Both are two of the finest ballets Balanchine ever choreographed. In 1951, as a university student, I attended a rehearsal of the second ballet at City Center, and it was and still is my favorite. The two Robbins ballets were The Cage, with a wonderful performance by Janie Taylor as the Novice, and Andantino, beautifully danced by Megan Fairchild and Andrew Veyette. The program delighted the audience.
Ballet in Cinema from Emerging Pictures presented a Live HD ballet, La Sylphide, from Moscow's Bolshoi Theatre, filmed on September 20. With choreography by August Bournonville, music by Herman Severin Lovenskiold, a nd a production and new choreography by Johan Kobborg, it was a delight for ballet fans. The outstanding performance was by Sylph danced by Ekaterina Krysanova, as if floating on air. It was no wonder that James (Vyacheslav Lopatin) was captivated by her. He also danced brilliantly, especially in his solos with wonderful high jumps. The entire cast was superb, and the production was magical. It certainly was one of the best productions of this charming ballet.
The last week of the 50th New York Film Festival began with Ginger and Rosa, by Sally Potter, UK, 2012. The film takes place in 1962, with two teenage girls of the title, best friends since childhood, with family problems. We follow the story through the eyes of Ginger (Elle Fanning), as she begins to smoke, stays out late, discovers sex, and as a poet and activist, worries about her future and the nuclear bomb. The two friends drift apart, because of Rosa's behavior (Alice Englert), and we see Ginger beginning to grow up. It is a well made film, with penetrating insight into adolescent problems, with wonderful performances by the two leading young actresses. It captures the period perfectly, and I recommend
it highly.
Holy Motors, by Leos Carax, France, 2012, is a surreal film, which hints at films made since its beginning as an art form. A man (Denis Lavant) travels to nine appointments in a stretch limousine, where he changes into a variety of characters, in which he does scenes which refer to various types of movies. He interprets a business man, a ninja, a dying man, a father, and so on. It is quite bizarre and unusual, but holds the viewer's attention.
The Gatekeepers (Shomerei Ha'saf), by Dror Moreh, Israel 2012, is an unsettling film, in which six former heads of the Shin Bet, Israel's Secret Service are interviewed, with scenes of archival film showing their work, in which terrorists are killed. Their comments about the necessity of their efforts to maintain the independence of their nation reflect the uncertainty of the future. It is a devastating documentary, and one can only hope Israel will survive the threats
around them.
The Dead Man and Being Happy (El muerto y ser feliz), by Javier Rebello, Spain/Argentina, 2012, is a road movie about a dying assassin (a wonderful Jose Sacristan), who drives through northern Argentina on his last trip with a middle-aged woman (Roxana Blanco), who unexpectedly enters his car at a gas station. Their trip is the focus of the film, with views of an Argentina rarely filmed. Although the voiceover becomes repetitious and irritating at times, it is still a worthwhile film.
The Last Time I Saw Macao (A Ultima Vez Que Vi Macau), by Joao Pedro Rodrigues and Joao Rui Guerra da Mata, Portugal/France, 2012, begins with a transvestite Cindy Scrash lip-synching a Jane Russell song from the film Macao and ends with the same song. In between, Rodrigues receives an email from Cindy stating she is in trouble in Macao and he should come to help her. The mystery is, unfortunately, not mysterious and the plot is pretentious. Still, it is an opportunity to visit this former Portuguese colony, and reminisce with the filmmaker, who grew up in Macao thirty years ago.