Cunningham

A remarkable achievement by filmmaker Alla Kovgan, spending seven years to make this classic tribute to the late dancer/choreographer Merce Cunningham.

Working with both archive footage and valuable sound recordings, she conjures up the avant-garde artist through recordings of his work, his philosophy of his art and comments by many close collaborators including notably John Cage and Robert Rauschenberg. Not meant as a biopic, film concentrates on spectacularlhy cinematic (in 3-D) new performances of many of his dances, executed by members of his company, which disbanded in 2011, after Merce's death in 2009.

At a q&a following the screening, Kovgan indicated that Wim Wenders' innovative 2011 3-D dance film about German choreographer Pina Bausch inspired her to take on this formidable project, finally starting shooting in Stuttgart in 2015 with principal photography taking place in 2018.

Her use of 3-D technique is outstanding, resulting in gripping visual images, enhanced by the accompaniment of the original dance scores by John Cage and others. For a novice like me, not overly familiar with Merce's achievements, the movie brings his dance to life and points to how 3-D technology can be used artfully rather than as a gimmick, or its current excuse to permit higher price points for movie admissions to films, both animated and action-oriented, that should play just as well if not better in 2-D on large screens.

• Great to see a film about dancing! A relatively unexplored sub-genre of documentary, and Cunningham was welcome for this alone. It adds to a hole that I suppose Wenders' Pina opened.

• On that note, this film should not have been shot in 3d, which added nothing but nausia. We expect the 3d was entirely for the purpose of (a) copying Pina and, relatedly, (b) getting funding. But Cunningham's dances are far less spectacular and their presentation here likewise. The 3d only distracts from the movement in all but one Warhol-involved set, especially when edited with 2d archival.

• First half entertaining, second boring. The film progresses at a monotonous pace: one thing happens and then another and then another. No real conflict or tension.

Which is a problem. Because there evidently was plenty of this, but only in reality. The movie, on the other hand, brushes past unconvincingly. No one in the film is given space apart from Cunningham - everyone else speaks to convince the audience how great he is. I wanted to hear from one of his female dancers honestly, in long form, of the darkness of Cunningham. This would help to flesh out his character, give us something to chew on, and organise the film into a narrative. As is, we grew progressively distrusting and disengaged with the Greatest Hits/ Victory Lap tone, before the film ends suddenly with the news that all his dancers left.

• Ultimately we were left unconvinced that Cunningham (the dancer) was all that interesting. Fashionable certainly, he's attached to the right people, and I'm sure it would be great to be dancing as him, but the just-over-half-full prime-time-at-the-festival cinema was an endless circuit of yawns.

• Nevertheless we feel cultured now.

Cunningham is an immersive documentary about the early years and artistic development of legendary American dancer and choreographer Merce Cunningham. The film is thought-provoking and artistically beautiful. Cunningham is a work of art in and of itself and a journey exploring the development of modern dance.

The film highlights Merce Cunningham's dancing from 1942 to 1972. Artistic innovation and expression is its central theme. Time and space play important roles in the movements between the dancers themselves and their interaction with various settings. The settings for the various dances are as important as any character in the film; I particularly enjoy the outdoor performances with their natural environment. The movie is available in 3D, but I previewed this film in 2D and found it quite moving.

Dance is a very visual experience and director/editor Alla Kovgan gives us a breathtaking story. I love the blending of archival footage and live action in the film, which is perfection and gives you a feeling for the time period. The choreographic collaboration by Jennifer Goggans and Robert Swinston for this documentary is on point and brings another critical element to this story. The music adds emotion and depth with original music for the film composed by renowned Volker Bertelmann.

The message of this film is about exploring self expression and collaboration with others. Merce Cunningham saw his dancers as individuals first and dancers second. He valued their opinions and collaborated with many other artists in various fields such as his long standing friend, composer John Cage and with the iconic Andy Warhol.

As a dancer, I rate this film 4 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 10 to 18, as well as adults and dance enthusiasts.

Reviewed ;by Selene W,, KIDS FIRST! reporter

Excellent and insightful film on the creative genius, Merce Cunningham. I will recommend to all my friends.