Tuesday 9 April 2019

Film: 'The White Crow'

I found this, by and large, pretty good, let down just now and then by some indifferent acting. Considering that it's only the third feature film directed by none other than Ralph Fiennes - who made his directing debut back in 2011 with a highly impressive 'Coriolanus' and who, in this latest film, also takes on a significant acting role - it's another achievement with which he ought to feel well satisfied.

Those of my generation will remember the hullabaloo caused by the defection to the west by Russian ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev (already by then a world celebrity) while on dance tour with his company visiting Paris and London in 1961. It's at the end of the first leg that he makes the historic break for freedom from his artistically strait-jacketed, Communist-watched, Soviet life . What I recall about it was the news programmes being pulled in two directions, first trying to play down the significance so as not to upset the Soviet Union too much, this being bang in the middle of the Cold War, but at the same time trying to give voice to the sensational nature of the escape which the 'popular' press had picked up on, and which really only came to full light some time later after Nureyev had been made safe and secure in London. No one doubted that his country's leaders wanted him back, but failing that, to have him killed, such was the high anti-Soviet propaganda value he carried.

The film tells of the period before and up to Nureyev's escape (Oleg Ivenko, himself a professional dancer) with flashbacks to his childhood and early dance training in Leningrad, under the tutelage of his enigmatic and softly-spoken dancing instructor (Fiennes).  
The mainly subtitled film is mostly in Russian, with some French, though also significant parts in English. 
Screenplay is by the gifted David Hare who shows his skill in the spare dialogue he's provided for the quite large cast.

Nureyev's fluid sexuality is more than hinted at, having close 'friends' of both sexes, but still plays on the safe side with nothing graphically explicit. It still came as a bit of a shock (to me, at least) to see the dance instructor's wife make much more than a direct pass at him. 

The actual defection scene at the Paris airport is near the film's end and plays out just as if from a Hitchcock thriller with high tension suspense, and is none the worse for being so. Just as the company is about to embark on a plane to London he's pulled aside by the Russian 'heavies' who've been keeping their eyes on him constantly for the whole visit, and told that Soviet leader Nikita Kruschev has ordered him back to Moscow to 'dance in a gala'. He suspects their motive and decides that it's now or never.  

It's a film which hardly ever flags, despite its two-hours-plus running time and my knowing how it was going to end. Ralph Fiennes has made a brave move in assembling a largely Russian cast which might be forgiven its occasional wooden moments. Nevertheless, the whole enterprise came out better than I was expecting..............7.

( IMDb....................6.5 )

  








12 comments:

  1. I have not heard a word about this one, but I may have to keep an eye out.

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    1. Something rather more than 'ordinary', Bob. If you're not as averse to subtitled films as some unfortunately are, then it should provide you with a good couple hours entertainment.

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  2. I've been waiting for your review since I first learned of this film from Rachel's blog. Clearly she liked it as she revisited it a second time.

    Never heard of Oleg Ivenko, but he must be an outstanding dancer to be cast as Rudy. I am looking forward to seeing Nureyev's early years played out and also hoping to see a lot of magnificent dancing.

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    1. Don't go holding out for seeing a lot of dancing, Paul. There's a fair bit but only in a number of fairly short snippets, with just a little in theatre performance before an audience.
      I've heard it said that although Ivenko is undoubtedly good (which I can confirm) he's no match for who was the genuine Nureyev. Not being a connoisseur of dance I'm not able to make the comparison myself. It's the background story that's the important part, an arrogant, petulant Nureyev, which I find credible, up against his home political system.
      But I wasn't expecting to like the film as much as I did, so here's wishing you the same experience.

      Btw: Did you ever see 'Valentino' (1977), the only feature film Nureyev (in the title role) is now remembered for, if at all? If not it's a must-see.
      Directed by Ken Russell whose films in the late 60s and through the 70s were as much an event as, say, Spielberg's have been and the Coen Brothers are now? Russell (for whom the word 'excess' was totally inadequate) made a number of memorable films nearly all of which have fallen out of favour or even forgotten, except perhaps for his 'Women in Love' - one of his more restrained efforts. 'Valentino' is one of those where so many scenes visually hit you right between the eyeballs. If you don't know it try to see it - and keep a smile on your face while watching!

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    2. I have seen almost every Russell film made in the 60s and 70s. Yes, the word 'excess' is inadequate.

      I used to own the VHS tape of Valentino" (remember those?) until time destroyed the tape. I still remember Rudy and Anthony Dowell (Nijinsky) doing the tango and the nudity - one of the reasons most of us saw "Women In Love". I also had two other favorites: "The Boy Friend" - loved Christopher Gable and "The Music Lovers" - Christopher Gable again. What memories! Those were the days.

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    3. I also have 'Valentino' on VHS tape. The colour on all my such tapes (a couple of hundred) has faded somewhat now but I'll still play them for as long as the video player still functions. (I don't know how to record from a DVD player, nor have much success in playing them, the only ones I have are freebies given out with mags occasionally.
      I played 'Boy Friend' only a couple of weeks ago. Pity the taped version cuts the edges off so a lot is lost visually, (I'd much rather have had it in 'letterbox' format which would at least show everything) as well as cutting or shortening some scenes, most notably the elfish dance in 'Room in Bloomsbury' and the entire wheelchair sequence from 'It's Never Too Late'. But otherwise it's still just about watchable, though it's pointless burlesquery grates more than ever now - and as for importing those two songs from 'Singin'/Rain', oh ye of little faith!
      I saw Christopher Gable live once - n Oxford late 1970s, in a dreary student version of Goethe's Faust, the most memorable thing was its finishing at close on midnight and I having to walk three miles back to my digs having missed the last bus!
      But 'The Music Lover's' is still a hoot and I still have some affection for it despite Russell playing fast and loose with the facts.
      I find it surprising how quickly after his death Russell has been forgotten. I should have thought that 'The Devils' at least would have sealed his reputation in favourable light - until he went off the rails, completely with his absurd 'Lisztomania' - but then there was also the more attractive craziness of 'Mahler' and the virtually completely forgotten 'Savage Messiah'....... Oh, how I could go on!

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  3. What a handsome actor in the lead. I might enjoy this film, but haven't heard any chatter on it here.

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    1. Ivenko's not at all bad looking, M.M. and he has a lot of screen time in this. Even aside from his presence it's a film worth considering making the effort to see.

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  4. i hadn't heard anything about this. Thanks for the heads up. I DO remember when that happened.

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    1. You've got more reason to see it, as you recall the incident, than most of today's audiences of whom, I fear, the name of Nureyev will mean nothing at all. I'd expect you to have a favourable view of the film.

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  5. I enjoy reading about films I would not have know about otherwise.
    One of my favorite quotes is from Mark Twain. He once asked Helen Keller if she was happy in her world. Yes, Mr. Clemens, she signed back, she was. He responded: "Helen, I want you to know, out here in our world, happy people are as rare as white crows in hell"

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    1. I never knew of that apercu of Mr Twain. It's always near impossible to top his remark with a suitable rejoinder, so better left to lie, methinks.

      Btw: I once heard that the Russian expression 'white crow' is equivalent to our 'black sheep', but it seems that that's not the case. Whereas ours contains a disparaging element there's no such imputation in the Russian version, meaning simply one who is out-of-the-ordinary, often in a positive sense, a quality ours doesn't embrace.

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