rudolf Nureyev: The Life by Julie Kavanagh, charts the iconic dancer’s famed defection from the Soviet Union to the West in 1961, despite Kgb efforts to stop him.
The script’s finale is set at Le Bourget airport in Paris and traces the dramatic day of the...
Blue Is The Warmest Colour star Adèle Exarchopoulos, Russian actress Chulpan Khamatova (Good Bye Lenin!) and dancers Sergei Polunin and Oleg Ivenko are to star in Ralph Fiennes’ Rudolf Nureyev drama The White Crow.
After an extensive search the production has settled on Russian dancer Ivenko to play iconic dancer Nureyev in the feature, which Fiennes will look to shoot on location in St Petersburg and Paris, including the iconic Mariinsky Theatre and the Palais Garnier, in summer 2017.
David Hare’s (The Hours) script, based on the biography Rudolf Nureyev: The Life by Julie Kavanagh, charts the iconic dancer’s famed defection from the Soviet Union to the West in 1961, despite Kgb efforts to stop him.
The script’s finale is set at Le Bourget airport in Paris and traces the dramatic day of the...
- 2/3/2017
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Adèle Exarchopoulos and dancers Oleg Ivenko and Sergei Polunin will star in The White Crow; HanWay to handle world sales.
Blue Is The Warmest Colour star Adèle Exarchopoulos, Russian actress Chulpan Khamatova (Good Bye Lenin!) and dancers Sergei Polunin and Oleg Ivenko are to star in Ralph Fiennes’ Rudolf Nureyev biopic The White Crow.
After an extensive search the production has settled on Russian dancer Ivenko to play Nureyev in the feature, which Fiennes will look to shoot on location in St Petersburg and Paris, including the iconic Mariinsky Theatre and the Palais Garnier, in summer 2017.
David Hare’s (The Hours) script, based on the biography Rudolf Nureyev: The Life by Julie Kavanagh, charts the iconic dancer’s famed defection from the Soviet Union to the West in 1961, despite Kgb efforts to stop him.
The script’s finale is set at Le Bourget airport in Paris and traces the dramatic day of the defection.
The...
Blue Is The Warmest Colour star Adèle Exarchopoulos, Russian actress Chulpan Khamatova (Good Bye Lenin!) and dancers Sergei Polunin and Oleg Ivenko are to star in Ralph Fiennes’ Rudolf Nureyev biopic The White Crow.
After an extensive search the production has settled on Russian dancer Ivenko to play Nureyev in the feature, which Fiennes will look to shoot on location in St Petersburg and Paris, including the iconic Mariinsky Theatre and the Palais Garnier, in summer 2017.
David Hare’s (The Hours) script, based on the biography Rudolf Nureyev: The Life by Julie Kavanagh, charts the iconic dancer’s famed defection from the Soviet Union to the West in 1961, despite Kgb efforts to stop him.
The script’s finale is set at Le Bourget airport in Paris and traces the dramatic day of the defection.
The...
- 2/3/2017
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.