pswanson00
Joined May 2003
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Ratings206
pswanson00's rating
Reviews161
pswanson00's rating
After having this film recommended to me by several acquaintances, I finally checked it out from our library. It is a beautifully produced story of the early life of possibly the most famous and enigmatic dancer of the century. Before seeing this film, I knew nothing of Nureyev's childhood and youth, and (as it turned out) not as much about his early career as I thought.
When I first heard of this film I assumed it would present to the audience his dancing post-defection, particularly his partnership with Margot Fonteyn; it doesn't. It does portray the challenge of defecting during a hard-core Soviet era, especially challenging when The State considers the individual to be both a public-relations cornerstone and property of the government.
The extra features on the disc show the huge effort Ralph Fiennes put into casting his star, only choosing Oleg Ivenko after observing every capable dancer in the USSR who was the appropriate age. He is a marvelous dancer, besides bearing a significant resemblance to Nureyev.
I recommend this film.
When I first heard of this film I assumed it would present to the audience his dancing post-defection, particularly his partnership with Margot Fonteyn; it doesn't. It does portray the challenge of defecting during a hard-core Soviet era, especially challenging when The State considers the individual to be both a public-relations cornerstone and property of the government.
The extra features on the disc show the huge effort Ralph Fiennes put into casting his star, only choosing Oleg Ivenko after observing every capable dancer in the USSR who was the appropriate age. He is a marvelous dancer, besides bearing a significant resemblance to Nureyev.
I recommend this film.
