Ballerina
September 28, 2007 8:00pm
Vancity Theatre
This showing is director Bertrand Normand's international premiere of his film about the rarefied world of ballet. He intimately captures the working life of the ballerina.
He starts at the beginning for all prospective young ballerinas. The Vaganova Academy in St. Petersburg has produced some of Russia's best ballet dancers. Its graduates include Nureyev, and Barishnikov. The selection process of prospective students is rigourous, and humiliating. In their underwear, the 10 year old girls are lined up, poked, and prodded like prize animals at a county fair. Before a panel of teachers, each girl has her limbs manipulated to determine flexibility, and must perform an audition. Only one out of thirty girls are selected.
From the beginning of schooling we go to end of schooling and meet one 8th year student, Alina. She is graduating top of her class, and we get to see her dance the lead role of her graduation dance. The graduation performance is a chance for students to show their talents to prospective employers and Alina is hired on by the Mariinsky Theatre.
Formerly know as the Kirov Ballet, the Mariinsky is arguably the top ballet troupe in the world. Along with Alina we meet other Mariinsky dancers at different stages in their career.
Alina shows so much promise that she is given the lead role in Swan Lake at the tender age of 18. We see her rehearsing with the directors minutely criticizing her every movement.
Alina's friend Evgenia is older and more experienced, but her path is less direct. She takes on an acting role in a French movie about a ballerina falling in love. She competes in the Moscow International Dance competition—winning first place. With these successes under her belt, she is finally able to take a leading role after two years with the Mariinsky.
At 24, Svetlana is blossoming in her career, and just been named a prima ballerina.
Diana has been a prima ballerina for a few years. She is a seasoned member and is starting to spread her wings. While still maintaining her position with Mariinsky, she performs around the world with renowned ballet groups in Paris, Berlin, and the USA.
Ulyana is the eldest of the dancers and looks to be in her early 30s. She had to leave ballet for a few years due to a foot injury. Her life has changed completely as she has gotten married, and had a young daughter. She is returning to dance now after surgery in the USA.
Normand has had incredible access to the lives of these ballerinas. We see the dancers in rehearsal where the instructors mercilessly find every flaw in their performance. We get an insiders' view of performances taken from the wings and backstage. The ballerina's life is a challenging but rewarding existence in devotion to their art.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Saturday, September 29, 2007
VIFF Review: In the Shadow of the Moon
In the Shadow of the Moon
September 28, 2007 1:00pm
VISA Screening Room @ Empire Granville 7
The Space Age was ushered in 50 years ago on October 4, 1957 with the launch of Sputnik. So it's an appropriate moment for producer Ron Howard to release this documentary film about the Apollo manned mission to the moon program. The story is told through personal interviews with some of the surviving Apollo astronauts, and with newly restored vintage footage.
I've watch many programs about Apollo, so it was a treat to see footage I've never seen before. The most surprising is a portion of a pre-taped speech by President Nixon prepared in case the Apollo 11 lunar lander failed to take off from the moon. Nixon salutes the bravery of Neil Armstrong, and Buzz Aldrin for their self-sacrifice in the service of mankind. Fortunately there was never a need to broadcast that tape.
More thrilling is an extended shot from the second stage rocket as the third stage separates. It's a well known shot that usually cuts off as the third stage blasts off to the moon, leaving the second stage behind. This time we get to see the abandoned second stage slowly rotate and tumble, bringing the breathtaking vista of Earth into view.
The interviews with the astronauts are the heart of the film. All are well- spoken, confident, and intelligent, but what's most striking is seeing how aged they are. With wrinkles, age spots, grey receding hair, and bifocals, they could be your grandfather. It's a shocking realization that it has been almost forty years since those Apollo missions.
Astronauts interviewed include Alan Bean, Gene Cernan, Jim Lovell, but Apollo 11 astronauts Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin get the most screen time. Neil Armstrong was not involved in this film.
