Film Forum

2:20 & 6:20 ONLY

The genius of George Balanchine (1904-1983), the man who reinvented ballet for the 20th century, is celebrated in this homage to his nonpareil choreography, the basis of his body of work for the New York City Ballet and the technique taught at the world-renowned School of American Ballet. Some of Balanchine’s greatest stars describe the inventiveness, precision, speed, and musicality he demanded: Jacques d’Amboise (“It’s like I was a pupil of Einstein”), Merrill Ashley (“a privilege of a lifetime”), Gloria Govrin, Suki Schorer, Edward Villella, and Heather Watts (“He was some kind of mad scientist”). Balanchine instilled in each of them an abiding, obsessive love of dance and an almost religious desire to pass along his artistry and vision. The depth of Balanchine’s passion – and theirs – is dazzling, as is much of the never-before-seen footage of him in the classroom.

2021    88 MINS    USA    ZEITGEIST FILMS IN ASSOCIATION WITH KINO LORBER

Presented with support from the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation Fund

Reviews

“Critic’s Pick. Charming… In mathematics, there was Newton; in psychology, there was Freud; and in American ballet, George Balanchine was a foundational genius. He...revolutionize(d) the style of dance that was performed in the United States… This is a beautiful act of translation that this documentary observes, as Balanchine’s former students...attempt to render his movements into speech… The archival footage of Balanchine’s company in its prime becomes the visual relief to their verbal frustration, the magnificent evidence that it is possible to master an indescribable method.”
– Teo Bugbee, The New York Times