Wednesday, March 01, 2017
Review: THE DANCER in RENDEZ-VOUS WITH FRENCH CINEMA 2017
THE DANCER / LA DANSEUSE
Thursday, March 2, 1:45pm
Monday, March 6, 9:30pm (Q&A with Stéphanie Di Giusto)
Monday, March 6, 9:30pm (Q&A with Stéphanie Di Giusto)
THE 22nd RENDEZ-VOUS WITH FRENCH CINEMA
MARCH 1-12, 2017
Tickets & more at
Preview at
Soko as Loie Fuller (l) and Lily-Rose Depp as Isadora Duncan (r)
THE DANCER / LA DANSEUSE
RENDEZ-VOUS WITH FRENCH CINEMA 2017
The Dancer / La danseuse
Stéphanie Di Giusto, France/Belgium/Czech Republic, 2016, 108m
English and French with English subtitles
This visually sumptuous drama set amidst the opulence of La Belle Époque Paris charts the real-life saga of modern dance icon Loïe Fuller (Soko). Raised on the plains of the American Midwest, Fuller became the unlikely toast of turn-of-the-century France with her legendary performances, in which swirling swaths of silk fabric and dazzlingly colored lights created a kaleidoscopic spectacle of color and movement. Boasting lavish period detail, breathtaking dance sequences, and fiercely committed performances by Gaspard Ulliel, Mélanie Thierry, and Lily-Rose Depp as Fuller’s rival Isadora Duncan, The Dancer is an arresting chronicle of an artist’s struggle to realize her vision.
Thursday, March 2, 1:45pm
Monday, March 6, 9:30pm (Q&A with Stéphanie Di Giusto)
Monday, March 6, 9:30pm (Q&A with Stéphanie Di Giusto)
REVIEW:
This film presents a
fascinating account of the origins of the modern dance of the late 1800's and early 1900's,
focusing first on Loie Fuller, and then on her relationship with Isadora
Duncan (about 15 years younger than Fuller). The first part, including a beautiful reconstruction of Fuller's dances
is terrific.
This second part does
try to compress too many years of history into too few minutes.
To understand the
full story, it is probably necessary to look at much more information over a
much longer period. A mini-series might
have been appropriate. Indeed, the early 1900's were a spectacular time of
innovation in science, music, art, and in classical ballet as well as free-form
dance. A larger canvas for the story would be enlightening. (In the links, I've
included Wikipedia articles about the principals, and a link to Fuller's
autobiography.)
One note... I was a
little puzzled in the film when Fuller talks about patents for her dance,
rather than copyrights. It turns out that
she was trying to patent her inventions relative to the stage lighting!
Soko, who does great
work in this film, is an experienced French actress, although not well known
here, previously. Lily-Rose Depp,
the daughter of Johnny Depp and French model and singer Vanessa Paradis, is a young
newcomer, also terrific; Lily-Rose also appears in another film this year,
PLANETARIUM, opposite Natalie Portman).
CAST AND CREATORS
Director - Stéphanie Di Giusto
Writers
Thomas Bidegain
Stéphanie Di Giusto
Giovanni Lista (novel)
Sarah Thibau
Soko - Marie-Louise Fuller - dite Loïe Fuller
Gaspard Ulliel - Le comte Louis d'Orsay
Mélanie Thierry - Gabrielle Bloch
Lily-Rose Depp - Isadora Duncan
François Damiens - Edouard Marchand - le directeur artistique des Folies-Bergère
Louis-Do de Lencquesaing - Armand Duponchel - le directeur de l'Opéra
Amanda Plummer - Lili - la mère de Loïe
LINKS
THE DANCER / LA DANSEUSE –
IMDB
LOIE FULLER – WIKIPEDIA
FIFTEEN YEARS OF A DANCER;’S LIFE – BY LOIE FULLER
ISADORA DUNCAN – WIKIPEDIA
STEPHANIE DI GIUSTO – IMDB
SOKO – IMDB
LILY-ROSE DEPP – IMDB
Labels: Isadora Duncan, la danseuse, Lily-Rose Depp, Loie Fuller, Rendez-Vous with French Cinema, Soko, Stephanie Di Giusto, THE DANCER, The Film Society of Lincoln Center, Unifrance