Michael Collins was the command module pilot who did not walking on the moon. He dispels the press myths of his lonely vigil. In fact he enjoyed his time aboard the command module while Armstrong and Aldrin walked the moon. He contemplatively reflects that when he was in the shadow of the moon he was the farthest away any human being had ever been from Earth.
Buzz Aldrin tells his very funny story of following Neil Armstrong's footsteps as the second man on the moon. As he pauses before jumping off the ladder, he relieves himself in his spacesuit. More poignantly, Aldrin tells of the guilt he felt as his comrades went off to fight in Vietnam while he was getting his picture in the newspapers and declared a hero. His friends reassured him that what he was doing was important, and something Americans could take pride in.
The footage of Apollo 11 still resonates. You hold your breath as the lunar lander descends. And cheer as you hear "Houston, Tranquility Base here, the Eagle has landed." The legacy of Apollo is the renewed appreciation for our fragile blue dot rising over a lifeless moonscape.
September 28, 2007 1:00pm
VISA Screening Room @ Empire Granville 7
The Space Age was ushered in 50 years ago on October 4, 1957 with the launch of Sputnik. So it's an appropriate moment for producer Ron Howard to release this documentary film about the Apollo manned mission to the moon program. The story is told through personal interviews with some of the surviving Apollo astronauts, and with newly restored vintage footage.
I've watch many programs about Apollo, so it was a treat to see footage I've never seen before. The most surprising is a portion of a pre-taped speech by President Nixon prepared in case the Apollo 11 lunar lander failed to take off from the moon. Nixon salutes the bravery of Neil Armstrong, and Buzz Aldrin for their self-sacrifice in the service of mankind. Fortunately there was never a need to broadcast that tape.
More thrilling is an extended shot from the second stage rocket as the third stage separates. It's a well known shot that usually cuts off as the third stage blasts off to the moon, leaving the second stage behind. This time we get to see the abandoned second stage slowly rotate and tumble, bringing the breathtaking vista of Earth into view.
The interviews with the astronauts are the heart of the film. All are well- spoken, confident, and intelligent, but what's most striking is seeing how aged they are. With wrinkles, age spots, grey receding hair, and bifocals, they could be your grandfather. It's a shocking realization that it has been almost forty years since those Apollo missions.
Astronauts interviewed include Alan Bean, Gene Cernan, Jim Lovell, but Apollo 11 astronauts Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin get the most screen time. Neil Armstrong was not involved in this film.
Michael Collins was the command module pilot who did not walking on the moon. He dispels the press myths of his lonely vigil. In fact he enjoyed his time aboard the command module while Armstrong and Aldrin walked the moon. He contemplatively reflects that when he was in the shadow of the moon he was the farthest away any human being had ever been from Earth.
Buzz Aldrin tells his very funny story of following Neil Armstrong's footsteps as the second man on the moon. As he pauses before jumping off the ladder, he relieves himself in his spacesuit. More poignantly, Aldrin tells of the guilt he felt as his comrades went off to fight in Vietnam while he was getting his picture in the newspapers and declared a hero. His friends reassured him that what he was doing was important, and something Americans could take pride in.
The footage of Apollo 11 still resonates. You hold your breath as the lunar lander descends. And cheer as you hear "Houston, Tranquility Base here, the Eagle has landed." The legacy of Apollo is the renewed appreciation for our fragile blue dot rising over a lifeless moonscape.
Friday, September 28, 2007
VIFF Review: Echoes of Home
Echoes of Home
September 27 2007, 7:30pm
Vancity Theatre
Like most people, when I think of Switzerland I think of fine mechanical watches, trains that run on time, delicious chocolate, and great skiing. Swiss musical traditions do not normally enter the popular consciousness. The only yodelling is the stereotypically cheesy "yodellayeehoo" of Heidi movies and Swiss Miss commercials. This documentary reveals the rich tradition and expressiveness of yodelling.
In the scenic Alps the yodel is a practical means of communication as it easily travels across the valley and reverberates off the mountainsides. From this practical start it has entered into the musical tradition of the Alpine communities.
