Based on the description, I thought I would love this documentary, since I love ballet. Yet by the end, I didn't even like it.
I will clarify that the flaws in this are not those of the film's participants, who seemed like hard-working and dedicated people, but of the director. The director seems to have wandered into the creation of a ballet halfway through and turned on a camera, with no vision of the point that should be made or the tale that should be told.
I give it 3 out of 10 for the few scenes of dancing, which were very good. Watching these young bodies perform difficult movements with a seemingly effortless ease was amazing, but that is kind of the point of ballet--to make the difficult appear easy. All of the dancers were very skilled in that aspect, and the focus of the film, the young dancer and choreographer Justin Peck, seemed like a charming and talented young man. So that was the good; now on to the bad.
The film is described as "From first rehearsal to world premiere, Ballet 422 takes us backstage at New York City Ballet as emerging choreographer Justin Peck crafts a new work." But that's a lie--the first time we see the dancers working on the ballet they have already learned the steps, so it's not the first rehearsal. As I said before, we join the process halfway through.
Peck's process or inspiration is not mentioned or described at all--I had to google to find out that the ballet was inspired by California beaches. So that explains the costumes--sort of bathing suits. Watching the costume-design portions of the film was actually pretty interesting--or it WOULD have been if we had any idea what they were going for. Instead we just see them talking about fabric and design without any idea of what mood or tone they are trying to evoke.
Here is what would have made a great film. Start with Peck learning he will be choreographing a new ballet for the company. For a lower-ranking member of the company, this is a great honor and I imagine he would have been excited about it. Let Peck tell us what his vision is and what he wants to accomplish. Answer these questions:
How did you choose the music? What characteristics are you looking for in your dancers? What is the process of choosing dancers? What will the name of the ballet be? Does the ballet have a story or is it more of a mood piece? If it has a story, what is the story? What are the names of the dancers you have chosen? What parts will they play?
After those questions are answered, the film could show us how Peck teaches the steps to the dancers. Did he have the whole thing planned ahead, or were changes made during the rehearsal process?
Then, edit out of the film all of the parts showing Peck walking around, or sitting and listening, or looking at walls. I think that would have cut the length by about 30 minutes, so fill in with more dancing.
Those changes might have made this into a good film.
I should add that people unfamiliar with ballet may be confused by a few things--it would have been nice if the director had bothered to explain some of the things that were happening.
When I walk out of a documentary, I want to feel that I have learned something. At the end of this, I felt like I had just watched some stuff. It was mostly tedious, with a few interesting bits here and there.
I hope Peck and the lovely dancers in this mess will have successful careers, and I hope the director will take some lessons in how to tell an effective story.
I will clarify that the flaws in this are not those of the film's participants, who seemed like hard-working and dedicated people, but of the director. The director seems to have wandered into the creation of a ballet halfway through and turned on a camera, with no vision of the point that should be made or the tale that should be told.
I give it 3 out of 10 for the few scenes of dancing, which were very good. Watching these young bodies perform difficult movements with a seemingly effortless ease was amazing, but that is kind of the point of ballet--to make the difficult appear easy. All of the dancers were very skilled in that aspect, and the focus of the film, the young dancer and choreographer Justin Peck, seemed like a charming and talented young man. So that was the good; now on to the bad.
The film is described as "From first rehearsal to world premiere, Ballet 422 takes us backstage at New York City Ballet as emerging choreographer Justin Peck crafts a new work." But that's a lie--the first time we see the dancers working on the ballet they have already learned the steps, so it's not the first rehearsal. As I said before, we join the process halfway through.
Peck's process or inspiration is not mentioned or described at all--I had to google to find out that the ballet was inspired by California beaches. So that explains the costumes--sort of bathing suits. Watching the costume-design portions of the film was actually pretty interesting--or it WOULD have been if we had any idea what they were going for. Instead we just see them talking about fabric and design without any idea of what mood or tone they are trying to evoke.
Here is what would have made a great film. Start with Peck learning he will be choreographing a new ballet for the company. For a lower-ranking member of the company, this is a great honor and I imagine he would have been excited about it. Let Peck tell us what his vision is and what he wants to accomplish. Answer these questions:
How did you choose the music? What characteristics are you looking for in your dancers? What is the process of choosing dancers? What will the name of the ballet be? Does the ballet have a story or is it more of a mood piece? If it has a story, what is the story? What are the names of the dancers you have chosen? What parts will they play?
After those questions are answered, the film could show us how Peck teaches the steps to the dancers. Did he have the whole thing planned ahead, or were changes made during the rehearsal process?
Then, edit out of the film all of the parts showing Peck walking around, or sitting and listening, or looking at walls. I think that would have cut the length by about 30 minutes, so fill in with more dancing.
Those changes might have made this into a good film.
I should add that people unfamiliar with ballet may be confused by a few things--it would have been nice if the director had bothered to explain some of the things that were happening.
When I walk out of a documentary, I want to feel that I have learned something. At the end of this, I felt like I had just watched some stuff. It was mostly tedious, with a few interesting bits here and there.
I hope Peck and the lovely dancers in this mess will have successful careers, and I hope the director will take some lessons in how to tell an effective story.
Tell Your Friends