Christian Zehlder is a young musician whose search for his own identity leads him to the most traditional of Swiss folk music. His musical journey takes him to Central Asia where he sings with the Tuvan throat singing group Huun-Huur-Tu. There is a remarkable similarity of sound between the European mountains and the Asian steppes.
Erika Stucky's childhood in "Summer of Love"-era San Francisco and a small village in the Swiss Alps give her a unique singing style and personality. Her pre-teen daughter is sometimes embarrassed by mom's quirky fashion sense, and uninhibited style.
Noldi Alder is part of a musical family steeped in generations of farming and music making in the Alps. After making traditional music with his brothers for years, he now stretches the possibilities of yodelling and Swiss folk music. This does not appeal to his elderly father who as the family patriarch has strong opinions on the immutability of traditional music.
The celebratory, folk dance-oriented yodel is augmented by a more melancholy sound, with interesting harmonies, dissonance, and overtones. Its languid tempo is at times contrasted with sharp, guttural, and animalistic sounds. The importance of reverberation is emphasized. Performances are in reverberant spaces like a church, an abandoned factory, or on a mountain top where the singer's vocalizations are amplified and modulated by the echoes.
All three musicians rediscover and reinvent the yodelling tradition from their own unique life experiences. They create a rich, nuanced, and haunting sound that echoes across the alpine meadow and though your brain.
September 27 2007, 7:30pm
Vancity Theatre
Like most people, when I think of Switzerland I think of fine mechanical watches, trains that run on time, delicious chocolate, and great skiing. Swiss musical traditions do not normally enter the popular consciousness. The only yodelling is the stereotypically cheesy "yodellayeehoo" of Heidi movies and Swiss Miss commercials. This documentary reveals the rich tradition and expressiveness of yodelling.
In the scenic Alps the yodel is a practical means of communication as it easily travels across the valley and reverberates off the mountainsides. From this practical start it has entered into the musical tradition of the Alpine communities.
Christian Zehlder is a young musician whose search for his own identity leads him to the most traditional of Swiss folk music. His musical journey takes him to Central Asia where he sings with the Tuvan throat singing group Huun-Huur-Tu. There is a remarkable similarity of sound between the European mountains and the Asian steppes.
Erika Stucky's childhood in "Summer of Love"-era San Francisco and a small village in the Swiss Alps give her a unique singing style and personality. Her pre-teen daughter is sometimes embarrassed by mom's quirky fashion sense, and uninhibited style.
Noldi Alder is part of a musical family steeped in generations of farming and music making in the Alps. After making traditional music with his brothers for years, he now stretches the possibilities of yodelling and Swiss folk music. This does not appeal to his elderly father who as the family patriarch has strong opinions on the immutability of traditional music.
The celebratory, folk dance-oriented yodel is augmented by a more melancholy sound, with interesting harmonies, dissonance, and overtones. Its languid tempo is at times contrasted with sharp, guttural, and animalistic sounds. The importance of reverberation is emphasized. Performances are in reverberant spaces like a church, an abandoned factory, or on a mountain top where the singer's vocalizations are amplified and modulated by the echoes.
All three musicians rediscover and reinvent the yodelling tradition from their own unique life experiences. They create a rich, nuanced, and haunting sound that echoes across the alpine meadow and though your brain.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Fringe Review: Grummelot
Grummelot
Beaumont Studios
September 11, 2007 8:00pm
Grummelot is a classic tale of boy meets girl; boy loses girl; boy gets girl back; boy accidentally poisons girl. And in traditional Italian Commedia dell'Arte style all's well that ends well—almost.
While the show has the elements of Commedia dell'Arte like the archetypal characters, traditional masks and costumes, it leaves out the most important element—comedy. Neither of the two actors seem to have a sense of comic timing or delivery, leaving most of the jokes flat. The physical comedy also fell flat and seemed under-rehearsed. It was mildly amusing at times, but there were few outright laughs from the audience.
Maybe it would have been funnier with puppets.
Beaumont Studios
September 11, 2007 8:00pm
Grummelot is a classic tale of boy meets girl; boy loses girl; boy gets girl back; boy accidentally poisons girl. And in traditional Italian Commedia dell'Arte style all's well that ends well—almost.
While the show has the elements of Commedia dell'Arte like the archetypal characters, traditional masks and costumes, it leaves out the most important element—comedy. Neither of the two actors seem to have a sense of comic timing or delivery, leaving most of the jokes flat. The physical comedy also fell flat and seemed under-rehearsed. It was mildly amusing at times, but there were few outright laughs from the audience.
Maybe it would have been funnier with puppets.
Monday, September 10, 2007
Fringe Review: The Absurdyessy: An Epic…Comedy?
The Absurdyessy: An Epic…Comedy?
The Ampitheatre
September 9, 2007 7:30pm
The Green Leaf Circus Company's outdoor show has the most picturesque setting at the ampitheatre in Ron Basford Park, and this week luckily the finest weather. On an unusually warm September evening, there's more than a little feel of Bard on the Beach in this venue.
Part of the charm of the performance is the athletic grace of the circus performers. In addition to speaking their lines, the actors tumble, jump, climb, and juggle their parts.
A epic writer without an epic to write bemoans his lack of subject matter. His despair turns when he encounters a sorcerer who is seeking the Power of Nine. He hooks up with the sorcerer to chronicle his adventures. They encounter a warrior and the sorcerer does battle with him. The fight is a thrilling duel with fire torch staffs reminiscent of Darth Maul's double-bladed lightsaber.
Much to the writer's dismay the fight ends in a draw and the warrior, impressed by the sorcerer's skill, declares they are friends and joins the quest. The story of Gilgamesh has already been written, and the writer wants new dramatic material.
Unfortunately the second half of the play features too little acrobatics and too much exposition. Their encounter with a wise man is scripted like a university English seminar with all involved expounding on the cultural importance of stories. Even the climatic encounter with the dragon is full of impenetrable dialog rather than penetrating action.
It's too bad that a promising epic adventure comedy was hijacked by too serious writing. A more subtle approach would have fit the Fringe ethos and enlightened the audience as well. The power of the writer must be wielded wisely.
The Ampitheatre
September 9, 2007 7:30pm
The Green Leaf Circus Company's outdoor show has the most picturesque setting at the ampitheatre in Ron Basford Park, and this week luckily the finest weather. On an unusually warm September evening, there's more than a little feel of Bard on the Beach in this venue.
Part of the charm of the performance is the athletic grace of the circus performers. In addition to speaking their lines, the actors tumble, jump, climb, and juggle their parts.
A epic writer without an epic to write bemoans his lack of subject matter. His despair turns when he encounters a sorcerer who is seeking the Power of Nine. He hooks up with the sorcerer to chronicle his adventures. They encounter a warrior and the sorcerer does battle with him. The fight is a thrilling duel with fire torch staffs reminiscent of Darth Maul's double-bladed lightsaber.
Much to the writer's dismay the fight ends in a draw and the warrior, impressed by the sorcerer's skill, declares they are friends and joins the quest. The story of Gilgamesh has already been written, and the writer wants new dramatic material.
Unfortunately the second half of the play features too little acrobatics and too much exposition. Their encounter with a wise man is scripted like a university English seminar with all involved expounding on the cultural importance of stories. Even the climatic encounter with the dragon is full of impenetrable dialog rather than penetrating action.
It's too bad that a promising epic adventure comedy was hijacked by too serious writing. A more subtle approach would have fit the Fringe ethos and enlightened the audience as well. The power of the writer must be wielded wisely.
Sunday, September 09, 2007
Fringe Review: The Fugue Code
The Fugue Code
Playwrights' Theatre
Sunday, September 9, 2007 4:30pm
A kidnapping. Johann Sebastian Bach's The Well-Tempered Clavier. A secret society. A "perfect" temperament pipe organ designed by Bach but not built until present day technology made it possible. A code hidden within Bach's music. These are the ingredients for this remarkable one man musicological comedy-thriller.
Actor/writer Alex Eddington performs the large cast of characters at a breakneck pace. His characterizations are well distinguished which is fortunate as concentration is required to follow the convoluted plot.
The play is an intricate puzzle-box based on Bach's Fugue No. 24 in B Minor. Everything from the structure of the play to the cast of characters is drawn from the music. Numerological secrets abound like the number 14 (B=2 + A=1 + C=3 + H=8 = 14).
An organist's wife is kidnapped by a secret society known as SMW. Her release can only be secured if he can solve the Fugue Code. He enlists the help of his colleagues a musicologist, a conductor, and a singer who is a descendant of J.S. Bach. What they discover as they unravel the code reveals a plot more sinister and earth-shattering than a simple kidnapping.
Highly recommended for music fans, conspiracy theorists, Dan Brown fans, and everyone who likes a funny, fast-paced thriller.
Playwrights' Theatre
Sunday, September 9, 2007 4:30pm
A kidnapping. Johann Sebastian Bach's The Well-Tempered Clavier. A secret society. A "perfect" temperament pipe organ designed by Bach but not built until present day technology made it possible. A code hidden within Bach's music. These are the ingredients for this remarkable one man musicological comedy-thriller.
Actor/writer Alex Eddington performs the large cast of characters at a breakneck pace. His characterizations are well distinguished which is fortunate as concentration is required to follow the convoluted plot.
The play is an intricate puzzle-box based on Bach's Fugue No. 24 in B Minor. Everything from the structure of the play to the cast of characters is drawn from the music. Numerological secrets abound like the number 14 (B=2 + A=1 + C=3 + H=8 = 14).
An organist's wife is kidnapped by a secret society known as SMW. Her release can only be secured if he can solve the Fugue Code. He enlists the help of his colleagues a musicologist, a conductor, and a singer who is a descendant of J.S. Bach. What they discover as they unravel the code reveals a plot more sinister and earth-shattering than a simple kidnapping.
Highly recommended for music fans, conspiracy theorists, Dan Brown fans, and everyone who likes a funny, fast-paced thriller.
Thursday, September 06, 2007
Fringe Review: Napoleon's Secret Diary
Napoleon's Secret Diary
Waterfront Theatre
September 6, 2007 7:00pm
And it's a great start to the Fringe Festival with the very funny Napoleon's Secret Diary. This one man play is a comedic biography of the little general as told in his own words to the audience—his secret diary.
Young Napoleon Glen Bonaparte is an insecure, nebbishy, height challenged, schoolboy whose only ambition in life is to live a quiet life in isolation on the island of Corsica. His mother gives him a diary as a gift and in it he writes his deepest secrets, and true feelings. To the world he is the little general, but to the audience he is the little mouse.
But the forces of destiny will not leave him alone, and they urge him onto greatness. The reluctant soldier becomes the reluctant general, and finally the reluctant emperor. The quick paced play sends up the major events and turning points of Napoleon's life. As informative as an A&E Biography and ten times as funny.
Waterfront Theatre
September 6, 2007 7:00pm
And it's a great start to the Fringe Festival with the very funny Napoleon's Secret Diary. This one man play is a comedic biography of the little general as told in his own words to the audience—his secret diary.
Young Napoleon Glen Bonaparte is an insecure, nebbishy, height challenged, schoolboy whose only ambition in life is to live a quiet life in isolation on the island of Corsica. His mother gives him a diary as a gift and in it he writes his deepest secrets, and true feelings. To the world he is the little general, but to the audience he is the little mouse.
But the forces of destiny will not leave him alone, and they urge him onto greatness. The reluctant soldier becomes the reluctant general, and finally the reluctant emperor. The quick paced play sends up the major events and turning points of Napoleon's life. As informative as an A&E Biography and ten times as funny.
Vancouver International Fringe Festival 2007
Labour Day has passed, the nip of fall is in the air, and that can only mean one thing. The Vancouver International Fringe Festival returns for another ten days of wry, wacky, and wicked theatre. I'll be posting my reviews and making Granville Island my second home for the next week.
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